he cruelly caused her to remark in
public, "I am a very ridiculous donkey." Phoebe bore no malice. She
only said, still smiling, "I don't know what words to tell you."

"Oh, any!" answered Rhoda, accommodatingly. "What's the Greek for
ugly?"

"I don't know," said Phoebe, dubiously. "Kakos means _bad_."

"And what is _good_ and _pretty_?"

"Agathos is _good_," replied Phoebe, laughing; "and _beautiful_ is
kallios."

"That'll do!" said Rhoda, triumphantly. "'Tis plenty,--I couldn't
remember more. Let me see,--kaks, and agathos, and kallius--is that
right?"

Phoebe laughingly offered the necessary corrections. "All right!" said
Rhoda. "I've no more to wish for. I'll take the shine out of Molly!"

At supper that evening, Madam announced that she had sent her note to
Lady Delawarr by a mounted messenger, and had received an answer,
according to which Gatty and Molly might be expected to arrive at
White-Ladies on Wednesday evening. Madam appeared to be in one of her
most gracious moods, for she even condescended to inform Phoebe that
Mrs Gatty was two months older than Rhoda, and Mrs Molly four years
her junior,--"two years younger than you, my dear," said Madam, very
affably.

"Now, Phoebe, I'll tell you what we'll do," asserted Rhoda, as she sat
down before the glass that night to have her hair undressed by her
cousin. "I'm not going to have Molly teasing about the old gentlewomen
down yonder. I'll soon shut her mouth if she begins; and if Gatty wants
to go down there, well, she can go by herself. So I'll tell you what:
you and I will drink a dish of tea with Mrs Dolly to-morrow, and we'll
make her finish her story. I only do wish the dear old tiresome thing
wouldn't preach! Then I'll take you in to see Mrs Marcella, and we'll
get that done. Then in the morning, you must just set out all my gowns
on the bed, and I'll have both you and Betty to sew awhile I must have
some lace on that blue. I'll make Madam give me a pair of new silver
buckles, too. I can't do unless I cut out those creatures somehow. And
the only way to cut out Gatty is by dress, because she hasn't anything
in her,--'tis all on her. I cut out Molly in brains. But my Lady
Delawarr likes to dress Gatty up, because she fancies the awkward
thing's pretty. She isn't, you know,--not a speck; but _she_ thinks
so."

Whether the last pronoun referred to Lady Delawarr or to Gatty, Rhoda
was not sufficiently perspicuous to indicate.