A thousand pounds is a great deal of money, and we ought to run no risks.”

“She says she is willing to give you a proof before purchase.”

“I wonder what sort of proof?”

“Perhaps take some herself.”

“I shouldn’t like that. It would be a pity to waste any of it.”

“I tell you what,” said Miss Semaphore, after consideration, “I’ll take Toutou and make her give him a little, just for an experiment. You see he would require much less than a human being, unless we had quite a young girl at hand, and on her it might not show. The poor darling is nearly fifteen. A mere sip should suffice for him.”

“Perhaps it does not act on animals,” suggested Miss Prudence.

47“Why should it not? I once read something about the Water of Youth before in a book, and my belief is that they said it acted not only on people, but on insects, and on flowers; then why not on a dog?”

47

“Augusta dear! what will you do when you are young again?” asked Prudence softly.

“Oh, lots of things,” said Miss Semaphore. “She did not like to own, even to her sister, the golden dreams that floated before her, and that she felt would be slightly ridiculous for a mature woman to confess.

“How old will you be?”

“Well, if the thing can be regulated, I should like to be about eight-and-twenty. You see that is considered young, but not too young. At eight-and-twenty a woman has sense, if ever she is going to have it, and is old enough then to know her own mind. Eight-and-twenty, and stay at it, is my idea.”

“I should like to be eighteen,” said Prudence.

“Too young. At eighteen one is generally either a fool or a pert Miss, and therefore unattractive to the best sort of men. However, I should not mind standing at twenty 48if that is more convenient; but I must first find out how the water works.”

48

“Just fancy you twenty and me eighteen! What young creatures we shall be! Oh, Augusta dear, do you 

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