at his time of life ought
to have had more sense, but what could you expect of a man always
browsing over books! And if she had thought Betty was dying for a silk
frock, she had two laid away that would come in handy some time. She
hadn't ever quite decided who should fall heir to them, but so many of
the girls had grown up and had husbands to buy fine things for them, she
supposed it would be Betty."

"What is going round the neck and sleeves?" she asked presently.

"Mother has promised to lend me some lace," answered Betty. "The other
girls had a borrowed wear out of it."

"I'll look round a bit. I never had much real finery, but husband always
wanted me to dress well when we were first married. We went out a good
deal for a while, before he was hurt. I'll see what I have."

And the next morning old Polly brought over a box with "Missus' best
compliments." There was some beautiful English thread lace about four
inches wide, just as it had lain away for years, wrapped in soft white
paper, with a cake of white wax to keep it from turning unduly yellow.

"Betty, you are in wonderful luck," said her mother. "Something has
stirred up Aunt Priscilla."

Just at noon that eventful Thursday Mr. Manning came in from Salem for
his mother-in-law. Mrs. Manning's little daughter had been born at eight
that morning, and Mary wanted her mother at once. She had promised to
go, but hardly expected the call so soon.

There were so many charges to give Betty, who was to keep house for the
next week. Nothing was quite ready. Mother fashion, she had counted on
doing this and that before she went; and if Betty couldn't get along she
must ask Aunt Priscilla to come, just as if Betty had not kept house a
whole week last summer. There was advice to father and to Warren, and he
was to try to bring Betty home by nine o'clock that evening. What Doris
would do in the afternoon, she couldn't see.

"Go off with an easy heart, mother," said Mr. Leverett; "I will come
home early this afternoon."

CHAPTER VIII

SINFUL OR NOT?

"You should have seen me when Jane tied a white sash about my waist.
Then I was just complete."

"But you looked beautiful before--like a--well, a queen couldn't have
looked prettier. Or the Empress Josephine."

Betty laughed and kissed the little girl whose eyes were still full of
admiration. She had not come home until ten, and found her father
waiting at the fireside, but Doris was snuggled up in bed an