aments worth from fifty to one hundred francs. They
were, however, just as pretty in Mrs. Holiday's opinion. Indeed, the
beauty of such ornaments as these seldom has any relation to the
costliness of them. This, however, constitutes no reason, in the opinion
of many ladies, why they should buy the less expensive ones; for with
these ladies it is the costliness of an ornament, rather than the beauty
of it, that constitutes its charm.

The two ladies paid for their purchases with gold coins which they took
from elegant gold-mounted porte-monnaies that they carried in their
hands, and then, with a dash and a flourish, went away.

Mrs. Holiday took up one after another of the ornaments before her, and
looked at them with a musing air and manner, that seemed to denote that
her thoughts were not upon them. She was thinking how erroneous an
estimate those ladies form of the comparative value of the different
sources of happiness within the reach of women who sacrifice the
confidence and love of their husbands to the possession of a pearl
necklace or a diamond pin.

Mrs. Holiday finally bought two ornaments, and Rollo bought two also.
Rollo's were small pins. They were very pretty indeed. One of them cost
twelve francs, and the other fifteen. His mother asked him whether he
was going to wear them himself.

"O, no, mother," said he; "I have bought them to give away."

His mother then asked him whom he was going to give them to. He laughed,
and said that that was a secret. He would tell her, however, he said,
whom one of them was for. It was for his cousin Lucy.

"And which of them is for her?" asked his mother.

"This one," said Rollo. So saying he showed his mother the one that cost
twelve francs.

CHAPTER XVI.

A FORTUNATE ACCIDENT.

The day before Rollo left Geneva, he met with an accident which his
father called a fortunate one, though Rollo himself was at first
inclined to consider it quite an unfortunate one. The reason why Mr.
Holiday considered it fortunate was, that no evil result followed from
it, except giving Rollo a good fright. "It is always a lucky thing for a
boy," said Mr. Holiday, "when he meets with any accident that frightens
him well, provided it does not hurt him much."

The accident that happened to Rollo was this: There was a boy at the
hotel, who had recently come with his father and mother from India. He
was the son of an English army officer. His name was Gerald. He was a
tall and