284 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



would be wanted. According to nurse's opinion, 

 nothing less than two yards and a half would look 

 handsome for a sash, and nothing less than ribbon 

 at a shilling a yard was found at all suited for the 

 purpose. Two yards and a half at a shilling was 

 half-a-crown, and Fanny had only fifteen pence to 

 begin with ! The Campbells must stay away 

 five weeks, before she should have saved up 

 enough for her sash. 



Margaret gave up the matter at once. Her 

 desire to imitate the little Campbells was not 

 quite as strong as Fanny's ; besides a very serious 

 engagement which she and Fanny had entered 

 into — that of subscribing together to pay for the 

 schooling of a little neighbor who lived at the 

 end of the lane — at the National School, must be 

 given up if they were to spend their money on the 

 ribbon. Fanny, who had paid her share for many 

 weeks with great satisfaction and pleasure, did 

 not any more than her sister like the idea of 

 giving up this employment of her money. She 

 walked home perplexed and sorrowful — divided 

 between two conflicting feelings ; but at last she 

 decided that she would at all events save up all 

 the money that she could, and trust to chance for 

 getting some little addition to her fund before 

 the day for their party came. 



The Campbells' visit to the sea-side lasted a 

 month, and on their return it was considered full 

 time to think about sending them an invitation. 



The Amyotts were very full of the intended 

 entertainment. Herbert and "Willie discussed 

 what they had to show Malcolm that he was 

 likely to be amused with. Their shells — their 

 tumblers, that their uncle had brought them from 

 China — their model of an Indian canoe, and 

 several other curiosities, which were only brought 

 out on very important occasions ; and the boys 

 had serious thoughts as to whether, with the help 

 of the cousins from town, a game of cricket might 

 not be attempted on the lawn — a suggestion 

 which Fanny and Margaret always very warmly 

 opposed. 



Just at this time Fanny could scarcely be said 

 to look forward to the visit with much pleasure, 

 so full of uneasiness was she at the thought of 

 haw different their own party would be to the 

 Campbells'. On several occasions she ventured 

 to suggest to her mother that certain arrange- 

 ments would be quite necessary, and was quite 

 distressed to find that her mother did not think 

 it so indispensable to keep up a close imitation of 

 the entertainment given by their neighbors. 



" My dear Fanny," she would say, "you must 

 remember that your father is not as rich as Mr. 

 Campbell, and therefore it would be neither right 

 nor possible for us to do everything in the same 

 manner." 



" Yes, mamma, I know — but still that would 

 not cost much, would it?" 



Mrs. Amyott yielded to her children's very- 

 natural and proper wish to entertain their young 

 friends as agreeably as they had been entertained 

 by them ; but she was anxious to check the feeling 

 in Fanny of attempting a close imitation of those 

 who were richer than themselves, under the idea 

 that this was a necessary attendant on having 

 intercourse with them. 



In the meantime Fanny's savings, which were 

 to be devoted to the purchase of a sash, slowly 



accumulated. The weekly allowance was care- 

 fully set aside, and none of the usual temptations 

 had any power over her. At the beginning of 

 each week, however, little Mary Green, the child 

 whose schooling she and Margaret had under- 

 taken to pay for, appeared punctually for the money 

 to take with her to school, and Fanny could do 

 no less than contribute her share. It was but a 

 penny each week that was so disposed of — but 

 still it prevented her attaining the requisite sum 

 for the purchase of the sash, and it did not seem 

 as if her mother had the slightest intention of 

 helping her to make up the sum. She was dis- 

 appointed and perplexed ; and yet by the time that 

 the Campbells' invitation had been given and ac- 

 cepted, she felt more than ever anxious to accom- 

 plish her purpose. 



At last, a plan occurred to her by which she 

 could gain possession of the necessary sum of 

 money. An old aunt of her mother's, who lived 

 a short distance from them, and who generally 

 went by the name of " Aunt Thornton," was in 

 the habit of giving to each of the children on 

 their birthdays a half-crown piece, and this had 

 been such an unfailing practice since their very 

 earliest childhood, that Aunt Thornton's half- 

 crown was as fully to be depended on as the very 

 birthday itself. Now Fanny's birthday happened 

 to be very near at hand. The very next month 

 she would be eleven years old, and it seemed to 

 her as if it would be the simplest thing in the 

 world to ask Aunt Thornton to give her usual 

 present a little before the proper day. There 

 was, to be sure, something in this plan not quite 

 agreeable to Fanny's feelings, though she could not 

 quite explain it to herself. This something made 

 her avoid mentioning her idea to any one, not 

 even Margaret, and it made her not a little falter 

 and hesitate when the time came for proposing 

 it to her aunt. Just at the time, it so happened 

 that the children were in the habit of going to read 

 aloud to Aunt Thornton for an hour at a time, 

 the daughter who usually read to her being absent 

 from home. When Fanny's turn came, therefore, 

 it gave her plenty of opportunity for bringing for- 

 ward in her talk the subject of the birthday 

 present. She found, however, that some little 

 management was necessary. First, she had to 

 introduce the subject of her birthday, and its near 

 approach ; and even after her aunt had said " Ah, 

 yes, Fanny, I must be getting my half-crown ready 

 for you ! " the way was not quite open to her, for 

 her aunt went onto say what a great girl she was 

 growing, and then to ask what her age would be, 

 and what were the ages of her brothers and sisters, 

 and then to recall all that she could remember of 

 her mother when at her age — so that Fanny began 

 to be afraid the moment would never come for 

 making her petition. When at last, however, she 

 got out with many blushes her request to have her 

 half-crown before the time — for a "particular 

 purpose" — she was soon set at ease by the readi- 

 ness with which the request w 7 as complied with. 

 No questions were asked, and it was given with 

 such alacrity and evident pleasure, that Fanny did 

 not then regret that she had ventured on so bold 

 an act. 



On her way home, to be sure, there were some 

 uncomfortable feelings in her mind, quite different 

 from those with which she could remember having 



