rls who
surrounded Maggie. It was then addressed to "Queen Aneta," and
Kathleen crossed the room with it and dropped it, there and then, into
Aneta Lysle's lap.

It caused very deep amazement in the hearts of all the girls who
belonged to Aneta's party, and it is highly probable that they might
have refused to accept the invitation but for that magical postscript,
"Mrs. Ward has most kindly promised to attend." But there was no
withstanding that patent fact, as Mrs. Ward knew very well when she
made the proposal to Kathleen.

After a lapse of about twenty minutes, Cicely Cardew crossed the room
and laid the answer to Maggie's note in her lap:

"Queen Aneta and her subjects have much pleasure in accepting Queen
Maggie's invitation for the 15th inst."

"Hip, hip, hurrah!" cried Kathleen. "The thing's arranged, and we'll
have about the jolliest flare-up and the most enticing time that girls
ever had at any school." She sprang from her seat, and began tossing a
book which had lain in her lap into the air, catching it again. In
short, the subjects of the two queens broke up on the spot and chatted
gaily together, and Maggie and her subjects could not be induced to
say one word of what was to take place on the 15th of October.

"It is wonderful," thought Aneta to herself. "Why does Mrs. Ward come?
But, of course, as she comes we must all come."

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE TREASURE.

Maggie had by no means forgotten her promise to the Tristram girls to
give them a bracelet apiece. It was easy to do this, for they were her
very special friends in the school. The fact is that Molly and Belle
had a somewhat peculiar position at Aylmer House, for they were not
only Maggie's special friends, but also the undoubted friends and
allies of Cicely, Merry, and also of Aneta. But they were such
good-humored, good-natured, pleasant sort of girls--so lively, so
jolly--that they could take up a position with ease which would
oppress and distress other people.

When Maggie presented them with their bracelets they were in wild
raptures, accepting them gleefully, and on occasions when ornaments
were permitted to be worn--which, as a matter of fact, was only in the
leisure hours--they invariably had them on their arms.

But other girls noticed them, and one and all admired them immensely.

"Oh, I have others," said Maggie in a careless tone; "many more. My
dear father was a great traveler, and these are some of the treasures
he b