primrose nodded, and poppy dropped on to the edge of the nearest chair, and, clasping her red and hard-worked hands in front of her, prepared herself to listen.
"first of all, poppy," began jasmine, after waiting for her sister to speak; but primrose was strangely silent.
"first of all, poppy, you must go to the places which improve your mind; now, i do hope you are not going to be giddy, running just after pretty things; but i suppose your aunt, who is so wise, and who keeps the boarding-house, will see to that. well, first of all you had better go to westminster abbey. oh, poppy! i have read such glorious descriptions of it—the lights from the painted windows—the wonderfully ancient look of the old pillars, and then the music; it peals down the aisles and echoes through the fretted roofs; you will be greatly overpowered at westminster abbey, poppy; but you must remember that you are a very privileged person, and be thankful for being permitted to see with your own eyes such a lovely, lovely, glorious place!"
"it do sound, from your description, very awe-inspiring, miss jasmine," answered poppy. "is there no other place where one might get more, so to speak, into the festive mood, miss?"
"oh yes, you silly poppy, lots and lots; but we'll come to those presently. you'll have to see the houses of parliament, where our laws are made—if you don't feel grave there, you ought. then you must visit the tower, where people's heads were cut off—it's very solemn indeed at the tower; and, of course, you will pay a visit to the zoo, and you can see the lions fed, and you can look at the monkey-house."
"i likes monkeys," said poppy, whose face had been growing graver and graver while jasmine was talking; "and if you'll throw in a little bit of gazing into shop windows, miss jasmine, and learning the newest cuts of a bonnet, and the most genteel fit of a mantle, why, then, i'll do even that dreadful tower, as in duty bound. my mother calls london a vast sea and a world of temptation, and nothing but vanity from end to end; but when i thinks of the beautiful ladies in aunt's boarding-house, and of the shop windows i feels that it is dazzling."
"i wish that i were going," repeated jasmine, whose cheeks were flushed, and her starry eyes brighter than usual; "i wish i were going. oh, primrose, think of you, and daisy, and me saying our prayers in the abbey!"
"we must not think of it," said primrose; "god hears our prayers wherever we say them, jasmine, darling."
"yes," answered jasmine; "and i am not going to complain. well, poppy, you are a very lucky girl, and i hope you'll be as good as gold, and as happy as the day is long."
"and if ever you does come to london, miss jasmine," said poppy, rising to her feet, "you'll remember aunt's boarding-house, for ladies only; and proud i'll be to wait on you, miss."
"but we can't come, poppy dear—we are very poor now—we have only got thirty pounds a year to live on."
to poppy, who had never been known in her life to possess thirty pence, this sum sounded by no means modest.
"might i make bold to inquire, miss," she asked, "if the thirty pounds is once for all, or if it's a yearly recurrence?"
"oh, it's an income, poppy—how stupid you are!"
"then i'll consult my aunt in town, miss, and try to find out if you three dear young ladies couldn't contrive a london visit out of part of the savings."
after this sapient speech poppy bade the mainwarings good-bye. they looked after her retreating form down the street with many regrets, for they were very fond of her, and jasmine at least envied her.
