ghts and forced from her an almost
involuntary exclamation.

"For the lands sakes!" she murmured. "Whoever in the world carries on in
sech style's that!"

The waterman looked over his shoulder, and no sooner caught sight of the
glittering barge than, with a powerful push of his oars, he backed water
and brought his little boat to a stand.

"The Queen!" he exclaimed.

Rebecca glanced at the boatman with slightly raised brows.

"Thought you was deef an' dumb," she said. Then, turning once more to
the still approaching barge, she continued: "An' so thet's Queen
Victoria's ship, is it?"

"Victoria!" growled the waterman. "Ye seem as odd in speech as in dress,
mistress. Who gave ye license to miscall our glorious sovereign?"

Rebecca's brows were knit in a thoughtful frown and she scarce knew what
her companion said. The approach of the Queen suggested a new plan of
action. She had heard of queens as all-powerful rulers, women whose
commands would be obeyed at once and without question, in small and
personal things as in matters of greater moment. Of Queen Victoria, too,
some accounts had reached her, and all had been in confirmation of that
ruler's justice and goodness of heart.

Rebecca's new plan was therefore to appeal at once to this benign
sovereign for aid, entreat her to command the Burtons to release
Phoebe and to order Copernicus Droop to carry both sisters back to
their New England home. This course recommended itself strongly to the
strictly honest Rebecca, because it eliminated at once all necessity for
"humoring" Phoebe's madness, with its implied subterfuges and
equivocations. The moment was propitious for making an attempt which
could at least do no harm, she thought. She determined to carry out the
plan which had occurred to her.

Standing up in the boat: "What's the Queen's last name?" she asked.

"Be seated, woman!" growled the waterman, who was growing uneasy at
sight of the increasing eccentricity of his fare. "The Queen's name is
Elizabeth, as well ye know," he concluded, more gently. He hoped to
soothe the woman's frenzy by concessions.

"Now, mister," said Rebecca, severely, "don't you be sassy to me, fer I
won't stand it. Of course, I don't want her first name--she ain't hired
help. What's the Queen's family name--quick!"

The waterman, now convinced that his fare was a lunatic, could think of
naught better than to use soothing tones and to reply promptly, however
absurd her questions.