having expressed a preference for presents of home manufacture. Mrs. Ashe
gave her a beautiful sapphire ring, and Cecy Hall--as they still called
her inadvertently half the time--an elaborate sofa-pillow embroidered by
herself. Katy liked all her gifts, both large and small, both for what
they were and for what they meant, and took a good healthy, hearty
satisfaction in the fact that so many people cared for her, and had worked
to give her a pleasure.

Cousin Helen was the first guest to arrive, five days before the wedding.
When Dr. Carr, who had gone to Buffalo to meet and escort her down, lifted
her from the carriage and carried her indoors, all of them could easily
have fancied that it was the first visit happening over again, for she
looked exactly as she did then, and scarcely a day older. She happened to
have on a soft gray travelling dress too, much like that which she wore on
the previous occasion, which made the illusion more complete.

But there was no illusion to Cousin Helen herself. Everything to her
seemed changed and quite different. The ten years which had passed so
lightly over her head had made a vast alteration in the cousins whom she
remembered as children. The older ones were grown up, the younger ones in
a fair way to be so; even Phil, who had been in white frocks with curls
falling over his shoulders at the time of her former visit to Burnet, was
now fifteen and as tall as his father. He was very slight in build, and
looked delicate, she thought; but Katy assured her that he was perfectly
well, and thin only because he had outgrown his strength.

It was one of the delightful results of Katy's "forehandedness" that she
could command time during those next two days to thoroughly enjoy Cousin
Helen. She sat beside her sofa for hours at a time, holding her hand and
talking with a freedom of confidence such as she could have shown to no