“Frieda, help Beth open our budgets, please,” cried Aunt Alida, nodding at the child and rightly guessing that their baskets would further acquaintance. Beth had the covering Japanese napkins off the basket in a twinkling. In no time at all Liebchen’s room looked like a creditable pantry; fruit and glasses of good things adorned the dresser and table and window sill, while Liebchen’s nurse looked on with her face quite shut up with smiles. “I do so like to take care of a child whose case allows dainties!” she cried. Liebchen was overcome when the contents of the suit-case, the fine night-gowns, the lacy skirts, the soft wrapper, like a great rose, overflowed on bed and chairs. “Oh, my, oh, my, oh, my!” cried Liebchen. “It won’t be enough for me to walk; I’ll have to dance when I’m up once!” “You may dance, little Liebchen; if you can walk you can dance!” cried Mrs. Cortlandt. “Frieda, you are to stay with Liebchen until the nurse says you must go. Miss Beth will not be at home for some hours, so you are welcome to stay. I am going to ask that my little niece be shown the wards, hastily, for we have scant time, but she has never seen a hospital. Do you think we may go through a ward or two?” she added to the nurse. “Surely. I will ring for an attendant,” said the nurse, carrying out her intention. Beth went over and bent down to Liebchen. “You’re a dear and I know you will run like the other kind of a deer soon. And I’m so glad, you don’t know!” Liebchen put a hand on each of Beth’s cheeks to draw her face closer and kiss it. “I love you, love you!” she whispered. “Frieda told me I should, but you are a million times prettier and nicer than I thought you were. If I get able to walk do you s’pose you’d let me come and button you up the back some day, ’stead of Frieda?” Beth laughed. “We’ll do something better than that!” she cried, not knowing what it would be, but full of undefined intentions for Liebchen’s future gladness. “Good-bye, Liebchen! It’s such a nice name, only you can’t say dear, or anything with it, because it’s that itself! Maybe I can come again, but anyway you will come to see me and that’s better.” She waved her hand back as she stood in the doorway. Of all the happiness she had tasted in her life Beth had never had a sip of anything so sweet as the thought that she had brought about Liebchen’s chance to get well. And, besides, it was delightful to feel that Liebchen was such a _little_ girl regarded from the summit of Beth’s additional two years! Under the guidance of a hospital attendant Beth followed her aunt into one of the great public wards of the hospital. It was not visiting day nor hour, but Mrs. James Cortlandt was a privileged person, as Beth discovered. She did not know then, but later on learned that her uncle was a large contributor to this hospital and that her beautiful aunt’s father had been one of its founders.