t was
to the effect that he did not believe in their scheme of boarding.

"It's jest nothin' more nor less'n tryin' to put on airs," he said,
impatiently. "Anybody'd think you 'xpected to be 'lected aldermen by
ther way you're swellin' round; an' old Mother Green'll be tickled
most to death when she sees what fools you're makin' of yourselves."

In fact it did look just a little as if they were "swelling"
considerably. Ben blackened Paul's, Johnny's, and his own boots until
they would have answered for mirrors, and then he attended to his own
toilet.

Johnny had red hair, which was quite coarse, and persisted in growing
in all directions at the same time; but on this occasion he had
reduced it to something like subjection by a vigorous application of
the unburned end of the candle, and it clung to his head as if it had
been stuck there by glue. His freckled face had been scrubbed until it
looked as if it had been polished, and his hands were almost clean.

But it was upon his costume that he depended for the greatest effect.
That he did have another coat was shown when he put on one that had
evidently been rescued from the oblivion of an ash-barrel. It was very
short-waisted and very long tailed; but this last defect, if indeed
such a term could be applied, was remedied by one of the skirts having
been cut off at least six inches shorter than the other, which gave a
jaunty, careless appearance to the entire garment. His vest was the
same he wore when at work; but by pinning the collar over so as to
make it present more of the passably clean shirt, he changed its
entire appearance. The trousers were unaltered, save that where the
lower portions had been fringed by long usage, he had cut them off as
well as he could with his knife. He deeply mourned the utter absence
of a necktie, but consoled himself with the thought that the
invitation had come at such a late hour in the day, and at a time when
his funds were so low, that Mrs. Green and Nelly would probably
understand the fact and overlook the omission.

[Illustration: PAUL LOOKED ON AT THESE PREPARATIONS WITH THE MOST
PROFOUND SURPRISE.]

Ben was clad in quite as startling a fashion, but in exactly the
opposite way. Johnny's coat was long, very long, while his was
short--so short as to make it look as if it had originally belonged to
a boy about half his size. His vest was buttoned snug to the chin, to
conceal the ravages made by dirt on his shirt-front, while h