do so--that makes me look
rather sad, perhaps; I've spent so many happy hours among you all.'
'Going away! oh, no, you are not to think of that; I cannot allow such a
word. By the way, what have you found in your slippers?' 'To reprove my
presumption, no doubt, my slippers have been spirited away in the night:
it is not for a poor fellow like me to receive gifts from lovely young
ladies.' As he spoke these words, the door opened, and Caterina entered,
bright as the morning, her face covered with smiles and blushes; she
shuffled along in a strange way, and all eyes naturally fell upon her
little feet, which were sailing about in the Dominie's slippers! Amid
the general laughter, she walked up to the diffident youth, who could
scarcely believe his eyes, and said with an air of irresistible
drollery, by which she tried to cover her confusion: 'Here is your
Christmas present, sir; do you hold to your promise of accepting it?' Of
course, the lady having broken the ice, the Dominie could do no less
than speak out, and, all being willing, the two were soon converted into
one; a good church was procured for him by the influence of the
burgomaster, and they lived as happily as possible all their days."

"She was a determined damsel!" cried Cornelia; "I think she had brass
enough to set up a foundry."

"Probably it was leap-year, Cornelia," replied Ellen; "you know it is
then the ladies' _privilege_--great privilege, forsooth!--to pay
attention to the lords of the creation."

"I hope, when women take advantage of their prescriptive rights, they
will wear the Bloomer costume, and make themselves look as little like
the rest of their sex as possible!" said Mary.

"Come, girls," cried Charlie Bolton, "you are too hard on that frank
little Caterina; I approve of such conduct entirely, and some ten years
hence, when I am ready to be appropriated, I shall certainly leave my
slippers outside my door as a hint to whomsoever it may concern. It
would save us men a great deal of trouble, if all girls were as sensible
as Caterina."

"Us men, indeed! How long since?" said Cornelia.

"Ever since I got out of frocks and into trowsers," replied Charlie,
laughing good-naturedly. He and Cornelia were always sparring, but never
quarrelled.

In the evening they played at various games; among others, at writing
rhymes. Each had a slip of paper, and would write a line, then double it
down, and hand it to the next, telling the last word; the se