you could ever fit them together. And
Miss Patty will be in in a minute! Oh, I wish I was somebody else and
not me! Oh, whatever will she say?'

Among the shivered splinters of ivory the little gold bells were
scattered.

'But what's that?' said Fina. 'It's not a bell or----'

She picked whatever it was up from among the shattered ivory and glass.
It was a gold ring, thick and beautiful, with a strange design on it
like on the sides of tea-caddies. She slipped it on her hand to keep it
safe while she went on with the dismal work of picking up the pieces.
And then, suddenly, the dreadfulness of the deed she had done--though
quite the puppy's fault, and not hers at all--came over her. She began
to breathe quickly and then to make faces, and in a moment she was
sobbing and sniffing, and rubbing her wet eyes with her knuckles, still
dirty from her politeness in letting the puppy choose what game she and
it should play at.

She was roused from her crying by a voice, and it was not Miss Patty's
voice. It said:

'Your servant, miss. What can I have the pleasure of doing for you?'

She took her knuckles out of her eyes, and saw, from between her very
dirty eyelids, a tall footman who was bowing respectfully before her.
He was dressed wonderfully in green satin--his large and lovely legs
wore white silk stockings, and his hair was powdered till it was as
white as the inside of a newly-sheared fleece.

[Illustration: '"Your servant, Miss. Do I understand that you order me
to mend this?"'--Page 207.]

'Thank you,' said Fina, sobbing, but polite; 'no one can do anything
for me, unless they can mend all this, and of course nobody can.'

'Your servant, miss,' said the footman. 'Do I understand that you order
me to mend this?'

'If you can,' said Fina, a ray of hope lighting her blighted existence;
'but, of course----WHAT?'

The pagoda stood on the table _mended_! Indeed, it seemed as though
there had never been any breaking. It was there, safe and sound as it
had always been, on its ebony stand, with the shining bubble of its
glass case rising dome-like over it.

The footman had vanished.

'_Well!_' said Fina, 'I suppose it was all a waking dream. How horrible!
I've read of waking dreams, but I didn't know there were ever waking
nightmares. Perhaps I better _had_ wash my hands--and my face,' she
added, when she saw it, round, red, and streaked with mud (made of dust
and tears), in the glass of the chiffonnier.

She