e companion. Where could
Dolly have come from, and what sort of people could she belong to, who
did not know _that?_ The truth was, that Dolly being an only child and
living at home with her father and mother, had led a very childish life
up to this time; and her mother, owing to some invalidism, had lately
been withdrawn from the gay world and its doings. So, though the thing
was greatly upon her mother's heart, the word had never made itself
familiar to Dolly's ear. Christina was reassured, however, by observing
that the little girl's dress was quite what it ought to be, and
certainly bespoke her as belonging to people who "knew what was what."
So the practice was all right, and Dolly needed only instruction in the
theory.

"'Stylish,'"--she repeated. "It means--It is very hard to tell you
what it means. Don't you know? 'Stylish' means that things have an air
that belongs to the right kind of thing, and only what you see in a
certain sort of people. It is the way things look when people know how."

"Know how, what?" inquired Dolly.

"Know how things ought to be; how they ought to be worn, and how they
ought to be done."

"Then everybody ought to be stylish," said Dolly.

"Yes, but you cannot, my dear, unless you happen to know how."

"But I should think one could always know how things ought to be,"
Dolly went on. "The Bible tells."

"The Bible!" echoed Christina.

"Yes."

"The Bible tell one how to be stylish!"

"The Bible tells how things ought to be."

"Why, no, it don't, child! the Bible don't tell you what sort of a hat
to put on."

"Yes, it does, Christina. The Bible says, 'Whether you eat or drink, or
whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.' I can show you the
words."

"Oh, that is something quite different. That has nothing to do with
being stylish. How shall I make you understand? If your cravat wasn't
tied in a nice bow there, it wouldn't be stylish."

"Well," returned Dolly, "it wouldn't be to the glory of God either."

"What has that to do with it?"

"I think it would be wrong for a Christian to be anything but nice."

"Oh, it isn't being _nice!_" said Christina. "Your dress wouldn't be
stylish if it hadn't those flounces."

"And is it now?"

"Yes--I think it is. I should say, your mother knows what is what. It
isn't very easy to be stylish if you are poor; but I've seen people do
it, though."

"I don't think I understand, quite," said Dolly. "But when I am old
enough to