he matter.

"I'm thinking how worried they'll be at home about us," explained
Cecily.

"Bless you, dearie, don't be worrying over that. I'll send them word
that yez are all snug and safe here."

"But how can you?" cried amazed Cecily.

"Better not ask," said Peg again, with another glance at the skull.

An uncomfortable silence followed, finally broken by Peg, who introduced
her pets to us and told how she had come by them. The black cat was her
favourite.

"That cat knows more than I do, if yez'll believe it," she said proudly.
"I've got a rat too, but he's a bit shy when strangers is round. Your
cat got all right again that time, didn't he?"

"Yes," said the Story Girl.

"Thought he would," said Peg, nodding sagely. "I seen to that. Now,
don't yez all be staring at the hole in my dress."

"We weren't," was our chorus of protest.

"Looked as if yez were. I tore that yesterday but I didn't mend it. I
was brought up to believe that a hole was an accident but a patch was a
disgrace. And so your Aunt Olivia is going to be married after all?"

This was news to us. We felt and looked dazed.

"I never heard anything of it," said the Story Girl.

"Oh, it's true enough. She's a great fool. I've no faith in husbands.
But one good thing is she ain't going to marry that Henry Jacobs of
Markdale. He wants her bad enough. Just like his presumption,--thinking
himself good enough for a King. His father is the worst man alive. He
chased me off his place with his dog once. But I'll get even with him
yet."

Peg looked very savage, and visions of burned barns floated through our
minds.

"He'll be punished in hell, you know," said Peter timidly.

"But I won't be there to see that," rejoined Peg. "Some folks say I'll
go there because I don't go to church oftener. But I don't believe it."

"Why don't you go?" asked Peter, with a temerity that bordered on
rashness.

"Well, I've got so sunburned I'm afraid folks might take me for an
Injun," explained Peg, quite seriously. "Besides, your minister makes
such awful long prayers. Why does he do it?"

"I suppose he finds it easier to talk to God than to people," suggested
Peter reflectively.

"Well, anyway, I belong to the round church," said Peg comfortably, "and
so the devil can't catch ME at the corners. I haven't been to Carlisle
church for over three years. I thought I'd a-died laughing the last time
I was there. Old Elder Marr took up the collection that day. He'd on