And now Miss Mary blushed, whether on account of a breach of sisterly etiquette, or whether for some guilty memory of a long-withered affection, was never discovered by her elders or any one else, either. "Philip?" her sisters repeated. "It is a very respectable name," said Miss Mary apologetically, and for the life of her could only recall Philip of Spain, whose admirable qualities were not enough marked to justify her in breaking in upon Miss Horner's continuation of the discussion. "Feeling as we do," the latter said, "that a divine providence has given a girl-child to the world on account of our earnest prayers, we think we have a certain right to give our advice, to urge that you, my dear Florence, should allow us the opportunity of regulating her education and securing her future. We enjoy between us a comfortable little sum of money, half of which we propose to set aside for the child. The rest has already been promised to the Reverend Williams, to be applied as he shall think fit." "Like an ointment, I suppose," said Florrie. "Like an ointment? Like what ointment?" "You seem to think that money will cure everything--if it's applied. But who's going to look after Jenny if you die? Because," she went on, before they had time to answer, "Jenny isn't going to be applied to the Reverend Williams. She isn't going to mope all day with Bibles as big as tramcars on her knees. No, thank you, Aunt Alice, Jenny'll stay with her mother." "Then you won't allow us to adopt her?" snapped Miss Horner, sitting up so straight in the cane-bottomed chair that it creaked again and again. "I don't think," Aunt Fanny put in, "that you are quite old enough to understand the temptations of a young girl." "Aren't I?" said Florence. "I think I know a sight more about 'em than you do, Aunt Fanny. I am a mother, when all's said and done." "But have you got salvation?" asked Miss Horner. "I don't see what salvation and that all's got to do with my Jenny," Mrs. Raeburn argued. "But you would like her to be sure of everlasting happiness?" inquired Miss Fanny mildly, amazed at her niece's obstinacy. "I'd like her to be a good girl, yes." "But how can she be good till she has found the Lord? We're none of us good," declared Miss Mary, "till we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb." "I quite believe you're in earnest, Aunt Alice," declared Mrs. Raeburn, "in earnest, and anxious to do well by Jenny, but I don't hold and never did hold with cooping children up. Poor little things!" "There wouldn't be any cooping up. As a child of grace, she would often go out walking with her aunts, and sometimes, perhaps often, be allowed to carry the tracts." Mrs. Raeburn looked down in the round blue eyes of Jenny. "Perhaps you'd like her to jump to glory with a tambourine?" she said. "Jump to glory with a tambourine?" echoed Miss Horner. "Or bang the ears off of Satan with a blaring drum? Or go squalling up aloft with them saucy salvation hussies?"