afternoon, and there it was absolutely pounced upon by her willing and
hard-working servant who washed it, and scrubbed it, and rubbed it,
and polished it; and, finally, Miss Egerton purchased bright chintz,
and slipped it over the ugly little chairs, and covered up the
antiquated old sofa, and that very night a certain amount of her work
was got through, and the attics began already to look habitable.

"I mean to do a great deal more," thought Miss Egerton; "fortunately
the paper is fresh and the paint clean; but I must put up two or three
pictures, and I shall fill these book-shelves with the books I used to
love when I was young. My own white sheep-skin rug shall go in front
of the fire. Daisy will like to see the Pink curling down into the
depths of that sheep-skin. Ah, yes! the girls shall have a good
time--a cosy, home-like time--in these rooms, if I can give it to
them."

Then Miss Egerton went downstairs to meet Primrose with a smile about
her thin lips, and a serene, beautiful light in her kind eyes.

"They are getting ready--the rooms are beginning to look charming,
dear," she said. "Oh no, you must not see them yet. It is my fancy not
to show them to you until they are quite ready, and I fear that won't
be until the day after to-morrow; but to-morrow, Primrose, you and
Jasmine and little Daisy may occupy yourselves packing your trunks."

"It all sounds delightful," said Primrose. "You cannot think, Miss
Egerton, how cheered we all are at the thought of coming to you. As to
Daisy, I simply should not know her--she is a changed child. I told
the Doves that we were leaving as I went out this afternoon. They
looked rather cross, and Mrs. Dove asked for a week's rent, instead of
the usual notice. But I can manage to pay that nicely. I won't stay
now, dear Miss Egerton. I'm going round to see Mr. Jones about the
plates he was to try and sell for me, and then I shall hurry back to
Daisy."

"Take her this fresh egg and this little sponge-loaf for her supper,"
said Miss Egerton. "Now good-bye, dear. God bless you, dear!"

"It is wonderful what kind friends we girls seem to meet at every
turn," thought Primrose to herself, as she hurried down the dirty,
sloppy street. "It would be very strange if we did not succeed with so
many people wishing us well. Oh! I feel in good spirits to-night. Even
if Mr. Jones has not sold the plates I shall not complain."

Mr. Jones assured his industrious pupil when she entered h