“Yes, and let Mr. Dickenharry make use of all our original ideas in his speeches!” cried the president, hotly. “I am surprised at you, Emily, for—” “Oh, I didn’t say I meant to do it, dear; I only said she wanted me to. It is so much easier to promise a thing, and then forget it, you know. Girls, I went to see dear old Mrs. Pepperly yesterday, and—” “What, that cross, disagreeable woman!” cried the brown-eyed blonde. “What on earth made you do such a thing?” “Oh, I always liked her, dear. When I got there, I was _so_ surprised. Her son is home from Mexico on a visit, and—” “Why, don’t you remember, Emily, I told you that on Sunday?” said the president. “I mentioned that he had made a lot of money there, and—” “How strange of me to forget it; I believe I do remember it now. We used to be quite friends before he went away, too; which makes it all the stranger. Do you know, I’m afraid I shall have to accept one of those lovely Mexican opals he brought with him, or hurt his feelings! I’d hate to do that, too, when I haven’t seen him for so long.” “By the way, what is Mrs. Pepperly’s number?” asked the brown-eyed blonde. “I—I have been meaning to call on her for ever so long. What a clever, original woman she is!” “Yes, do go. She said she expected you would come to see her now. I’m afraid you will not have an opportunity to see the opals though. Her son has given all the rest of them to her, and they are at the jeweler’s being set. And, by the way, he insisted so that I had to let him have mine set for me. I don’t know what Dick will say, but really I could not hurt the feelings of such an old friend by refusing—and of course he knows nothing of Dick!” “For my part, I consider opals unlucky,” said the brown-eyed blonde. “I wouldn’t wear one for anything!” “I’ve heard others say the same thing, dear,” said the girl with the dimple in her chin; “but luckily they were people who were not likely to have the chance! So far as I am concerned, the good luck of receiving such a handsome present will quite overbalance anything unpleasant which might follow!” “Nobody ever had such ill luck as I have, and I never owned an opal in my life,” wailed the girl with the classic profile. “You know how unpleasant my Aunt Clara is, don’t you? Well, the poor old soul seemed so lonely in that great big house that I asked her to make me a nice long visit, knowing that she intended to go abroad soon, and—” “She might take you along. Good!” said the girl with the Roman nose. “Did she accept?” “She did. Said she would stay three whole months. At the end of that time, she expects to marry a delicate clergyman with three grown daughters, and take the whole party to Europe.” “And that is all the compensation you receive for thinking of others!” cried the girl with the Roman nose. “Shall you let her come?”