"I'm not saying no, miss. It's very polite of you, and I accepts it as it's offered. If I might make so bold, I would suggest that I just speak to the guv'nor as I go past the head office, and he'd send his book of patterns up in the morning. He could send them up and then you could look at them in the room itself. It's always more satisfactory than seeing them at a distance. It isn't everyone," the foreman went on, "that can hold a scheme of color in the heye and carry it to a shop miles away, and take the exact match of it." "No," said Maudie, "I suppose not." "Well, I can," said Julia, with decision. "If there's one thing I can do, it is to carry a scheme of color in my eye; but at the same time you might as well tell Mr. Broxby to send in his book of chintz patterns, and we'll have a look at them. But who shall we get to make them?" "Makin' loose covers is one of Mr. Broxby's special'ties," said the foreman. He turned and held out his glass that he might have it refilled. "My respects to you, ladies," he said politely, raising his glass towards the two girls, "my respects to you. It isn't often that a man in my position finishes a job with such pleasure as it's been to us fellows to do this 'ere room for you young ladies, and if I can put any little tip in your way, it's a great pleasure to me to do it." "Thank you," said Julia. "You are very kind. You have done the room beautifully, we are most satisfied. And if you'll tell Mr. Broxby to send us his chintzes to-morrow morning, we can look at them." Then began another period of waiting. Mr. Broxby arrived himself with the books of patterns. He viewed the great roomy old couch on which for years the girls had played, and which they had, as Julia frankly said, used abominably, and he made one or two suggestions for adding to its comfort at no great outlay of money. And finally they chose a chintz for the curtains of the three windows, and for covers for the couch and the large armchair. The cost thereof was a question into which Mr. Broxby found it difficult to go. "I couldn't exactly say, Miss Whittaker, what the price will be, but it won't be very much," he remarked. "You see, cretonne is cheaper than chintz, that is why so many people chooses cretonne in preference to the other; but when you come to the question of wear--why, chintz has it all its own way." "Just what I said," said Julia, "just what I said. Well, now, look here, Maudie, we'll have this chintz, and as to the cost--well, we must leave it to Mr. Broxby's honor that he doesn't ruin us. If you ruin us," she said, "you won't get your bill paid as soon, or nearly as soon, as if you keep the prices down. Our father has given us a sum of money to do this room up with. He pays for the papering, but he gives us a fixed sum of money for everything else, and if you charge us too much you'll have to leave half your bill till next year." "And who'll pay it then?" asked Maudie. "Oh, well, you and I will have to pay it."