"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Kitty starting to her feet. "Do you mind my going out at once, Mrs. Denvers?" "Certainly not, my love. Tea will be ready at five o'clock. Are you going far?" "Only to Elma Lewis' house. I want to see her; it is awfully important." "But Elma lives quite two miles from here." "Oh, that does not matter. I am sure to find my way. It is most urgent," said Kitty. She rushed out of the room, pinned on her hat, and a moment later was walking down the street as fast as she could go. She crossed a field and a common, and after a time got into that part of the town where Elma lived. By dint of asking half a dozen children and three or four policemen she at last reached Constantine Road, and presently found the right house. She ran up the steps and sounded a rattling rat-tat on the knocker. The moment she did so a girl with a mop of untidy red hair peeped up at her from the area below. "Come and open the door at once," called Kitty. "Why do you keep a lady waiting?" The girl soon appeared, tying on her cap and apron as she did so. "I thought as they was all out for the day," she began, "--Oh, miss, I beg your pardon." Kitty, notwithstanding her rather rude words, presented a very charming spectacle as she stood on the steps. She was dressed not only in the height of the fashion, but wore such a perfectly captivating little toque at the back of her head as to fire the fancy and take the little wit which she possessed out of Mrs. Lewis' maid-of-all-work. Maggie had never seen anything so captivating nor so ravishing. A wild desire to make a toque like it to put on her own towzled locks on the following Sunday caused her to stare so hard at Kitty with her mouth wide open that she did not hear a word that young lady was saying. "Are you in a dream?" asked Kitty Malone. "I want to see Miss Elma Lewis. Is she at home?" "Miss Helma? No, miss, that she ain't," replied Maggie. "Oh, I beg your pardon, miss; but it's it's the bonnet at the top of your head." "My bonnet?" said Kitty. "Yes, miss. Oh, I do beg your pardon, miss--I was took all of a heap. Yes, miss, I'm attending now. But oh, if you would just turn your head a little." "You must be mad," said Kitty. But her eyes began to sparkle. "Do listen to me," she continued; "it's most important. Is Miss Elma not at home?" "No, miss; she's out for the day, and so is the missus and Miss Carrie. They're all out a-pleasuring in their different ways, and they has left me at home to drudge. I'm the household drudge, miss, and no wonder I'm took with anything so pretty. Do you mind telling me, miss, if them wiolets is real?" "Oh, the violets in my toque--are those what you are staring at?" said Kitty. "Well, now, I'll tell you what I'll do--I'll give you the whole bunch if you'll let me come into the house and write a letter to Elma, and if you'll further faithfully promise that you will give it to her the instant she comes home."