Ellis Island, and who loved the twins as though they were her own, and
admired Mrs. Betsey more than anybody else living, came to the verge of
"giving notice" whenever Aunt Dora came into view of the house.

"Sure, I was a bogtrotter when Oi landed, and we _did_ kape the pig in
the kitchen--I admit it," declaimed the faithful Mary. "But I've been
bred to wor'rk under as clane a housekaper as ever wore shoes--God bless
her! And to have that ould ormadoun come here and tell me me flures
ar're not clane, and me bedrooms smell musty----Ah--h! bad 'cess to the
loikes av her!"

Mrs. Betsey, to save losing Mary altogether, gave her permission to take
Sunday afternoon and evening off. That would free her from the "eagle
eye" of Aunt Dora for a few hours, at least.

"Aunt Dora is what old-fashioned people used to call 'nasty clean',"
grumbled Mr. Lockwood, as he prepared to flee to his beloved plants,
despite the sacredness of the day. "She's so clean that she makes
everybody else unhappy about it. But have patience, children. It can't
last forever."

It was Mrs. Betsey who was put through the "third degree" early in the
morning. Couldn't she really tell the twins apart? Wasn't there
something in their voices dissimilar? Was there not some mark on their
bodies by which Dora could be distinguished from Dorothy? Hadn't one
child a scar that the other did not have?

"My dear madam," declared the old housekeeper and nurse, in desperation.
"I gave up the question as hopeless ten years and more ago. If those
girls do not wish to own up, nobody can tell them apart, you may be sure
of that. Yes, they _are_ stubborn--and they _are_ pert. They have never
been governed by harshness or by fear. The only way that I know to make
Dora tell you which she is, is to make her love you enough to tell you."

"Nonsense!" snapped Aunt Dora. "They are children. They must obey."

"In that particular, madam," said Mrs. Betsey, shaking her head, "I fail
to see how you are to make them obey."

"They both should be punished."

"Even that would not make them obey you--no matter what the punishment.
And you know," added the old lady, with eyes that began to brighten
warningly, "Mr. Lockwood would not hear of the twins being punished."

"If they were mine I'd spank them both!" declared Aunt Dora, spitefully.

"And that is perhaps one reason why neither wishes to go home with you,"
returned Mrs. Betsey, pointedly.

As Mary was gone for the day the