ck whatever is over," said
the innocent male, little reckoning that three feminine heads would lie
restless on their pillows that night, striving in vain to solve the
problem of making ten pounds do duty for fifty.

Next morning, pencils and paper were in requisition to check mental
additions, while Ruth drew up a list of usefuls, and Mollie one of
fineries which seemed equally essential. At a most modest estimate it
seemed possible to purchase the whole for something under thirty pounds.
A painful curtailment brought it down to twenty, but by no persuasion
could that sum be halved.

"Unless we play Box and Cox!" cried Mollie, in desperation. "One rain
cloak, and an understanding that one of us invariably feels chilly, and
stays at home on wet days. One white dress, to be worn in turn on
special occasions, while the other languishes in bed with a headache.
One evening cloak, ditto. Ditto gloves and sundries. It is the only
way I can see out of the difficulty."

"Don't be absurd, Mollie! We shall _both_ have to stay in bed if
anything special takes place, for we can't afford any extras. I
remember once asking Eleanor Drummond's advice about spending my
allowance, and she said, `Wear a shabby dress, if you must; wear a
shabby hat, if you have not taste and ingenuity to trim one for yourself
out of next to nothing; but never, never, never condescend to a shabby
petticoat or shoes down at the heel!' I thought it splendid advice, and
have always acted upon it, as far as I could. Let us buy really nice
boots and slippers and petticoats before we do anything else!"

"I'll have a silk one, then, and rustle for once, if I die for it!"
cried Mollie recklessly. "And the boots shall be thin, not thick, with
a nice, curved sole to show off my patrician instep. If I have to
content myself with usefuls, they shall be as ornamental as possible.
Don't you think we might possibly squeeze out net over-skirts to wear
with the black silks, sometimes, so as to make them look like two
dresses instead of one?"

"Oh, my dear, I like luxuries as much as you do! It's only grim
necessity which makes me prudent. The black net is really an
inspiration, and if we make it up ourselves we can manage quite well,
and have enough money left for gloves and ribbons, and one fresh blouse
a-piece."

For the next week all was bustle and excitement. The girls paid two
long shopping expeditions to town, and returned laden with interesting
p