"Miss King will speak to Mr. St. John about marrying you, and she will ask him to wear our surplice. She's going to send you flowers--lilies of the valley and roses. It all would be perfect, Lily Rose, if only you had a white dress!" Lily Rose smiled sweetly, and told Amarilly she was glad to be married in any dress, and that she should not miss the "reg'ler weddin' fixin's" nearly as much as Amarilly would mind her not having them. When Amarilly set her head and heart on anything, however, it was sure to be accomplished. It was a puzzling problem to equip Lily Rose in the conventional bridal white vestments, for the bride-to-be was very proud and independent and wouldn't hearken to Amarilly's plea to be allowed to contribute toward a new dress. "We're under obligations to _him_, you know," argued Amarilly "and I'd like to help him by helping you." Lily Rose was strong of will despite her sweet smile. Deep down in her heart Amarilly, throughout all her scheming, knew there was a way, but she chose to ignore it until the insistent small voice spoke louder and louder. With a sigh of renunciation she yielded to the inevitable and again sought Lily Rose. "I've thought out a way to the white dress," she announced. Lily Rose's eyes sparkled for a moment, and their light died out. "Yes, there's really a way," persisted Amarilly, answering the unspoken denial. "You said you could squeeze out slippers and stockings, didn't you?" "Yes," she admitted. "Well, there's your new white dress skirt, and for a waist there is my lovely lace waist that I told you about--the one Miss King gave me." "Your weddin' waist! No, Amarilly. It's like you to offer, but I couldn't take it from you." "No, I'm not giving it to you. Just lending it to you for your wedding. You couldn't hurt it any wearing it two hours. Then I'll lay it by again till I'm married. And I'll like wearing it all the more because you wore it to your wedding. Come over some day and we'll try it on. Then Miss King is going to give you the bouquet, and for a veil--" "Oh, the veil! Amarilly, I would love a veil!" Lily Rose cried wistfully. "Well, I've got one spoken for. You see, Mrs. Jimmels has been married so many different ways, I felt sure she must have worn a veil at one of her weddings, and seeing she had been married so many times, I thought she couldn't have any special feeling about any one of them, so I asked her if she wouldn't lend hers to you, and she's glad to have it put to use again. You'll look just perfectly swell, Lily Rose. And she's going to give you a pair of white gloves that she had when she was slim-like." The little renunciator went home feeling amply rewarded by the look of shining content in the blue eyes of Lily Rose. * * * * *