“It will be awfully stupid,” she thought, “and this chair is so nice I am afraid I’ll go to sleep, and mamma says that is very rude when any one is reading or talking to you.”

You see Ella had not learned to be fond of books.  Her parents had not been in the habit of reading to her, and, although in school she could read books that had quite long words in them, still she could not read with sufficient ease to make it a pleasure to her.

But she did not go to sleep, but, on the contrary, got wider and wider awake.  The stories were all short, so that when the end came she remembered the beginning perfectly, and they were such lovely stories about little fairies, and how they helped children to be good, that Ella was very sorry when the servant came to take her home.

“I thank you very much, Miss Harper, for reading to us,” she said, “Will you please tell me the name of the book?”

“It is ‘The Mirror,’” said Miss Harper, “and I will read to you often if you will come to see us.”

Ella thought about the book all the way home, but she was so tired she was glad to go to bed after supper, and the next morning she had no time before school to say anything to her mother about the wonderful “Mirror.”

But after dinner there was a pleasant surprise for her.  Her father called her into his study, and, taking her up, kissed her tenderly, and said:  “I saw your teacher yesterday, and she gave me such a good account of my little girl that I am very much pleased with her.  And now, if there is anything you would particularly like to have, I will get it for you, if it does not cost too much.  Think a moment, now!  Don’t be in a hurry!”

“Oh, papa,” exclaimed Ella, “I don’t need to think a bit!  I know what I want!  I do so want to have a ‘Mirror!’”

“A what?” said Mr. Lee, suddenly putting Ella down on the floor.

“A ‘Mirror,’ papa.  When will you get it for me?  Oh!  I am so glad!” And she clapped her little hands softly together.

“You are a very little girl to be so vain,” said Mr. Lee gravely, “but as I said you should have what you wanted, I will keep my promise.  Go and dress yourself, and we will get it this very afternoon.”

Ella was so full of her own happy thoughts that she did not notice what he said about her being vain, or that he looked displeased, and she skipped merrily away to be dressed.  In a short time she had hold of her father’s hand, and was walking down Broadway, looking in at the shop windows, and talking as fast as her little tongue could go.

Mr. Lee, who knew nothing about the book with such a queer title, and supposed his daughter wanted a mirror in which to look at herself, began to hope that, as Ella stopped so often to admire the pretty things in the windows, she would see something she would prefer for a present.  For, though it is a very proper thing to look in the glass to see that one’s face is clean, and hair smooth, he did not like it that his daughter should want a looking-glass above everything in the world.