with us. Mr. Spicer is going to propose him as a member of the club,
you know, and I thought the close carriage would be better for him.
I suppose you will be ready by eleven; we ought to set out by that
time, not to hurry the horses."

"I am not going," returned Rachel, an announcement that electrified
her auditors, for the family quota of books being quite insufficient
for her insatiable appetite, she was a subscriber on her own account,
and besides, this was the grand annual gathering for disposing of old
books, when she was relied on for purchasing all the nuts that nobody
else would crack. The whole affair was one of the few social
gatherings that she really tolerated and enjoyed, and her mother
gazed at her in amazement.

"I wrote to Mrs. Spicer a month ago to take my name off. I have no
superfluous money to spend on my selfish amusement."

"But Rachel," said Grace, "did you not particularly want--oh! that
fat red book which came to us uncut?"

"I did, but I must do without it."

"Poor Mr. Spicer, he reckoned on you to take it; indeed, he thought
you had promised him."

"If there is anything like a promise, I suppose it must be done, but
I do not believe there is. I trust to you, Grace, you know I have
nothing to waste."

"You had better go yourself, my dear, and then you would be able to