off with a squeak.

"Why can't you open your mouth wide enough to say magnificent," says I,
"if you like it so much; nipping off words with a bite isn't one thing
or another."

"Oh, but it is, beside the dress, that figure," says she, a-spreading
her hands.

After all, the girl did manage to express herself. I was sorry for not
understanding her at first.

Before I could say this, Cousin E. E. got out of patience.

"Does the dress suit? for we have no time to throw away," says she.

"Suit," says I, turning round and round with slow enjoyment of that
queenly figure in the glass. "Of course it does. Why, cousin, it is
superb; the bunching up is stupendous. Then the pattern--a whole flower
garden in full bloom."

"Then it had better be sent home at once, for we must go early in the
morning," says she, short as pie crust.

I paid for that Dolly Varden with satisfaction. It might have been
dear--I think it was, but there were no extras, and I knew what I was
about from the first. Besides it was a smashing affair, rain-bowish,
beautifully puckered up, and blazing with flowers.

Well, we went into the street, and then Cousin E. E. began:

"One minute, Phoemie; I want some hair pins."

We went into the next door and got the hair pins, then out again. After
walking about fifty feet she broke out once more:

"Dear me, I forgot the black ribbon."

In she darted through another door, and came out stuffing a bit of
twisted paper into her pocket. Ten feet more and she turned square
about:

"Some pins, Phoemie; I must get some pins."

So we kept darting in and out of doors till there wasn't another in the
street, and went home with both our pockets stuffed full of pins, lace,
gloves, combs, buttons, and a general assortment of other small things,
all of which E. E. had forgotten till the last minute.

That night I left her plunged headforemost into a huge trunk, with a
sloping roof, her feet just touching the ground, and complaining
bitterly because Dempster was not at home to help press the things down.

LXXVII.

STARTING FOR LONG BRANCH.

Early the next morning a big wagon-load of trunks drove from the door.
Then a carriage came up ready to take us to the boat. It was awful hot,
and the air in that house was so close one could hardly breathe. The
parlors were all shut up. The stone girl and that other fellow had white
dresses on, and for once made a decent appearance. The chairs and sofas
were all do