But of course the old blue chest couldn’t be taken to Ireland. And Judy at last believed she was going when a paragraph in the “North Glen Notes” announced that Miss Judy Plum of Silver Bush would spend the winter with her relatives in Ireland. Judy looked queerer than ever when she saw it. It seemed to make everything so irrevocable.

“Patsy darlint, it must be the will av the Good Man Above that I’m to go,” she said when she read it.

“Nothing like a change, as old Murdoch MacGonigal said when he turned over in his grave,” remarked Tillytuck cheerfully.

Everybody gave Judy something. Uncle Tom gave a leather suit-case and mother a beautiful brush and comb and hand mirror.

“Oh, oh, niver did I be thinking I’d have a t’ilet set av me own,” said Judy. “Talk av the silver backed ones the Bishop stole! And wid me monnygram on the back av the looking glass! I do be hoping me ould uncle will have sinse enough lift to take in the grandeur av it.”

Pat gave her a “negleege” and Aunt Barbara gave her a crinkly scarf of cardinal crepe which she had worn only once and which Judy had greatly admired. Even Aunt Edith gave her a gray hug-me-tight with a purple border. Pat nearly went into kinks at the thought of Judy in such a thing but Judy was rather touched.

“Sure and it was rale kind av Edith. I hadn’t ixpicted it for we’ve niver been what ye might call cronies. Mebbe I’ll see some poor ould lady in Ireland that it’ll set.”

Judy’s traveling dress exercised them all but one was finally got that pleased her. Also a gray felt hat with a smart, tiny scarlet feather in it. Judy tried the whole outfit on one night in the kitchen chamber and was so scared by her stylish reflection in the cracked mirror that she was for tearing everything off immediately.

“Oh, oh, it doesn’t look like me, Patsy. It does be frightening me. Will I iver get back into mesilf?”

But Pat made her go down to the kitchen and show herself to everybody. And everybody felt that this hatted and coated and scarlet-feathered Judy was a stranger but everybody paid her compliments and Tillytuck said if he’d ever suspected what a fine-looking woman she really was there was no knowing what might have happened.

“I hope nothing will prevent Judy from going,” said Rae. “It would break her heart to be disappointed now. But when I think of coming home Friday nights and Judy not here! And that horrid old Mrs. Bob Robinson, with her pussy cat face!” Rae blinked her eyes fiercely.

“Mrs. Robinson isn’t really so bad, Rae,” protested Pat half-heartedly. “At any rate she is the best we can get and it’s only for the winter.”