Marjorie looked up quickly to see if this very pretty young lady was not making fun of them, but she seemed to be very much in earnest, and, indeed, was already selecting a bottle from each of the three baskets.

“I’ll take these three,” she said; “how much are they?”

The girls looked at each other.  Not once had it occurred to them to consider what price they were to ask, and what to say they did not know.

“Why,” began Marjorie, “I should think—­”

“Twenty-five cents apiece,” said Molly, decidedly.  She knew it was a large price, considering that the extract cost nothing, but she wanted to swell the charity funds.

“Well, that’s very reasonable,” said the young lady, who still seemed very much amused; “I will give you the money at once,” and she took some change from a little gold purse which hung at her belt.  “But if I may advise you,” she went on, “you’d better raise your price.  That’s really too cheap for this most useful article.”

The children were so astonished at this speech that they made no reply, except to thank the kind young lady, and bid her good-by.

“Now, that’s something like!” exclaimed Marjorie, as they reached the road again.  “Wasn’t she lovely?  And to think, she said we ought to ask more money for the extract!  This is a splendid business.”

“Fine!” agreed Molly; “we’ll sell off all this to-day, and to-morrow we’ll make another lot and sell that.  We’ll get lots of money for the Dunns.”

“We’ll make more next time,” said Midge, “and I’ll get Carter to drive us round so we won’t have to carry it; for we may sell two or three hundred bottles every day.”

“But I can’t make so many labels,” said Stella, aghast at the outlook.

“Of course you can’t,” said Molly; “but I’ll tell you what!  We’ll ask them to give the bottles back as soon as they’ve emptied them, and then we can use them over again, you know.”

Midge was a little dubious about asking for the bottles back, but just then they turned into the next house.

It was Marjorie’s turn to speak, and greatly encouraged by their late success, she began:  “Would you like to buy some pennyroyal extract?  For mosquitoes, burns, and bruises.  It’s only fifty cents a bottle, and we’ll take the bottles back.”

The lady, who had opened the door, looked at the children as if they were escaped lunatics.

“Don’t come around here playing your tricks on me,” she exclaimed; “I won’t stand it.  Take your bottles and be off!”

She did not shut the door upon them, but so irate was her expression that the girls were glad to go away.

“Wasn’t she awful!” exclaimed Stella, with a troubled face.  “Truly, girls, I don’t like this.  I’m going home.”

“No, you’re not, either!” said Marjorie.  “Of course, it isn’t all pleasant, but when you’re working for charity, you mustn’t mind that.  And, besides, like as not the people at the next house will be lovely.”