Once she half starved herself and put aside ninepence a week for almost three months and purchased one-eighth of a lottery ticket from Sugarman the _Shadchan_, who recognized her existence for the occasion.

The fortune did not come off.
Debby saw less and less of Esther as the months crept on again towards winter, for the little girl feared her hostess might feel constrained to offer her food, and the children required more soothing.

Esther would say very little about her home life, though Debby got to know a great deal about her school-mates and her teacher.
One summer evening after Esther had passed into the hands of Miss Miriam Hyams she came to Dutch Debby with a grave face and said: "Oh, Debby.
Miss Hyams is not a heroine." "No ?" said Debby, amused.

"You were so charmed with her at first." "Yes, she is very pretty and her hats are lovely.

But she is not a heroine." "Why, what's happened ?" "You know what lovely weather it's been all day ?" "Yes." "Well, this morning all in the middle of the Scripture lesson, she said to us, 'What a pity, girls, we've got to stay cooped up here this bright weather'-- you know she chats to us so nicely--'in some schools they have half-holidays on Wednesday afternoons in the summer.