Page:The Father Confessor, Stories of Danger and Death.djvu/279

269 drawer a handful of ribbons and beads—bright blue, green, red, yellow.

Lucy blushed slightly. "I love them," she said "Look here." She slipped a heavy pair of gold ear-rings in her ears and round her neck a dozen strings of beads. "I often dress up when I am alone." She drew out a handful of ribbons and wound some of them through her hair. She gestured before the glass, admiring herself.

"Don't I look nice?" she said.

Virginia laughed.

"So this is where your pocket-money goes. Where did you get your taste for such brilliant colours? Do you remember the rows you used to have at school over the wearing of them, long ago?—how the girls worried over you? But you are too old now to go about dressed in this." She lifted a vivid scarlet dress up as she spoke. Lucy snatched it from her in sudden rage.

"I wish you would not come into my room criticising my things," she said curtly.

Virginia apologized, sorry for hurting her.

In a moment Lucy was gay again. She slipped a white frock over her shoulders.