much of the feast as she could seize in her haste. Sally
dived into her bed, recklessly demolishing the last pie, and scattering
the candy far and wide.

"Poor Mary was nearly caught for Miss Cotton was quicker than Betsey,
and our guard had to run for her life.

"Our room was the first, and was in good order, though the two flushed
faces on the pillows were rather suspicious. Miss Cotton stood staring
about her, looking so funny, without her cap, that my bedfellow would
have gone off in a fit of laughter, if I had not pinched her warningly.

"'Young ladies, what is this unseemly noise?' No answer from us but
a faint snore. Miss Cotton marched into the next room, put the same
question and received the same reply.

"In the third chamber lay Sally, and we trembled as the old lady went
in. Sitting up, we peeped and listened breathlessly.

"'Sarah, I command you to tell me what this all means?' But Sally only
sighed in her sleep, and muttered, wickedly, 'Ma, take me home. I 'm
starved at Cotton's.' 'Mercy on me! is the child going to have a fever?'
cried the old lady, who did not observe the tell tale nuts at her feet.

"'So dull, so strict! O take me home!' moaned Sally, tossing her arms
and gurgling, like a naughty little gypsy.

"That last bit of acting upset the whole concern, for as she tossed her
arms she showed the big red cushion on her breast. Near-sighted as she
was, that ridiculous object could not escape Miss Cotton, neither did
the orange that rolled out from the pillow, nor the boots appearing at
the foot of the bed.

"With sudden energy the old lady plucked off the cover, and there lay
Sally with her hair dressed, la Topsy, her absurd breast-pin and her
dusty boots, among papers of candy, bits of pie and cake, oranges and
apples, and a candle upside down burning a hole in the sheet.

"At the sound of Miss Cotton's horrified exclamation Sally woke up, and
began laughing so merrily that none of us could resist following her
example, and the rooms rang with merriment far many minutes. I really
don't know when we should have stopped if Sally had not got choked with
the nut she had in her mouth, and so frightened us nearly out of our
wits."

"What became of the things, and how were you punished?" asked Fan, in
the middle of her laughter.

"The remains of the feast went to the pig, and we were kept on bread and
water for three days."

"Did that cure you?"

"Oh, dear, no! we had half a dozen other f