"And it's all so wonderful, this—all this! Why Mr. Smith, I'm so happy I—I want to cry all the time. And that's so silly—to want to cry! But I do. So long—all my life—I've had to WAIT for things so. It was always by and by, in the future, that I was going to have— anything that I wanted. And now to have them like this, all at once, everything I want—why, Mr. Smith, it doesn't seem as if it could be true. It just can't be true!"

"But it is true, dear child; and I'm so glad—you've got your five- pound box of candy all at once at last. And I HOPE you can treat your friends to unlimited soda waters."

"Oh, I can! But that isn't all. Listen!" A new eagerness came to her eyes. "I'm going to give mother a present—a frivolous, foolish present, such as I've always wanted to. I'm going to give her a gold breast-pin with an amethyst in it. She's always wanted one. And I'm going to take my own money for it, too,—not the new money that father gives me, but some money I've been saving up for years—dimes and quarters and half-dollars in my baby-bank. Mother always made me save 'most every cent I got, you see. And I'm going to take it now for this pin. She won't mind if I do spend it foolishly now—with all the rest we have. And she'll be so pleased with the pin!"

"And she's always wanted one?"

"Yes, always; but she never thought she could afford it. But now—! I'm going to open the bank to-morrow and count it; and I'm so excited over it!" She laughed shamefacedly. "I don't believe Mr. Fulton himself ever took more joy counting his millions than I shall take in counting those quarters and half-dollars to-morrow."

"I don't believe he ever did." Mr. Smith spoke with confident emphasis, yet in a voice that was not quite steady. "I'm sure he never did."

"What a comfort you are, Mr. Smith," smiled Mellicent, a bit mistily. "You always UNDERSTAND so! And we miss you terribly—honestly we do!— since you went away. But I'm glad Aunt Maggie's got you. Poor Aunt Maggie! That's the only thing that makes me feel bad,—about the money, I mean,—and that is that she didn't have some, too. But mother's going to give her some. She SAYS she is, and—"

But Mellicent did not finish her sentence. A short, sandy-haired youth came up and pointed an accusing finger at her dance card; and Mellicent said yes, the next dance was his. But she smiled brightly at Mr. Smith as she floated away, and Mr. Smith, well content, turned and walked into the adjoining room.