“Oh, thank you, papa!” both cried delightedly, Ned adding:  “I s’pose it’s for us to buy something for Aunt Rosie with; isn’t it, papa?”

“If you want to use it for that you may; but you are not compelled to do so; you can spend it for someone else, or for yourself if you choose.”

“I’m going to spend mine for Aunt Rosie,” Elsie announced.  “It was very nice and kind in her to choose me for a flower girl at her wedding, and I’d like to give her something very pretty; something that she would like.  Mamma, you will help me to choose my present, won’t you?”

“With pleasure, daughter; and I am sure your papa and sisters will help us in our selection.  They all have good taste.”

“And y’ll all help me, too, won’t you?” asked Ned.  “I want to buy the prettiest thing I can find for Aunt Rosie.”

“Yes; you shall have all the advice you want, my son,” his father said.  “And now, as you have all finished eating, we will go to the library and have family worship; then make ourselves ready and set off upon our trip to the city.”

“I think we couldn’t have selected a better time for our expedition,” Violet said as they entered their carriage; “the air is bracing, the weather delightful, and the roads are in excellent order, are they not, my dear?”

“Yes,” the captain answered, “we could ask no improvement, and I think will travel rapidly enough to reach the city in very good season.”  They did so and were successful in finding what they esteemed beautiful gifts for the coming bridal.  And Rosie’s pleasure on receiving them was as great as they, the givers, had hoped.  She had many handsome and valuable presents, but none seemed to gratify her more than these from her Woodburn relatives and friends.

“I like those gray dresses of yours, girls; they are both pretty and becoming, and very suitable for such a trip as we have taken to-day,” remarked Violet as they rode homeward.  “You will wear yours to the picnic to-morrow, I suppose, Lu?”

“If papa approves,” answered Lucilla with a laughing look at him.

“Entirely,” he said; “though I shall not insist if you prefer something else.”

“That reminds me of some of my Nantucket experiences of years ago,” she remarked.  “Do you remember, papa, how I missed going to the ‘squantum’ with the rest of you because I took off the suitable dress Mamma Vi had directed me to wear, and donned some very unsuitable finery?”

“Yes,” he replied, “that was an unhappy time for both the rebellious little girl and her father.”

“Yes, papa; oh, I’m afraid I gave you many a heartache in those days.  I remember I wanted very much to dress in white for the clambake, some weeks after that, but you wouldn’t allow it.  I was a very foolish little girl, and now I am very glad I had a wise, kind father to keep me in order.”

“You were not rebellious about that second disappointment,” he said with a smile, “and in the years that have passed since then you have learned to be very submissive to your father’s wishes and directions.”