"It's fine," broke in Molly, who saw that Midge needed her
support; "it's lovely for mosquito bites, you just rub it on and
they're all gone!"

The lady seemed to look a little interested, and Stella being
honestly anxious to do her share, so far conquered her timidity as
to say in a faint little voice, "We made it ourselves."

"Made it yourselves?" exclaimed the lady. "No, indeed, I don't
want any!" And again the cruel door was closed upon the little
saleswomen.

"It was my fault," wailed Stella, as they went away with a
crestfallen air; "if I hadn't said we made it ourselves, she would
have bought it. Oh, girls, let me go home and make labels. I don't
like this selling, much."

Midge and Molly both felt sure that it was Stella's speech that
had stopped the sale, but they were too polite to say so, and
Midge answered:

"Never mind, Stella dear, I don't think she was very anxious for
it, anyway, but, perhaps, at the next house you needn't say
anything. You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind! No, indeed! I only said that to help along, and it didn't
help."

So, at the next house, Stella was glad to stand demurely in the
background, and this time Molly took her turn at introducing the