with her knuckles in her eyes, and would not
stir; but Dora was resolute. One child made a rush for the door; but
Dora desired Sophy to stand by the door and bar the passage, and called
Mrs Thorpe to hold Lizzie Barton, who certainly was a spectacle, with
half-a-dozen horns twisted out of old advertisement papers, but the rest
of her hair flying in disgusting elf-locks. She was cowed, however,
into standing quiet, till her appendages had been sheared off by the
determined scissors. "There, I am sure you must be much more
comfortable," Dora assured her. "Get your mother to wash your head, and
you will look so nice to-morrow. Now then, Betsy Hewlett."

Betsy cried, but submitted; but the next victim, Sally French, howled
and fought, and said, "Mammy would not have it done." But Dora sternly
answered, "Then she should keep your head fit to be seen." And Mrs
Thorpe held down her hands, with whispers of "Now, my dear, don't."

And so it went on through nineteen girls, the boys sniggering all the
time. Some cried and struggled, but latterly they felt it was their
fate, and resisted no longer. Even Mary Cox, who had a curly head by
nature, stood still to be clipped. Dora's hands were in a dreadful
state, and her mind began to quail a little; but, having once started,
she felt bound to go on and complete her work, and when she finally
dismissed the school, there was a very undesirable heap of locks, brown,
black, and carroty, interspersed with curl-papers, on the floor. The
girls looked, to her mind, far better, and Mrs Thorpe, a little
doubtful, gave her a basin of water to wash her hands.

Home the two sisters went, their spirits rising as they laughed over
their great achievement, and looked forward to amusing Mary with the
account of the various behaviour of the victims.

So they burst upon her, as she was planting bulbs in the garden, and
Edmund helping her by measuring distances.

"Oh, Mary, such fun!" cried Sophy. "We have been cutting all the
children's hair."

"What do you mean, Sophy?"

"They had their heads worse than ever," said Dora, "so I took Mrs
Thorpe's scissors and clipped them all round."

"My dear Dora, I wish you had not been so hasty," Mary was gently
saying; but Edmund was standing up, looking quite judicial.

"Did you get their parents' permission?" he demanded.

"No, of course I never should."

"Then what right had you to meddle with the children?"

"They were quite horrid. M