remember now that dear, darling Ethel said there was, and I didn't
believe her. But it's always the way." And Minnie threw her little
head on one side, and gave a resigned sigh.

"And did you really get into the crater?" asked Mrs. Willoughby, with
a shudder.

"Oh, I suppose so. They all said so," said Minnie, folding her little
hands in front of her. "I only remember some smoke, and then jolting
about dreadfully on the shoulder of some great--big--awful--man."

"Oh dear!" sighed Mrs. Willoughby.

"What's the matter, Kitty dearest?"

"Another man!" groaned her sister.

"Well, and how _could_ I help it?" said Minnie. "I'm _sure_ I didn't
want him. I'm _sure_ I think he might have let me alone. I don't see
_why_ they all act so. I _wish_ they wouldn't be all the time coming
and saving my life. If people _will_ go and save my life, I can't help
it. I think it's very, very horrid of them."

"Oh dear! oh dear!" sighed her sister again.

"Now, Kitty, stop."

"Another man!" sighed Mrs. Willoughby.

"Now, Kitty, if you are so unkind, I'll cry. You're _always_ teasing
me. You _never_ do any thing to comfort me. You _know_ I want comfort,
and I'm not strong, and people all come and save my life and worry me;
and I really sometimes think I'd rather not live at all if my life
_has_ to be saved so often. I'm sure _I_ don't know why they go and do
it. I'm sure _I_ never heard of any person who is always going and
getting her life saved, and bothered, and proposed to, and written to,
and chased, and frightened to death. And I've a _great_ mind to go and
get married, just to stop it all. And I'd _just_ as soon marry this
last man as not, and make him drive all the others away from me. He's
big enough."

Minnie ended all this with a little sob; and her sister, as usual, did
her best to soothe and quiet her.

"Well, but, darling, how did it all happen?"

"Oh, don't, don't."

"But you might tell _me_"

"Oh, I can't bear to think of it. It's too horrible."

"Poor darling--the crater?"

"No, the great, big man. I didn't see any crater."

"Weren't you in the crater?"

"No, I wasn't."

"They said you were."

"I wasn't. I was on the back of a big, horrid man, who gave great
jumps down the side of an awful mountain, all sand and things, and
threw me down at the bottom of it, and--and--disarranged all my hair.
And I was so frightened that I couldn't even cur--cur--cry."

Here Minnie sobbed afresh, and Mrs. Willoug