"Ruth was a very sweet-looking girl in her plain clothes, though," replied Mr. Le Bras: "I rather expected something of this kind, when she should be dressed more like other children."
"Why! did you know they were going to dress her up?" asked Felix.
"I thought it probable," replied Mr. Le Bras.
"But she'll feel all the worse when she has to put on her calico dress, and go home," said Julia.
The carriage was now too near for further remarks. The driver drove up to the door, and stopped; while Mr. and Mrs. Le Bras came out, and shook hands, and asked Mr. and Mrs. Frothingham and Ruth to come in.
"We came down to get the children," said Mr. Frothingham. "We want them to come and take tea with Ruth, and then drive over with us to see the fireworks at the Harbor. We will bring them back in good season this evening.
"They will be very happy to go," replied Mrs. Le Bras.
Mr. and Mrs. Le Bras urged their callers to come in, and stay until the children were ready. As Julia was included in the invitation, she ran home to ask her mother if she could go, while Felix, Sue, and Johnny went to get ready; Mrs. Le Bras having called Kate to help Sue to dress.
Ruth was dressed in white, and wore a broad hat of fine straw, trimmed with a long cream-colored plume and satin ribbon. She was just as modest, unassuming, and at her ease, as she had been in her blue calico, and, as Julia told her mother, "didn't seem to mind being dressed up." The fact was, the poor child was thinking so much of how nice it was not to be at the lighthouse with her aunt, that she had little thought for the other advantages of her situation, to begin with.
When the company were seated in the parlor, Mr. Le Bras said,—