There was a gentle tap at my door, and, her face quite radiant with excitement and anticipation, in walked (or rather bounded, for she never walked,) my chosen colleague, Annie Wilmot. A small basket hung on her arm, a huge sun-bonnet almost concealed her pretty face, and she was evidently bound on a strawberry excursion. “Come, quick!” she exclaimed, “put on your hat, snatch up a basket, and let us be off, for we shall have a grand time of it. The girls are all pretty lazy, and require considerable stirring up, but there is a whole caravan at the door now, waiting for the light of your presence. Come, Ella, you’re a terrible snail! do make haste!” _A strawberry excursion!_ Dear me, what an idea! my lip curled at the very thoughts of it. Soil and tear my white frock among the brambles, disarrange my carefully smoothed ringlets, and stain my hands like any old strawberry-picker! I, a young lady of seventeen, perform such an undignified part! “I am sorry, Annie,” I replied, “but you really must excuse me in consequence of a prior engagement.” “_Prior engagement!_” repeated the laughing girl, mimicking my tone, as she eyed me from head to foot, “I am afraid you will choke yourself with big words—have you swallowed Webster, my dear? But really,” she continued, with a courtesy of mock reverence, “you must excuse my not being struck with your resplendent appearance before. Pray, if I may be so bold as to ask, what do all these curls mean, and that cross, and that particularly unrumpled-looking dress? Do initiate me as to this prior engagement.” “I am only going out to tea,” I replied, a little confused, while I determined not to tell her where, for fear of her suspecting me. “But I really think,” said I, “that we are too old to go a-strawberrying, Annie—remember that we are no longer children.” “Mercy on us! what has got into the girl? _too old to go a-strawberrying!_ If we are too old to _gather_ strawberries,” said she, “we must be too old to _eat_ them, so I advise you to give them up at once. Farewell, Miss Propriety; I shall certainly send you a cap and a pair of spectacles suited to your advanced years. Wherever you are going,” she concluded, “I hope you will enjoy yourself as much as we expect to—but I very much doubt it.” “So much you know,” thought I; and away bounded my merry visiter, probably to enlighten the waiting bevy as to the nature of my objections, for I soon heard a great deal of buzzing and laughter as the whole troop finally disappeared.