"Accept my congratulations. A most excellent family. Mrs. Winship is Mrs.
Baker's cousin. Ah, time flies; time flies! It seems but yesterday that my
little girls were running about with Nelly, pigtailed, during their visits
in the West."

"Does Mrs. Baker also think Nelly--changed?"

"Only on Tuesday my wife returned from nursing an ailing relative. She has
not seen Helen in some time. I believe we are to have her with us at
Christmas. We must have you also. But I cannot altogether admit that the
change is a matter of my opinion. It has been commented upon by my
daughters in terms of utmost emphasis."

"She is the most beautiful woman in the world!"

"There we shall not disagree. To Nelly herself the riddle of nature that
we seek to read is doubtless also a mystery, but one for whose unraveling
she is happy to wait. My daughters have a picture of her, taken at the
age, possibly, of six, which gives inartistic prominence to 'Grandpa
Winship's ears'--the left larger than the right. You know the family
peculiarity owned by the eldest child in each generation? The loss of this
inheritance may not be, to a young lady, matter for regret; but as a mark
of identification and descent, the Winship ears might have entitled her to
rank among the Revolutionary Daughters. However, she is a poor woman who
has not a club to spare."

"Judge, how long is it since this--transformation took place? You speak of
it as recent."

"Nelly comes to me," said the Judge, "with--ah--natural punctuality for