When Josie awoke in the morning the country girl was awake and fully dressed and reading a book by the window.
The wrinkly red dress could not utterly break up the fine lines of her firm bust and powerful side and thigh, and the admiring little creature hopped out of bed and stole across the room, and threw her arms about Rose.
"How big and beautiful you are!"
These wonderful words ran into the country girl's blood like hot scented wine. To be beautiful made some amends for being coarse and uncultured. As she had never felt abasement before, so she had never felt the need of being beautiful until now.
She turned a radiant, tearful face to Josie, and seized her hands.
"I—I like you—O, so much!"
"I knew we'd be friends," cried the little one dancing about. "And you'll let me go and help you buy your things, won't you?"
"O, I'll be glad to have you—I'm such a fool. I don't know anything at all that I ought to know."
"You're just splendid. I'm the one who don't know anything."
Then they entered upon a day of shopping. They toiled like ants and buzzed like bees.