t go home now," she added, "for it is Saturday, and I have much to
do. After you have purchased the gloves you girls can walk up to the
Common if you wish; but be sure and be home in good season for dinner."

The girls both promised, and Mrs. Freeman left them, with a word of
caution to be careful in crossing Long-acre Street, where there were
always many teams, carriages and horsemen going back and forth.

"You are almost a young lady, aren't you, Rose?" Anne said admiringly,
as she looked up at her friend.

"I suppose so," Rose replied laughingly. "See, my skirts come to my
ankles, and Aunt Hetty said I must twist my braids around my head now.
And I think it does become me better," and Rose put up her white-gloved
hand to be quite sure that the braids were smoothly fastened.

The girls walked along the Mall, and a little way toward the Charles
River. Rose met several girls of her own age who greeted Anne
pleasantly. One of them asked Rose if she knew that a messenger had
reached Boston with a copy of the Declaration of Independence. "It is to
be read from the balcony of the State House on Tuesday," said Rose's
friend. "'Twill be a great day, and 'tis well you have reached Boston in
time for it."

When Anne and Rose reached the Freeman house little Millicent was at the
door waiting for them. She had a big doll in her arms and told Anne that
its name was "Hetty," because Aunt Hetty Freeman had made it and sent it
to her. Frederick had hung the wasp's nest in his own room, and declared
that there was not another boy in Boston who possessed one. Several of
his friends had already seen it, and Frederick was quite sure that he
was a very fortunate boy to have it for his own.

On Sunday morning Anne was awakened by the sound of the bells of Christ
Church, which was not far distant from the Freemans' house. She lay
listening to the musical notes, and wondering if those could really be
church-bells.

"They sound like far-off voices singing," she thought to herself. And
when Mrs. Freeman, at breakfast time, told her that there were eight
bells, and that they came all the way from Gloucester, England, in 1745,
and were the first ring of bells in North America, they seemed even more
wonderful to the little girl.

"William Shirley was Governor of Massachusetts at that time," said Mr.
Freeman, "and when the bells reached Boston it was found that there was
no money in the church treasury to raise them to the church belfry, a