"Only my best hat, and a few new pairs of gants de Suède."
"This must be stopped at once. She has no conscience, no principle. You will be giving her your white silk next, you foolish girl. You must think of yourself, you have hardly a penny to live on, and are as lavish as a princess, and utterly indifferent to your own interests. Now, if you had spoken to me, I could have disposed of your cottons and muslins for ready money. As it is, I shall take your black silk, your white silk, your blue surah," running over these items with infinite unction, "and give you a good price for them, considering that they are second-hand. Your white satin low body would be too small, I'm afraid; and your gloves are not my size (Mrs. Creery took sevens, and Helen sixes); but I'll have your pinafore and brown hat."
"But indeed, thanking you very much for thinking of me, I do not wish to sell anything. Some day I may want these things, and have no money to replace them, don't you see?"
Mrs. Creery failed to see the matter in that light at all, and argued and stormed; nevertheless, Helen was adamant.
"Aunt Julia would not be pleased, I'm sure," she said firmly. "And I really could not do it, really I would not, Mrs. Creery."
"And I had such a fancy for your little black lace and jet shoulder-cape!" whimpered that lady, on the verge of tears.
Helen paused, looked at her hesitatingly, and said,—
"I wonder if you would be very much offended if—if I——" here she broke down.
But Mrs. Creery knew exactly what she wished to say, and rushed to her rescue.
"Yes, that's it exactly," she cried eagerly, "a capital idea, we will exchange! I'll take your cape, which would be brown next year, and give you something you will like far better, something that won't wear out, and will serve to remind you of the six months you spent at Port Blair." (As if Helen needed anything to remind her of that.) "Something that, I'm sure, you will be delighted to have."