"Please, do," said Primrose, with that sweet smile which came only
rarely to her quiet face; "I like it--it is my name. When people say
Miss Mainwaring I feel--lonely."

"You are Primrose, then, to me, dear. Now, Primrose, take my hand,
and sit quietly in this chair. I am going to confess something to you.
I called to see you and your sisters yesterday morning, intending to
patronize you."

"To patronize us--why?" asked Primrose.

Mrs. Ellsworthy laughed in a slightly nervous manner.

"My dear child, we won't go into the whys and the wherefores. I found
I could not do it, that is all. I have not, however, half finished my
confession. I called to see you because Miss Martineau asked me to."

Here Primrose flushed a very rosy pink, and Mrs. Ellsworthy saw a
displeased look fill her eyes.

"You must not be angry with Miss Martineau, Primrose. She loves you
three girls very much. She is most anxious about you. She--my dear,
she told me of your poverty."

Here Primrose rose from her seat and said, in the quietest tone--

"We are certainly poor, but I don't think that is anybody's concern.
We don't mind it ourselves--at least, not much. You see, we have never
known riches, and we cannot miss what we have never had. It would be a