Part 42 (2/2)

”Yes, these are a present froie

”Miss Johnson, you will take them upstairs, won't you?” said Mrs

Ward--”It is kind of your stepfather to think of you, Maggie”

Maggie looked up andof the Martyns of The Meadows? The color rushed all over Maggie's face She clenched her hands ”I hate the horrid, horrid things!” she said ”I won't wear one of them”

”Oh, come, dear,” said Mrs Ward kindly; ”your stepfather means very well indeed by you He has doubtless had very little to do with dressing a lady before--We can slightly alter those dresses, can we not, Miss Johnson?”

Miss Johnson had now placed all the hideous gare-green dress can be enta”

”Well,” said Mrs Ward, ”it was ave ht write to hiirls to wear”

Maggie turned crimson That would indeed be the final straw Shewhich Mrs Ward did not choose to hear To her great relief, the hour for bed had arrived, and all the girls went to their rooain after she had deposited the hideous dresses in Maggie's wardrobe ”I quite pity poor little Maggie,” she said ”What frightful taste! There is really nothing in the whole of that box that she can possibly wear”

”I must write to Mr Martyn,” said Mrs Ward ”Didn't soentleman--a relation of the Martyns of The Meadows? Such particularly nice people!”

”I know nothing about that,” said Miss Johnson ”I only know that the contents of the box are simply atrocious”

”Well,” said Mrs Ward, ”on't say anything to annoy Maggie to-night; I could see that the poor dear child was greatly ret that I had the box opened here; but you know it is one of our custo was ie had locked her door She would unlock it again, but shedisturbed She opened it, tore it from its envelope, and read the contents:

”DEAR POPSY,--I came across a cheap lot of frocks the other day at a bankrupt's sale, and thought at once of Little-sing and her daughter Popsy-wopsy I a a word to Little-sing You will be well off now for some time, and won't require the five pounds fro your fine young ladies and fine life Neither Little-sing nor me miss you a bit; but, all the same, your rooood clothes, for I can't often spend as much on you

”Good-bye for the present--Your affectionate father,

”BO-PEEP

”_PS_--I have a good mind to call on that fine-lady school but that Little-sing andsoie crushed the letter in her hand Fresh terrors seemed to surround her Dreadful as the i to what the appearance on the scene would be of the impossible stepfather and her poor mother Oh, why had she concealed the position of the man whom her mother had married? Already Aneta had detected her little act of deception with regard to the Martyns of The Meadows But that, Maggie felt, could be got over It was easy for a girl to make a mistake in a matter of that kind, and surely there were other Martyns in the country high-born and respectable and all that was desirable

But Jarocer's shop at Shepherd's Bush--Jarocer” written all over hiarly rich! Were he to appear and announce his relationshi+p to her at the school, she felt that, as far as she was concerned, the end of the world would have arrived What was she to do? There was not a ood deal of Bo-peep during the last half of those dreadful summer holidays, and she knew that he was, as he expressed it, as good as his word

Her only chance was in writing to her ot into the hands of Bo-peep, his wrath would be so great that he would, in all probability, take her froie felt herself between two fires In either direction was danger On the whole, she resolved to throw herself on her mother's ie to reie's stepfather froie wrote a short and frantic letter She was in the midst of it when there caie,” said Miss Johnson's voice froht to be in bed”

Maggie flew and opened the door ”I aood deal upset about those detestable clothes I a to my mother

Please, Lucy, let me finish the letter When it's done--and I won't be a er--I'll put it in the post-box ”