to her mirror and asked if any one were fairer than she, she
saw Snowdrop's face. Of course, no woman could stand that, so she cast
Snowdrop out and the ugly dwarfs took care of her."

"The dwarfs were kinder to her than her own people."

Merryvale, with a hasty glance at the girl, sensed the ugly reality of
his story and, turning very red, began plucking the dead leaves from the
nearest tree.

"It must be wonderful," he remarked, rather clumsily, "to be a new
person every day. Who will you be to-morrow?"

"Miss Patty's maid." All her brightness had gone and she moved as if
about to leave him.

"Oh, no," he exclaimed, "not that! Cinderella, perhaps. To-morrow you
will be Cinderella before the fairy godmother came to take her to the
ball."

"Yes, because nothing had happened then."

"Not before the ball, but after; the next morning when the prince
searches with the golden slipper in his hand."

"If I were going to be Cinderella at all," Hertha was gently emphatic,
"I would be at the ball itself, a beautiful ball in a long, golden room
filled with lights and blooming flowers, where every one wore filmy silk
dresses and danced to swaying music."

"You and I would dance together, you in soft blue silk, the color of the
dress you have on, and I--what should I wear?"

"Pale pink satin," she answered, laughter in her eyes, "and your hair in
long curls."

He chuckled. "What fools they must have looked, those Fauntleroy
princes. I wonder if they ever did a stroke of work?"

"No, others planted while they picked the blossoms."

"There's a heap of that in this world, isn't there? Do you know,"
earnestly, "one reason I came home was because I thought I'd like to see
a Merryvale digging his own garden."

"You do it very nicely."

"Thank you." He said this seriously, and then, realizing for a moment
her station, turned away.

"What's this?" She was running among the trees; he dashed after her and
in a moment had her cornered.

"The clock struck twelve."

"No it didn't! Truly it didn't. Besides, you're not Cinderella to-day,
you're Snowdrop. You mustn't change parts as fast as that. It isn't
Cinderella until to-morrow."

"I'm afraid I forgot."

"Of course you did. Come now, and play."

She shook her head, and then half whispered, looking wistfully into his
face, "My clock is always striking."

They stood close to one another. The sun shining through the leaves on
her young face showed all its beauty; the