"Please, Peg," begged Keineth. She pulled her into the room. "I didn't know you were home, honest!"
Peggy glimpsed the corner of a paper half hidden under some books. Upon it were written bars of music.
"You _have_ got a secret," she cried excitedly, "you're writing music! Keineth Randolph, if you don't tell your very best friend, now!"
Keineth, her face scarlet, drew out the tell-tale paper.
"It's just a little thing," she explained shyly. "Your mother showed me how to write last summer, but I wanted to surprise everybody. I was going to tell you, though, when it was done. Peg, I'm going to try to sell it!"
"Sell it! Get real money?" cried Peggy.
"Yes--that's what the masters did--only they were nearly always starving. 'Course I'm not, but I would like to earn some money." "Oh, wouldn't it be fun?" Peggy caught Keineth's elbows and whirled her around. "What would you ever do with it? But where do you sell music? And what is its name?"
"I call it 'The Castle of Dreams,'" answered Keineth with shining eyes. "And Mr. Cadowitz told me there's a music house right here in the city--Brown and Co."
"Let's go there together! Let's go _now!_ Mother's away and it's just the time!"
The sore throat was forgotten. Peggy helped Keineth arrange the sheets in a little roll and together they started forth on their secret errand. They found the music house without any difficulty, but Keineth's courage almost failed her when she found herself confronted by a long line of clerks. To the one who came forward she explained her errand. She wanted to see the manager--she had some music she wished to sell!