the new and grand addition to mrs. cliff's house, which had been so planned that the little house to which it had been joined appeared to be an architecturally harmonious adjunct to it, caused a far greater sensation in plainton than the erection of any of the public buildings therein.

its journey from the corner lot was watched by hundreds of spectators, and now mrs. cliff, willy, and mr. burke spent day and evening in exhibiting and explaining this remarkable piece of building enterprise.

mr. burke was very jolly. he took no credit to himself for the planning of the house, which, as he truthfully said, had been the work of an architect who had suggested what was proper and had been allowed to do it. but he did feel himself privileged to declare that if every crew building a house were commanded by a person of marine experience, things would move along a good deal more briskly than they generally did, and to this assertion he found no one to object.

mrs. cliff was very happy in wandering over her new rooms, and in assuring herself that no matter how grand[pg 110] they might be when they were all furnished and fitted up, nothing had been done which would interfere with the dear old home which she had loved so long. it is true that one of the windows of the little dining-room was blocked up, but that window was not needed.

mr. burke was not willing to give mrs. cliff more than a day or two for the contemplation of her new possessions, and urged upon her that while the chimneys were being erected and the heating apparatus was being put into the house, she ought to attend to the selection and purchase of the carpets, furniture, pictures, and everything which was needed in the new establishment.

mrs. cliff thought this good advice, and proposed a trip to boston; but burke did not think that would do at all, and declared that new york was the only place where she could get everything she needed. willy, who was to accompany mrs. cliff, had been to boston, but had never visited new york, and she strongly urged the claims of the latter city, and an immediate journey to the metropolis was agreed upon.

but when mrs. cliff considered the magnitude and difficulties of the work she was about to undertake, she wished for the counsel and advice of some one besides willy. this good little woman was energetic and enthusiastic, but she had had no experience in regard to the furnishing of a really good house.

when, in her mind, she was running over the names of those who might be able and willing to go with her and assist her, mrs. cliff suddenly thought of the thorpedyke ladies, and there her mental category[pg 111] stopped as she announced to willy that she was going to ask these ladies to go with them to new york.

willy thought well of this plan, but she had her doubts about miss barbara, who was so quiet, domestic, and unused to travel that she might be unwilling to cast herself into the din and whirl of the metropolis. but when she and mrs. cliff went to make a call upon the thorpedykes and put the question before them, she was very much surprised to find that, although the elder sister, after carefully considering the subject, announced her willingness to oblige mrs. cliff, miss barbara agreed to the plan with an alacrity which her visitors had never known her to exhibit before.

as soon as the necessary preparations could be made, a party of five left plainton for new york, and a very well-assorted party it was! mr. burke, who guided and commanded the expedition, supplied the impelling energy; mrs. cliff had her check book with her; willy was ready with any amount of enthusiasm; and the past life of miss eleanor thorpedyke and her sister barbara had made them most excellent judges of what was appropriate for the worthy furnishing of a stately mansion.

their youth and middle life had been spent near boston, in a fine old house which had been the home of their ancestors, and where they had been familiar with wealth, distinguished society, and noble hospitality. but when they had been left the sole representatives of their family, and when misfortune after misfortune had come down upon them and swept away their estates[pg 112] and nearly all of their income, they had retired to the little town of plainton where they happened to own a house.

there, with nothing saved from the wreck of their prosperity but their family traditions, and some of the old furniture and pictures, they had settled down to spend in quiet the rest of their lives.

for two weeks our party remained in new york, living at one of the best hotels, but spending nearly all their time in shops and streets.

mrs. cliff was rapidly becoming a different woman from the old mrs. cliff of plainton. at the time she stepped inside of the addition to her house the change had begun, and now it showed itself more and more each day. she had seen more beautiful things in paris, but there she looked upon them with but little thought of purchasing. in new york whatever she saw and desired she made her own.

the difference between a mere possessor of wealth and one who uses it became very apparent to her. not until now had she really known what it was to be a rich woman. not only did this consciousness of power swell her veins with a proud delight, but it warmed and invigorated all her better impulses. she had always been of a generous disposition, but now she felt an intense good-will toward her fellow-beings, and wished that other people could be as happy as she was.

she thought of mrs. ferguson and remembered what she had said about her daughters. to be sure, mrs. ferguson was always trying to get people to do things for[pg 113] her, and mrs. cliff did not fancy that class of women, but now her wealth-warmed soul inclined her to overlook this prejudice, and she said to herself that when she got home she would make arrangements for those two girls to go to a good school; and, more than that, she would see to it that mr. ferguson was moved. it seemed to her just then that it would be a very cheerful thing to make other people happy.

the taste and artistic judgment of the elder miss thorpedyke, which had been dormant for years, simply because there was nothing upon which they could exercise themselves, now awoke in their old vigor, and with mrs. cliff's good sense, reinforced by her experience gained in wandering among the treasures of paris, the results of the shopping expedition were eminently satisfactory. and, with the plan of the new building, which mr. burke carried always with him, everything which was likely to be needed in each room, hall, or stairway, was selected and purchased, and as fast as this was done, the things were shipped to plainton, where people were ready to put them where they belonged.

willy croup was not always of service in the purchasing expeditions, for she liked everything that she saw, and no sooner was an article produced than she went into ecstasies over it; but as she had an intense desire to see everything which new york contained, she did not at all confine herself to the shops and bazaars. she went wherever she could and saw all that it was possible for her to see; but in the midst of the sights and attractions of the metropolis she was still willy croup.[pg 114]

one afternoon as she and miss barbara were passing along one of the side streets on their return from an attempt to see how the poorer people lived, willy stopped in front of a blacksmith's shop where a man was shoeing a horse.

"there!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight, "that's the first thing i've seen that reminds me of home!"

"it is nice, isn't it!" said gentle miss barbara.