“I’ll put on my things right off,” cried the landlady, standing her press-board in a corner, and planting the hot iron in a safe place. “Just wait a minute while I comb out my hair and put on another dress.” With this, the good woman let down a hank of coarse hair, and hatcheled it vigorously with a coarse horn-comb; then she gathered it up in a hard twist, and proceeded to change her dress, for which she substituted a gorgeous delaine, and a blanket-shawl warmed up with stripes of scarlet. “Now,” she said, tying the strings of an immense straw bonnet, that stood up from her face like a horse-shoe, “I’m ready for any thing you want of me.” Georgie arose, took up her parasol of silk point-lace and carved ivory, of which she felt a little ashamed, and followed the landlady out. “There is one thing,” she said, when they reached the side-walk, “which you must help me arrange; while we are making preparations in the house, they must be got away.” “Oh! I’ll mange that easy enough,” answered the woman. “I’ll tell them that I am obliged to go out, and can’t spare the time from my work. They’ll both offer to come round and help me through. It wont be the first time—just leave that to me. I think they’ll like to sit in the old room; some of their things are there yet.” This being decided on, Georgie and her companion entered upon the business in hand with great energy; and the young girl went home at dusk perfectly satisfied with the progress of things, as regarded the surprise party. CHAPTER XXIV. CONCLUSION. The next day old Mrs. Burns sat in the little family-room up stairs, quite alone, for Anna had gone round to their old home to see their kind friend, and the boys proceeded to their work, as usual, immediately after breakfast. She was reading; for the necessity of constant toil had been taken from her, and with this pleasant home, many of her old lady-like wants had come back, asking for a place in her life. So the old lady sat reading near the window, looking neat and tranquil, as if care had never visited her. Quantities of soft, fine muslin were folded over her bosom, and softer lace fell over her calm, old forehead, from which the hair was parted in all its snowy whiteness. Her dress of black alpaca, bright as silk, and of voluminous fulness, swept down from the crimson cushions of the easy-chair, and covered the stool on which her foot rested. She formed a lovely picture of old age, sitting in that cool light, with the leaves twinkling their shadows around her, and softening the whole picture into perfect quiet.