practice had made her a passed mistress,
contrived to get herself settled upon the cushion.

"Honey," said Mrs. Harold, patting her shoulder, "if you want to live up
to your name you'll discard your coat of mail. Your namesake would have
scorned its limitations, and your young figure will be far lovelier and
more graceful, to say nothing of the benefit to yourself and future
generations, if you heave your armor plate overboard."

It was all said half-jestingly, half-seriously, but Juno gave her head a
superior little toss as she answered:

"And go looking like a meal sack? To say nothing of flinging away twenty
perfectly good dollars just paid to Madam Malone."

"I'm afraid I'm a very old-fashioned old lady, but I have no notion of
letting any Madam Malone, or any other French lady from Erin dictate
_my_ fashions, or curtail the development and use of my muscles; I have
too much use for them. Do Peggy and Polly resemble 'meal sacks?' Yet no
Madam Malone has ever had the handling of their floating-ribs, let me
tell you. Watch out, little girl, for a nervous, semi-invalid womanhood
is a high price to pay for a pair of corsets at seventeen. There, my
lecture is over and now let's talk of earthquakes."

At her aunt's question regarding Peggy and herself resembling "meal
sacks," Polly laughed aloud and being in a position to practically
demonstrate the freedom which a sensibly full skirt afforded, cried:

"If I couldn't _run_ when I felt like it I'd _die_. I tell you, when I
strike heavy weather I want my rigging ship-shape. I'd hate to scud
under bare poles."

The subject was changed but the words were not forgotten. The other
girls had all gathered about the blazing logs upon cushions or hassocks,
and a pretty group they formed as they talked eagerly of the coming hop,
and tried to guess what Captain Stewart was planning, Mrs. Harold and
Mrs. Howland joining enthusiastically in it all.

"Tanta," asked Polly, "do you know that Lily Pearl Montgomery and Helen
Doolittle are here at Wilmot with Helen's uncle? We have christened him
'Foxy Grandpa.' Just wait till you see him. He looks the character
exactly."

"Are they to go to the hop?" asked Mrs. Harold, instantly interested,
for even though she had heard amusing tales of the two girls, they were
still young girls, and she was concerned for their happiness and
pleasure.

"We don't know and we didn't like to seem inquisitive," replied Polly.

"Yes, they are going