Mary Jane thought that five o'clock would never come--never! She looked at
the clock and _looked_ at the clock and she asked mother and Alice to tell
her the time so as to be sure she herself wasn't mistaken in what the clock
said. But finally lunch time was passed, and rest time, and then Mary Jane
knew it wouldn't be very long till five o'clock.

"Now, I'm going to dress for my secret," she said when her rest was
finished.

"That's just what I came to see you about," said Mrs. Merrill, who came
into Mary Jane's room at that minute, "you'd better put on this little
dress." And she held up a little, old, dark blue morning dress--not at all
the sort of dress that a little girl would wear to an afternoon secret,
Mary Jane was sure of that.

"Why, mother!" exclaimed the little girl, "you don't mean me to wear
_that_!"

"I surely do," said Mrs. Merrill, pleasantly; "it's just the right kind of
a dress for this secret."

"But Daddah's secret is a _nice_ secret," said Mary Jane positively.

"His secrets always are," agreed her mother.

"And nice secrets ought to have nice dresses," said Mary Jane.

"Nice secrets ought to have dresses that belong to them," corrected Mrs.
Merrill. "We don't talk about things that are decided," reminded Mrs.
Merrill. "Put on the blue dress and come downstairs, Mary Jane. I'm sure