Papa; he will tell me directly whether I
shall be right in promising you the four
shillings a week. If I do promise it, you may
depend on always having it."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Miss, for the
thought: I will tell John directly I see him;
the very hope will fill him with joy."

"No," said Laura, "do not tell him yet,
Sally, for you would be sorry to disappoint
him afterwards, if I could not undertake it.
Wait a day or two, and I will give you an
answer; or, if possible, it shall be sooner.
Now, thank you for the nice brushing: I will
put up my hair while you go and dress;
it is getting late. If you require assistance,
and Fanny is not in your room, tap at
my door, for I shall be pleased to help you
to-day."

Laura was not called in; but when she
thought the toilette must be nearly completed,
went to Sally with the shawl which she had
bought for her the day before. As she
entered, Sally was folding the white one John
had given her. "I have brought you a shawl,"
said Laura, "which I want you to wear to-
day; it is much handsomer than that you are
folding. See, do you like it?"

"Yes, Miss," said Sally, "It is a very good
one, I see," and she began to re-fold the other;
but Laura noticed the expression of
disappointment with which she made the change,
and taking up the plain shawl, said, "I do not
know whether this does not suit your neat
muslin dress better than mine. Did you buy
it yourself, Sally?"

"No, Miss, it was John's present; but I
will put on yours this morning, if you please,
Miss, and I can wear John's any day."

"No, no," replied Laura, "you must put on
John's to-day. It matters but little to me
when you wear mine, so long as it does you
good service; but John will feel hurt if you
cast his present aside on your wedding-day,
because some one else has given you a shawl
worth a few shillings more." So Laura put
the white shawl on the shoulders of Sally, who
valued it more than the finest Cashmere in
the world.

As Sally went down stairs, she saw Fanny
in tears on the landing. "I cannot think
how it is," answered she, in reply to Sally's
questioning, "but just on this day, when I
thought to feel so happy, I am quite low.
Miss Isabel has been so kind, she has dressed
me, and quite flustered me with her attentions.
See what nice things she has given me—
this shawl—though for that matter, I'd
rather have worn Thomas's. Oh, how nice
you look. Dear, so neat and becoming your
station, and with John's shawl, too, but then
Miss Laura has made you no present."

"Yes, a good shawl, and a promise besides,
but I will tell you about that another time.
Let us go in now, they must be waiting
for us."

Fanny felt so awkward in her fine clothes,
that she could scarcely be prevailed on to
encounter the gaze of the servants; but her
good-natured cousin promising to explain
that all her dress was given and chosen by
her mistress, she at last went into the hall.
Sally's explanation was only heard by a few
of the party, and as Fanny, in trying to
conceal herself from the gaze of the astonished
villagers, slunk behind old Mrs. Maythorn,
she had the mortification of hearing her say
to John, in the loud whisper peculiar to deaf
people, "I am so glad, John, the neat one is
yours; I should be quite frightened to see
you take such a fine lady as Fanny to the
altar; it makes me sorry for Thomas to see
her begin so smart."

When the ceremony was over, the party
returned to the Hall, where an hospitable
meal had been provided for all the villagers
of good character who chose to partake of it.
It was a merry party, for even Fanny, when
every one had seen her finery long enough to
forget it, forgot it herself. Thomas was very
good-natured about the shawl, and delighted
at the prospect of spending a few days at
L——. He and Fanny talked of the boat-
excursions they would have, the shells they
would gather for a grotto in their garden, and
the long rambles they would take by the
seaside, till they wondered how ever they could
have been contented with the prospect of
going to their cottage at once.

As the pony chaise which the good baronet
had lent for the day, drove up to take the
bridal party to L——, for John and Sally
were also to spend one day there, the two
young ladies came to take leave of their
protégées. Laura said, "Good bye, Sally,
I have consulted Papa and will undertake
to allow you four shillings a-week as long as
Mrs. Maythorn lives. Here is a sovereign
towards expenses; you will not, I am sure,
mind changing your five pound note for the
rest."

Isabel said, "Good bye, Fanny. I am very,
very sorry to disappoint you of your treat at
L——, but I intended to have borrowed the
two pounds of Miss Laura, and I find she
cannot lend them to me. Never mind, I am
sure you will be happy enough in your little
cottage. I never saw such a sweet little place
as it is." So the bridal party drove away.

In less than a week the cousins were
established in their new abode. Sally settled and
happy; but Fanny, unsettled, always expected
the new carpet, the china tea-set, and the
various other alterations that Isabel had
suggested and promised to make. The young
lady was, however, unfortunate with her
money. At one time she lost a bank-note;
at another, just as she was counting out money
for the Brussels carpet, the new maid entered
to tell her that sundry articles of dress were
"past mending," and must be immediately
replaced. One thing after another nipped her
generous intentions in the bud, and at last she
was obliged to set out for her long-expected
journey to France, without having done more