five
other girls left the selection of the thimble to us, and went down
stairs.

"Wasn't 'Cony' good?" said Sallie. "Little did she suspect our
object."

"Would it be a bad idea to ask her to feast with us to-night?"

"Not at all bad. Do you believe she'll come?"

"Very doubtful. Who will ask Madame if we may have the feast?"

"I," said Sallie; "my life for my country."

We bought a beautiful gold thimble for six dollars, and spent the
rest for flowers; then hurried home to open the boxes, and get
everything ready before study hour.

"What shall we do for a table-cloth?"

"Take a fresh sheet," said Sallie.

"Isn't there anything better?" asks Ida.

"Positively nothing," answered Sallie, throwing a sheet at her.
"Take this, and be thankful it isn't sheet lightning that strikes
you. Now I start for my interview with Madame."

"Good luck attend you! Enid, put the flowers in the centre, with a
lemon pie at one side and a mince at the other."

"Here is a roast chicken," I cried. "Ida, put it at one end."

"Enid," called Gertie, "here's a duck in my box; put him opposite
the chicken."

"'Dido _et dux_,'" said Enid.

"Well," answered Gertie, "I'm glad she didn't eat them all."

Here Sallie came in, triumphant.

"I showed her the thimble, girls, and told her all about
everything, and she says we five and the other five and Miss
Coningham--Elsie, she called her--can come up here right after
prayers, and stay till ten o'clock."

"Could anything be jollier?"

"She says Elsie was our age when she first came here, and was as
full of fun as we are."

Then I found your note, saying there were _A_pples for Anna,
_E_ggs for Enid, _G_rapes for Gertie, _I_nglish walnuts for Ida,
and _S_ardines for Sallie. We saw how hard up you were for I's,
but we'd rather have the nuts than anything.

We had just got everything in order when the study bell rang. You
can scarcely mention a "goody" that was not in one of those boxes.
Gertie had a birthday cake with fifteen tapers on it, which we
lighted.

I can't begin to tell you what a jolly time we had when we came
back up stairs. All our invitations were accepted. Miss Coningham
was charmed with the thimble. We "toasted" all you good people at
home who wer