She felt more than half ashamed of
her uncle's eccentricity in this matter.

"I don't think there is anything in it except my mother's things," she
replied. "Everything that belonged to her is there, except this chain
with the locket and coin on it that she said she wanted me to have and
to wear always. Lisbeth says I used to wear it when I was a tiny baby."
And she pulled the chain outside her coat to show it to Maud.

"Oh, how sweet!" cried Maud as she opened the locket and saw the face of
Marjory's mother. "How I wish you'd got her now!" impulsively squeezing
Marjory's arm. "And what's this?" looking at the other trinket which
hung on the chain.

"It's the half of a coin with a hole bored through it."

"So it is. And look, there's one-half of the date on it--87. Let's see.
This is 1902. That's" (and she counted rapidly on her fingers, contrary
to all approved systems of mental arithmetic) "fifteen years ago--before
you were born, and of course the very year I was born. It was the
Queen's Jubilee year, and that's why I was called Victoria--Maud
Victoria my name is. Think it's pretty?" she asked, with her head
coquettishly on one side.

"I like Maud," said Marjory. "Victoria sounds rather too grand for an
ordinary person."

"But I'm not an ordinary person. Well, don't mind me; let's think about
this coin. The question is, Where's the other half? Somebody must have
got it. More mystery. Why, Marjory, you are like a girl in a book where
all sorts of impossible things can happen. _I'm_ going to write a book
some day--from a girl's point of view--and I intend to make all parents
and guardians and governesses, _et cetera_, sit up. Why should boys
have everything jolly, while girls are made to be so prim and proper?
Read a boys' book and you will find it full of fun and adventures and
excitement, but girls are supposed to care about nothing but wish-wash,
about self-denial and being good, and all that. Course I know we ought
to try to be good, keep our promises, and never do mean things, or tell
stories; every decent girl tries; but we don't want it continually poked
down our throats till we're sick of it. My theory is that girls ought to
have just as good a time all round as boys, if not a better." And the
irrepressible Maud laughed merrily.

"Here comes Alan," said Blanche, secretly wondering what he would think
of the visitor. When she heard the announcement, Maud gave a tilt to her
hat and a toss to her hair, wh