At nine she dressed and went, and Christina gave her a kiss for luck, and I went to bed, for it was quite ten o'clock. I was just jumping in (I always take a header off the chest of drawers to stop me getting stiff!) when I heard a great puffing and panting at the bedroom door. Elizabeth Cawthorne is getting fat. It goes with good-nature and beer. And she is learning to drop her h's in the south. "'Ere!" she said. "'Ere!" and shoved a great card-board box under my nose. "_With Lady Scilly's love and compliments._" I was out of bed again in two twos, and Elizabeth and I unfastened the string, and there was a ball-dress--_the_ ball-dress! I felt inclined to burst out crying, to think of poor Ariadne--so near and yet so far--dancing away, perhaps, and losing Simon Hermyre's affection at every step, because her dress hung badly, and looked home-made, and here was a perfect dream of a dress, lying quite useless on the bed in my room at home. Elizabeth would have it out to look at; I indulged her, keeping her rather dark fingers off it as well as I could. It was all white, and fluffy, and like clotted cream, and I do believe it was made on purpose for Ariadne. There was a note with it, addressed to my sister, which Elizabeth opened in her excitement. I forgave her. It said-- "DEAR CHILD, "My frock, I found, was not quite suitable, your young waist must be larger than mine. So I have ordered one to be made for you, and I do hope it will fit and that you will look very nice in it, with my love. I hope, too, that your father will approve of my taste. "Ever yours, "PAQUERETTE SCILLY." "That's all she cares about--that George should think her generous! But if she had wanted me or Ariadne to be grateful she should have managed to get it here in time. I don't care for misplaced generosity." "Suppose, Miss," said Elizabeth, "that you was to take a cab and go to where Miss Ariadne is, and make her change! Better late than never, I say." "My sister isn't a music-hall artist," I regret to say was what I answered, and Elizabeth agreed, and added too, that she hadn't altogether lost her faith in the other dress, and that it might get Ariadne an offer as well as a smarter. So then she went, and I laid the dress out on Ariadne's bed, and lay down, and tried to go to sleep with my eyes fixed on it, and I did and even dreamed. I was woke by feeling a heavy weight on my chest. At first I thought it was indigestion, but as I began to get more awake, I found it was Ariadne, who was sitting there quite still in the dark. I joggled her off, and then I began to remember about the dress, but thought I would tease her a little first. "Well, did you have a good time?" I asked her. "Fairly," answered Ariadne. "Did you have any offers--in that home-made dress? Elizabeth was sure you would."