“It may pall upon your fancy, my Marion,” said Lily that night when they were undressing, “but for the fiftieth time I must repeat my conviction that these Ashleys deserve their wealth.”
“O, they do,” assented Marion, enthusiastically, “and Katie grows nicer every day.”
“Yes, Katie’s getting gooder and gooder all the time, as little Elfie says, bless her heart!”
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE LETTER IN CIPHER.
“‘School again, school again,
From a foreign shore!
And O, it fills my heart with pain
To see its walls once more!’”
sang Lily, with mock pathos, as the stage, with its lively load of girls, drove up to the front door, where Mrs. Abbott and Elfie smiled a cordial welcome.