n excuse for postponing his job.

But no; Dr. Mann was quite at leisure, and, full of smiling interest,
awaited his victim, laying forth his unpleasant little tools with the
exasperating alacrity of his kind. Glad to be released from any share
in the operation, Betty retired to the back window to be as far away as
possible, and for half an hour was so absorbed in her book that poor
Thorny might have groaned dismally without disturbing her.

"Done now, directly; only a trifle of polishing off and a look round,"
said Dr. Mann, at last, and Thorny, with a yawn that nearly rent him
asunder, called out:

"Thank goodness! Pack up, Bettykin."

"I'm all ready," and, shutting her book with a start, she slipped down
from the easy-chair in a great hurry.

But "looking round" took time, and before the circuit of Thorny's mouth
was satisfactorily made, Betty had become absorbed by a more
interesting tale than even the immortal "Blue-beard." A noise of
children's voices in the narrow alley-way behind the house attracted
her attention; the long window opened directly on the yard, and the
gate swung in the wind. Curious as Fatima, Betty went to look; but all
she saw was a group of excited boys peeping between the bars of another
gate further down.

"What's the matter?" she asked of two small girls, who stood close by
her, longing but not daring to approach the scene of action.

"Boys chasing a great black cat, I believe," answered one child.

"Want to come and see?" added the other, politely extending the
invitation to the stranger.

The thought of a cat in trouble would have nerved Betty to face a dozen
boys, so she followed at once, meeting several lads hurrying away on
some important errand, to judge from their anxious countenances.

"Hold tight, Jimmy, and let 'em peek, if they want to. He can't hurt
anybody now," said one of the dusty huntsmen, who sat on the wide
coping of the wall, while two others held the gate, as if a cat could
only escape that way.

"You peek first, Susy, and see if it looks nice," said one little girl,
boosting her friend so that she could look through the bars in the
upper part of the gate.

"No; it's only an ugly old dog!" responded Susy, losing all interest at
once, and descending with a bounce.

"He's mad, and Jud's gone to get his gun so we can shoot him," called
out one mischievous boy, resenting the contempt expressed for their
capture.

"Aint, neither!" howled another lad from his