But this was not by any means Lily's view of the matter; and she presently asked to be shown this joint production of her three little friends, Maggie and Bessie and Belle.
Accordingly, the picture, or rather pictures, were brought forth, and with them the poem which Maggie had composed to accompany them.
When the red ribbon which tied the first was taken off, and the pictures unrolled, they proved quite a panorama; and Lily's mournful face lighted up at the sight.
"How good of you!" she said. "It must have taken you ever so long to draw all those pictures."
"There are four of them," said Bessie. "Belle made two, 'cause she can draw the best, and Maggie made one, and I one; but Maggie made 'most all the ideas. I think they're so very plain you can make them out for yourself, Lily, but we'll 'splain them to you if you like."
"I'll see how much I can find out, and you can tell me the rest," said Lily, setting herself at once to the study of the drawings.
"What's the reading on this one?" she asked. "P-r-o-pro-c-r-a-s-cras—Oh! I s'pose this is 'Procrastination is the thief of Time.'"
"Yes," said Maggie.
"And this is a skeleton," said Lily, "a skeleton with a goblet in one hand, and a—and a"—Lily hesitated, wishing to be sure to hit the right nail on the head—"and a—I'm not quite sure if it's a feather dust-brush, or a coachman's whip."