eat Rosalind's eyes
filled with tears.

"You won't be jealous now!" she said dismally, and raised her head to
stare at her own reflection in the mirror. The hair which had once
streamed below her waist was now cut short round her head, her face had
lost its delicate bloom, and an ugly scar disfigured her throat and the
lower portion of one cheek. Beautiful she must always be, with her
faultless features and wonderful eyes, but the bloom and radiance of
colour which had been her chief charm had disappeared for the time being
as completely as though they had never existed.

"I'll love you more," said Peggy reassuringly. "You are ever so much
nicer, and you will be as pretty as ever when your hair grows and the
marks fade away. I like you better when you are not _quite_ so pretty,
for you really were disgustingly conceited; weren't you now? You can't
deny it."

"Oh, Peggy Saville, and so were you! I saw that the first moment you
came into the woom. You flared up like a Turkey cock if anyone dared to
offend your dignity, and you were always widing about on your high
horse, tossing your head, and using gweat long words."

"That's pride, it's not conceit. It's quite a different thing."

"It's about the same to other people," said Rosalind shrewdly. "We both
gave ourselves airs, and the wesult was the same, whatever caused it. I
was pwoud of my face, and you were pwoud of your--your--er--family--and
your cleverness, and--the twicks you played; so if I confess, you ought
to confess too. I'm sorry I aggwavated you, Mawiquita, and took all the
pwaise for the decowations. It was howwibly mean, and I don't wonder
you were angwy. I'm sorry that I was selfish!"

"I exceedingly regret that I formed a false estimate of your character!
Let's be chums!" said Peggy sweetly; and the two girls eyed one another
uncertainly for a moment, then bent forward and exchanged a kiss of
conciliation, after which unusual display of emotion they were seized
with instant embarrassment.

"Hem!" said Peggy. "It's very cold! Fire rather low, I think. Looks
as if it were going to snow."

"No," said Rosalind; "I mean--yes. I'll put on some more--I mean coals.
In half an hour Esther and Mellicent will be here--"

"Oh, so they will! How lovely!" Peggy seized gladly on the new
opening, and proceeded to enlarge on the joy which she felt at the
prospect of seeing her friends again, for on that afternoon Robert and
the vicarage party