le on the other were a number
of home-made concoctions in disused wine-bottles, such as a paregoric
cough-mixture, and a cooling draught to be taken the first thing in the
morning, which last pretended to be lemonade, but in reality contained a
number of medicinal powders. "Take it up tenderly, treat it with care!"
was Peggy's motto with respect to this last-named medicine, for she had
discovered that by judicious handling it was possible to enjoy a really
tasty beverage, and to leave the sediment untouched at the bottom of the
bottle!

Esther and Mellicent were almost equally well supplied by their anxious
mother, but their bottles behaved in a well-regulated fashion, and never
took upon themselves to play tricks, while those in Peggy's room seemed
infected by the spirit of the owner, and amused themselves with seeing
how much mischief they could accomplish. A bottle of ammonia had been
provided as a cure for bites of gnats and flies; Peggy flicked a towel
more hastily than usual, and down it fell, the contents streaming over
the wood, and splashing on to the wardrobe near at hand, with the
consequence that every sign of polish was removed, and replaced by white
unsightly stains. The glass stopper of a smelling-salts bottle became
fixed in its socket, and, being anointed with oil and placed before the
fire to melt, popped out suddenly with a noise as of a cannon shot,
aimed accurately for the centre of the mirror, and smashed it into a
dozen pieces. The "safety ink-pot," out of which she indited her
letters to her mother, came unfastened of its own accord and rolled up
and down the clean white toilet cover. This, at least, was the
impression left by Peggy's innocent protestations, while the gas and
soap seemed equally obstinate--the one refusing to be lowered when she
left the room, and the other insisting upon melting itself to pieces in
her morning bath!

"Mrs Saville was right--Peggy is a most expensive person!" cried Mrs
Asplin in dismay, when the bills for repairs came in; but when the vicar
suggested the advisability of a reproof, she said, "Oh, poor child; she
is so lonely--I haven't the heart to scold her;" and Peggy continued to
detail accounts of her latest misfortune with an air of exaggerated
melancholy, which barely concealed the underlying satisfaction. It
required a philosophic mind to be able to take damages to personal
property in so amiable a fashion; but occasionally Peggy's pickles took
an i