"It cannot quite be our natural right," said Primrose. "There are no possible circ.u.mstances under which it can be quite natural for girls to take money help from even the kindest friends who are not related to them."

"In this case there may even possibly be a relationship," proceeded Mrs. Ellsworthy. "Primrose, suppose that little brother who was lost long ago--little Arthur your mother called him--suppose he came here to-day, and said, 'I am grown up, and rich--I am the right person to help my sisters,' you would feel no soreness of heart at accepting help from your own brother, Primrose?"

"My own brother," repeated Primrose in a wistful and longing voice; "it is cruel to remind me of my brother. He was lost many, many years ago; he has probably long been dead."

"I should be the happiest girl in all the world if I could find my brother," here interrupted Jasmine; "I often dream of him at night; he must have been a darling little boy."

"But if he were to come here twenty times," said Daisy, "I could never love him better than I love the Prince."

There was quite a little buzz of admiration through the room when Daisy made this innocent little speech, and all eyes were turned on Arthur Noel. Then there was a pause. Mr. Ellsworthy was again heard to clear his throat, and no one seemed quite to know what to do next.

Suddenly Hannah Martin broke the spell--

"Goodness gracious me!" she said, "how long are the darling young ladies to be kept in suspense? Miss Primrose, why, you have got a brother, and there he stands. Mr. Arthur, come and kiss your sisters, my dear. Oh, my darling, darling girls, it's perfectly, perfectly true; he's the boy your mother broke her heart about long ago."

The confusion and agitation which followed can scarcely be described--the joy of the sisters can scarcely be painted. Daisy took this wonderful and important discovery more coolly and calmly than the others.

"It doesn't make a bit of difference in my love to him," she said, "for I always loved him as if he were my brother."

"And now, Primrose," said Arthur, "you are mistress of this house, and please remember that visitors are coming here presently, and that you are to entertain them."

"Are we always to live with you, Arthur?" asked Jasmine. "It seems better than a dream. Oh, Arthur," she continued, not waiting for her brother's reply, "don't you remember how we made friends the very first moment we met? we must have always known, deep down in our hearts, that we were brother and sister."

"And this is to be our new Palace Beautiful," said Daisy, "and Poppy is to live here too. Oh, Primrose, do you not feel almost too happy?"

"I've given up my independence," said Primrose, "and yet I never felt more happy or more thankful."

The party that evening was a success. The astonishment of the good ladies from Penelope Mansion when they heard the wonderful news pa.s.sed all bounds. Mrs. Dredge sat plump down on a chair, placed her fat hands on her lap, and fairly cried.

"Oh, if only my poor dear husband had lived to see this beautiful day," she said. "Young man, I have liked you from the first; you're the kind of young man whom my good husband would have rejoiced to be papa to."

Miss Slowc.u.m sighed most deeply when she heard the news. "It's a touching romance," she said, "quite worthy of the olden times. I could imagine Mr. Noel--Mr. Mainwaring, I suppose we must call him now--as belonging to the old knights of chivalry. Yes, I am a person of discernment, and I long ago saw that the dear girls belonged to the upper ten."

"It's an ill wind that blows n.o.body good," said Mrs. Mortlock. "In this case, ladies and gentlemen, I beg to reverse the familiar words, for amid all your joy I have lost my 'continual reader.' She had her faults--no, I'm not going to deny that being young she had her faults--but she was ever good-natured, and she did her gossip chirrupy."

Of course the girls' future was now a.s.sured, for Arthur was a very rich man. Miss Egerton, at his earnest request, came to live with them, and they are now known to possess one of the happiest and brightest homes in London--in short, they live in a "Palace Beautiful."