white boxes in his arms; a maid was almost obscured by four
other boxes equally large. Behind her servants stood Mrs. Curtis, smiling
radiantly, while Tom was peeping over his mother's shoulder.

Madge clasped her hands fervently, breathing a quick sigh of relief. "Our
bridesmaids' dresses! I'm too delighted for words."

"Were you thinking about them, dear?" apologized Mrs. Curtis. "I ought to
have sent the frocks to you sooner, but I wanted to bring them myself,
and this is the first moment I have had. You'll let Tom come in to see
them, too, won't you?"

The man-servant departed, but Mrs. Curtis kept the maid to help her lift
out the gowns from the billows of white tissue paper that enfolded them.
She lifted out one dress, Miss Jenny Ann another, and the maid the other
two.

The girls were speechless with pleasure.

Mrs. Curtis, however, was disappointed. Perhaps the girls did not like
the costumes. She had used her own taste without consulting them. Then
she glanced at the little group and was reassured by their radiant
faces.

"O you wonderful fairy godmother!" exclaimed Madge. "Cinderella's dress
at the ball couldn't have been half so lovely!"

Madeleine's wedding was to be in white and green. The bridesmaids' frocks
were of the palest green silk, covered with clouds of white chiffon.
About the bottom of the skirts were bands of pale green satin and the
chiffon was caught here and there with embroidered wreaths of lilies of
the valley. The hats were of white chip, ornamented with white and pale
green plumes.

It was small wonder that four young girls, three of them poor, should
have been awestruck at the thought of appearing in such gowns.

"I shall save mine for my own wedding dress!" exclaimed Eleanor.

"I shall make my debut in mine," insisted Lillian.

"We can't thank you enough," declared Phyllis, a little overcome by so
much grandeur.

Tom was standing in a far corner of the room.

"I would like to suggest that I be allowed to come into this," he
demanded firmly.

"You, Tom?" teased Madge. "You're merely the audience."

Tom took four small square boxes out of his pocket. "Don't you be too
sure, Miss Madge Morton. My future brother-in-law, Judge Robert Hilliard,
has commissioned me to present his gifts to his bridesmaids. Madge shall
be the last person to see in these boxes, just for her unkind treatment
of me."

"All right, Tom," agreed Madge; "I don't think I could stand anything
more j