come in, leading his sister by the
hand. She was a dismal object to behold, sure enough! and if she could
have blushed for herself, I think she certainly would. She wore a green
barege dress, trimmed with flaming red ribbons; some of the gathers were
out at the waist, and her petticoat showed at the bottom.

Mr. Morris, or Minnie--I don't know which--had stuck the ends of her wig
down for her once, but they had come up again, and looked as if her hair
had taken to growing with the roots uppermost. The end of her nose was
blacker than Mrs. Montague's, and her eyes, which moved with a wire like
other wax dolls, had got out of order somehow, and remained stationary,
with nothing but the whites showing; and, altogether, poor Miss Morris
looked like a two-legged rag-bag come home from the wars, with both
eyes out, half a nose, and no hair worth mentioning.

Lina made Mr. Montague come home as soon as she was rid of the dinner
bell; and after they had all shaken hands until their wax and kid and
china wrists must have ached, the company rather unceremoniously marched
right into the dining-room. I suppose Mr. Montague was tremendously
hungry, and gave his wife's hand a good pinch when he shook it, to make
her hurry things up; but, however that may be, they were walked in to
dinner in straight order. Mr. Morris sat by Miss Isabella, with his
forlorn old sister on the other hand, and as the opposite side of the
table looked rather bare, Minnie proposed that some of the children
should come down to fill up.

"Oh, yes--and let them be dreadfully naughty and do all sorts of
mischief," said Maggie. So Miss Angelina Seraphina Montague, and Master
Algernon Pop-eyes Montague (so called because he had glass eyes, which
stuck out in a lobster-ish fashion), were sent for in a hurry and
brought down by their nurse, a beautiful doll dressed as a French bonne,
and Maggie. Algernon wore the costume of a sailor boy, and Angelina was
no other than a nun in a black robe! But never mind, they did very well
to fill up, and sat smirking at the company very genteelly.

So, then, Lina made Mr. Montague begin.

MR. MONT. Will you take some roast beef, Miss Morris?

ALGERNON. No, papa, help me first!

MR. M. Algy Pop-eyes Montague! be still! Here, Toby, hand Miss Morris
her plate.

ALGY. Don't you do it, Toby!

MRS. M. Hush up, you naughty boy!

MR. M. Mr. Morris, here's some meat for you.

MRS. M. Take some macaroni, Mr. Morris; it's real