walked slowly up and down the room, twisting her head to look now at
one shoulder and now at the other, now at the flow of her skirts
behind, and now at the dainty fit of her bronze cloth gaiter-boots.
At last, stopping before the long mirror, Miss 'Toinette began
practicing the courtesy she had learned at dancing-school, finishing
by throwing a kiss from the tips of her fingers to the graceful
little shadow in the mirror.

"She will be spoiled, entirely spoiled, before she is a year older,"
thought the mother anxiously. "She is so beautiful! and every one
tells her of it. What shall I do?"

But sometimes, when our task seems too difficult for us, God takes
it into his own hand, and does it in his own way, though that way to
us be strange and painful.

While Mrs. Legrange still hesitated whether to speak, and what to
say, the doorbell rang, and 'Toinette rushed away to meet her
friends, and take them to the dressing room, where they were to
leave their outside garments; and the mother laid aside her book,
and prepared to help in entertaining the little people.

Another ring at the bell; another troop of little feet, and peal of
merry voices; another and another; and, following the last, a firmer
step upon the stair, and the appearance in the drawing-room of a
tall, fine-looking young man, of twenty two or three years old, who
came forward, offering his hand to Mrs. Legrange.

"Why, Tom," said she, "did you really come?"