tched up a great
piece of coarse brown paper, and seizing the little girl's hind hair in
her hand, she rolled it all up in one large curl; Rosalie crying out at
the violence with which she pulled, and the other children laughing,
when it was done, at the huge knob, and telling Rosalie she had a
knocker at her back.

In a short time the night-gowns and night-caps were scrambled on, and
the children all deposited in their respective beds, and all hastily
kissed by their undressers; who hurried out of the room, anxious to
enter upon their anticipated delights.

"Now, good Mary, dear Mary," said Henrietta, "do tell me if you have
got every thing?" "Every thing, miss," replied Mary, "except the
calves-foot jelly; and the money fell short of that. But I have got
the iced pound-cake, and the mince pies, and the oyster patties, and
the little cocoa-nut puddings, and the bottle of lemon-syrup, and all
the other things. They are snug and safe in the market-basket in the
back-kitchen-closet; and nobody can never guess nothing about it."

Just at this moment the man-servant came to tell the young ladies that
Mrs. Middleton wished them all to go down into the front parlour to look
at some prints. These prints were the coloured engravings of Wall's
beautiful views on the Hudson, and which had just been purchased by Mrs.
Middleton's brother-in-law, who was going to leave the city the
following morning. At any other time the young ladies (at least those
who had a taste for drawing) would have been grateful for Mrs.
Middleton's kindness in allowing them an opportunity of looking at these
fine landscapes; but _now_ every moment that detained them from the
feast, seemed like an hour. Henrietta murmured almost aloud; and they
all went down with reluctance, except Isabella Caldwell, who had made up
her mind not to partake of the banquet.

In the mean time, little Rosalie Sunbridge, who was a very cunning
child, and had a great deal of curiosity, suspected that something more
than usual was going on, from the alertness of the young ladies in
hurrying the children to bed. _Her_ bed being nearest to the door, she
had overheard the elder girls in earnest consultation with the
chambermaid in the passage, and although she could not distinguish
exactly what was said, she understood that something very delightful was
to go on that evening in the front school-room. Having a great desire to
know precisely what was in agitation, she waited a short