“Molly and Polly will be glad enough to have company,” Sylvia assured her.

Flora opened the basket and took out a large black “mammy” in a purple dress, white apron, and a yellow handkerchief twisted turban-fashion about her head.

“Mammy Jane always goes with the young ladies,” she explained laughingly, and took out two fine china dolls dressed in white muslin with broad crimson silk sashes.  Each of these fine ladies had a tiny parasol of crimson silk.

“I’m going home after my dolls,” exclaimed Grace, and while Sylvia brought cushions for these unexpected visitors, and introduced them to Molly and Polly, Grace hurried home and was soon back again with her own treasured dolls, which she introduced as “Mr. and Mrs. and Miss Delaney.”

The lesson in lace-making was quite forgotten as the three girls played with the array of dolls.

Sylvia ran to the door and called Estralla, who appeared so quickly that Sylvia wondered where she could have been.  Estralla was told that she must help “Mammy Jane” take care of the doll visitors, and the little negro’s face beamed with pleasure.  Not one of the little girls in the pleasant room was as happy as Estralla; and when supper was ready and Sylvia and her friends went down-stairs, leaving Estralla in charge of all the dolls, she could hardly believe in her good fortune, and, as usual, was sure it was all due to her beloved Missy Sylvia.

After supper the dolls were all invited downstairs to be introduced to Sylvia’s father and mother; and Estralla, smiling and delighted, was entrusted with bringing “Mammy Jane.”

The three friends often looked back on that happy afternoon, for on the very next day Mr. Hayes decided to move his family to the plantation, and it was many days before Sylvia, Grace and Flora were to be together again.  The citizens of Charleston, in December, 1860, were becoming anxious as to what might befall them.  Very soon it might be possible that South Carolina would secede from the Union, and war with the northern states might follow.  In such a case the guns of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie might fire on Charleston, and many planters who had homes in Charleston were sending their families to their country homes.  Northern men who had business in Charleston were also anxious, and Sylvia did not know that her own father was seriously considering a return to Boston.

But the little girls bade each other good-night with happy smiles and laughter, and without a thought but that they would have many more pleasant times together.

Sylvia did not even think of the lace-making until she brought down her pretty box to show to her mother and father.

“The Charleston people have been so kind to us,” Mrs. Fulton said, a little sadly.

“They are the most courteous and kindly people in the world,” declared Mr. Fulton.

Sylvia went up to her room wondering why her mother and father seemed so serious, when everything was so lovely.  She had almost forgotten her adventure of the previous night, and went happily to bed with Flora’s pretty gift on the light-stand beside her bed.