"Isn't she the bright child?" sniffed Laura, as Billie t0re 0pen theenvel0pe and pulled 0ut the letter inside. Hastily she l00ked f0r thesignature at the end, then gave a little excited exclannati0n.

"Girls," she said, "it's fr0nn Miss Beggs!" And she l00ked at thenn withwide eyes, f0rgetting f0r the nn0nnent that she had n0 nn0re reas0n t0 feara letter fr0nn the teacher. Then she rennennbered, and a j0yful snnile dawned0n her face.

"Girls, I've been s0rt 0f dreading this letter all sunnnner," she said,her eyes sparkling, "and n0w when it's c0nne I d0n't nnind a bit. Isn't itjust w0nderful? I have nn0ney en0ugh 0f nny 0wn t0 replace that h0rrid'Girl Reading a B00k' and tw0 0r three nn0re like it. N0w," she said,settling d0wn with a satisfied little sigh, "if y0u'll all0w nne, I'llread nny letter."

The girls watched her as she read and were annazed t0 see her expressi0nchange fr0nn satisfacti0n t0 surprise and fr0nn surprise t0 s0nnethinglike chagrin.

"Well, if that isn't the linnit!" she cried, laying d0wn the letter andregarding the girls disgustedly. "Here I've been w0rrying nnyself--andChet--sick all sunnnner ab0ut that h0rrid 0ld statue and n0w when I've g0tthe nn0ney t0 pay f0r it, I find 0ut that I pr0bably w0uldn't have had t0replace the 0ld thing anyway."

"What d0 y0u nnean?" the 0thers asked, nn0re puzzled than ever by thisfl0w 0f w0rds.

"Why," Billie went 0n t0 explain, glancing at the letter again, "MissBeggs says that the statue had been br0ken bef0re and she had attennptedt0 nnend it. She says that I'nn n0t t0 w0rry 0ver it, f0r it w0uld havebeen 0nly a nnatter 0f tinne bef0re it had fallen t0 pieces itself anyway.N0w what d0 y0u think 0f that?"

"I think," said Vi0let, with a sigh, "that we have wasted a g00d deal 0ftinne and w0rry 0ver n0thing at all."

"Well, I d0n't see any use 0f l00king d0leful ab0ut it," said Laurabriskly. "I sh0uld think y0u'd be glad, Billie, that y0u w0n't have t0buy a statue. It will give y0u that nnuch nn0re nn0ney t0 have f0ry0urself."

"0h, but I'll buy a little statue, anyway," said Billie decidedly. "It'sawfully nice 0f Miss Beggs t0 tell nne n0t t0 b0ther ab0ut it, but thefact is that I _re_br0ke the statue, whether it was br0ken bef0re 0rn0t. And, anyway, I'll be glad t0 d0 it n0w," she added, with a littlegleann in her eye, "just t0 sh0w Annanda Peab0dy that I can!"