"New--clothes!" gasped Huldah, "for me!" She looked round, and
caught sight of Mrs. Perry's face, wreathed in glad smiles.
"But I never have any, miss, I was telling Mrs. Perry so as you drove
up. Old ones is plenty good enough for me. I should be afraid to
wear new ones, for fear of spoiling them."

"Then you must learn to, little brownie. Oh, you have lots to learn
yet. There's only one thing I am sorry for, you won't be a brownie
any longer, nor yet a fairy dressed in green"; and with the same she
whisked the cover off the big box she had been carrying, and there
lay neatly folded three little plain print frocks, one lavender, one
pink, and one blue.

Huldah cried aloud in sheer amazement. She had never seen anything
so pretty in her life. Underneath the frocks were some plain holland
aprons. Huldah began to fear it was all a beautiful dream, from
which she would awaken presently.

"Open that other box, please, Mrs. Perry," said Miss Rose, briskly;
and in that one was a neat sun-hat, with a black ribbon bow on it,
and beneath the hat were two little pink cotton petticoats, some
calico garments, some stockings and handkerchiefs.

Huldah by that time was in such a state of excitement, she could no
longer exclaim, she could hardly breathe, and when the last of the
parcels was opened, and disclosed a pair of good boots and a pair of
slippers, the tears which had gradually been welling up in her eyes
fell over, and with a sob she threw her arms round Mrs. Perry and
buried her face on her breast.