"You will hoard your own treasures there," he said, "and in a century or two another Hilda will come upon your locks of hair, and your love-letters, and the portrait of Him, and wonder about the girl who treasured those things." "What nonsense!" said I, blushing. "I shall never have such things. What she will discover will be piles of rejected manuscripts; and she will peep inside, and think how very dull they are." Presently Aline came in, and I told her of my discovery. "You must make me a present of that one panel in the room," said I, "but I will never tell you which one it is. "Very well, Hilda," she said, laughing. "I'm sure you've earned that panel by your years of industrious search." "And here is your tribute," said I, putting the bodkin and thimble into her hand. Just then we heard that Lady O'Brien was downstairs; and, pushing the garnets into Aline's work-basket, for I didn't want them to be seen till they were Esther's own, I went downstairs to ask the old lady to come up. Since the fire had been lit in the octagon room, and Pierce had sat there, it had come to be a general assembling-place for the family. After she had greeted us all, and perched herself in the big chair by Pierce, she said: "You won't guess, my dears, what brings me over to-day. It is to ask a favour, Aline. There is the County Ball a week from now, and I want to take my god-daughter." "But Esther has never been to a ball!" "So much I heard her say the other day. That's what put it into my head. Never been to a ball! Why, I had worn out hundreds of slippers dancing at balls, aye, and on the hearts of my partners, before I was Esther's age." "I wonder if she would like it?" said Aline doubtfully. You see it was such an unheard-of thing in our lives, and there was Pierce so ill; and then how was she to get a proper frock? "Of course she will like it, not being a saint like you, nor a literary woman like Hilda," said the old lady with sparkling eyes. Just then Esther appeared in the doorway. "Come here, my dear," said the old lady, "and kiss me. Now tell us, would you like to put on your glass slippers, and step into my pumpkin, and be whirled off to the Ball?" "Better finish it, Lady O'Brien," said I, while Esther stood turning red and white with excitement. "Cinderella has no frock." "Tut!" said the old lady; "that must be left to the fairy godmother.... What do you say, my dear?" to Esther. "I've never been to a ball," said Esther nervously. "Well, you're asked to one now, and what do you say?" Esther said nothing, but looked from Aline to Pierce, wistfully. "That settles it, Lady O'Brien," said Pierce, speaking for the first time. "Essie would plainly like it, and she must go. Thank you very much." "About the dress," said Aline. "I don't think we need trouble you, our kindest of friends. I have a few lengths of silk somewhere, and we have a dressmaker who can make it up...."