Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jacqueline Jeremy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: FROM AUNT TREMAYNE AND RALPH] SIX GIRLS _A HOME STORY_ BY FANNIE BELLE IRVING ILLUSTRATED BY F. T. MERRILL BOSTON DANA ESTES AND COMPANY PUBLISHERS _Copyright, 1882_, By Estes and Lauriat. University Press: JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. UNDER THE TREES 7 II. AROUND THE FIRE 18 III. A FOUNDATION THAT BROUGHT KAT TO GRIEF 38 IV. IN CONFIDENCE 51 V. ONE DAY 65 VI. A STRANGER 80 VII. MR. CONGREVE SURPRISES HIMSELF AND EVERYBODY ELSE 97 VIII. ODDS AND ENDS 113 IX. WHAT OLIVE HEARD 128 X. THE LITTLE BLACK TRUNK 148 XI. WHERE IS ERNESTINE? 168 XII. THE STORY 188 XIII. A YEAR LATER 202 XIV. STUDY OR PLAY? 221 XV. CONGREVE HALL 240 XVI. UNDER THE SHADY GREEN-WOOD TREE 257 XVII. SEVERAL THINGS 284 XVIII. AT THE OPERA 306 XIX. COMING HOME 336 XX. A SAD STORY 355 XXI. MY LADY 368 XXII. TO REAR, TO LOVE, AND THEN TO LOSE 380 XXIII. WHEN GOD DREW NEAR, AMONG HIS OWN TO CHOOSE 406 XXIV. TWO SECRETS 420 XXV. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT--FIVE YEARS LATER 437 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE FROM AUNT TREMAYNE AND RALPH _Frontispiece_ "O ERNESTINE, HOW LOVELY!" 17 KAT AND KIT 49 THE OLD GENTLEMAN LIFTED JEAN UP ON THE POST 92 "NOW LET'S SEE WHAT'S IN THIS WONDERFUL TRUNK" 167 "WHY, HOW DO YOU DO, MY DEAR CHILD?" 244 "WHAT IS THE MATTER? WHAT HAS HAPPENED?" 267 MR. CONGREVE WOULD COME INTO THE GALLERY 314 SIX GIRLS. CHAPTER I. UNDER THE TREES.