tly answered:
"Certainly. Everybody amongst father's artist friends called her either
'the second Mrs. John,' or 'Stepmother.' Either one it happened. Why?"

"It was most disrespectful."

At this uncompromising reply, Kate stared, exclaiming: "Why, you're a
truth-teller yourself, aren't you?"

"I am. Did you not suppose so?" returned Miss Maitland, amused.

"Well, you see, I've been told you were very agreeable, and most of the
really agreeable people I know lie like the mischief."

"Katharine!"

"Fact. And I've got into more scrapes for telling the truth than for any
other thing I've done, except being kind to the little Snowballs.
But--hark! What's that? Punch--_Punch_--You flippety-cap woman! Stop!
Stop! Stop!"

An eruptive, agonized bark from the hall sent the girl thither at a
bound, while Miss Eunice hastily followed, anxiously crying: "Philip!
Sir _Philip Sidney_!"

CHAPTER II.

MASTER MONTGOMERY STURTEVANT

Wildly beating the air with a long-handled broom, her cap-frills flying,
her spectacles awry, the Widow Sprigg was vainly endeavoring to restore
peace between Punch, the newcomer, and Sir Philip Sidney, the venerable
Angora cat which had hitherto "ruled the roost."

The pug, with a native curiosity almost as great as Susanna's own, had
slipped from the sitting-room unobserved and had wandered to the warm
kitchen where Sir Philip lay asleep on his cushion, unmindful of
interlopers till an ugly black muzzle was poked into his ribs, and he
found his natural enemy coolly ruffling his silken fur.

Until then, Miss Eunice had boasted of her pet that he was as like his
famous namesake as it was possible for any animal to be like any human
being, and quoted concerning him that he was "sublimely mild, a spirit
without spot." Indeed, Miss Maitland's beautiful "Angory" was one of
the show animals of Marsden. He had been brought to his mistress by a
returning traveller more years ago than most people remembered, and had
continued to live his charmed and pampered life long after the ordinary
age of his kind. With appetite always supplied with the best of food,
his handsome body lodged luxuriously, it was small wonder that hitherto
he had worn his aristocratic title with a gentleness befitting his
historic prototype.

Now, suddenly, the pent-up temper of his past broke out in one terrific
burst; and he bit, scratched, tore, and yowled with all the ferocity of
youth, while Punch, realizing that he h