cried poor Mell, hot, angry, and dismayed, "how could
you do such a thing?"

"They was sheep," retorted Tommy sulkily.

"Boo-hoo! boo-hoo!" blubbered Belinda. "I don't like my hair to be cut
off. It makes my head feel all cold."

"He didn't play nice a bit," sobbed Isaphine. "He's always notty to us."

"I'll cut off your head," declared Tommy, threatening with the scissors.

Mell seized the scissors, and captured them, Tommy kicking and
struggling meantime. Then she waked up the babies, tied on Belinda's
shoe, collected the unhappy pigtails, and said they must all go home.
Home! The very idea made her sick with fright.

I don't suppose such a deplorable little procession was ever seen
before. Isaphine and Belinda went first; then the little ones, very
cross after their nap; and, lastly, Mell, holding Tommy's arm, and
driving the poor little shorn sheep before her with the handle of the
parasol, which she used as a shepherdess uses her crook. They were all
tired and hungry. The babies cried. The sun was very hot. The road
seemed miles long. Every now and then Mell had to let them sit down to
rest. It was nearly four o'clock when they reached home; and, long
before that, Mell was so weary and discouraged that it seemed as if she
should like to lie down and die.

They got home at last. Mell's hand was on the garden gate, when suddenly
a sight so terrible met her eyes that she stood rooted to the spot,
unable to move an inch further. There in the doorway was Mrs. Davis. Her
face was white with anger as she looked at the children. Mell felt the
coral beads burn about her throat. She dropped the parasol as if her arm
was broken, the guilty tails hung from her hand, and she wished with
all her heart that the earth could open and swallow her up.

It was a full moment before anybody spoke. Then "What does this mean?"
asked Mrs. Davis, in an awful voice.

Mell could not answer. But the children broke out in full chorus of
lament.

"Tommy was so bad to us." "He lost us in the woods." "He stole the
scissors, and they were dirty scissors." "Mell went away and left us all
alone."

"Yes," cried Mrs. Davis, her wrath rising with each word, "I know very
well what you were up to, miss. All my things upset. As soon as I found
out that I had forgotten my key, I knew very well--" her voice died away
into the silence of horror. She had just caught sight of Belinda's
cropped head.

"Tommy did it. He cut off all our hairs," blub