s shoulder, and a slouched hat on his head which hid his face pretty
thoroughly, came to the head of the stairs, knocked at the door, and
without waiting for an invitation to come in, entered, and depositing
the box with the remark, "For Mrs. Winslow, from the Misses Grim,"
spryly sprang back, shut the door, and clattered away down the stairs
and into the street before Mrs. Winslow could get a second look at him,
though she sprang after him, shouting, "Here! here! come back here or
I'll have you arrested!" But he only clattered away the livelier, and
she returned to the room raging and vowing that the box contained some
infernal machine for the purpose of distributing minute portions of her
anatomy all over the city of Rochester.

This became more likely when Mrs. Winslow recollected that the Misses
Grim--Tabitha, Amanda, and Hannah--were the three old maids from whom
she had thought she had secured a wealthy old banker to pluck; and
though he had proven to her a very ordinary man, somewhat infirm from
rheumatism, and a trifle quarrelsome, though eminently virtuous and
punctilious, she had never, of course, let them know how badly she had
been swindled; and as they yet regarded their lost boarder, Bristol, as
a priceless treasure, lost to them through her perfidy, it was no more
than natural, Mrs. Winslow thought, that in their chagrin and
disappointment they should concoct some diabolical plan to injure her.

But still it might not be from them. She had other enemies, many of
them, and the Misses Grim's name might have been given to cover up some
other person's misdeeds. But whatever it might be, her curiosity soon
overcame her fear, and she requested Fox to open it.

After securing a hammer from his room, the latter proceeded to open the
mysterious box; but after the cover had been partially drawn and it was
evident that the box had not been delivered for the purpose of
exterminating anybody, it occurred to its fair owner that there might be
something within it not desirable for her to let the gentlemen see,
whereupon she requested them to retire; but after Bristol had
grumblingly disappeared, and Fox had got to the door, she recalled the
latter and asked him anxiously if he would not open it for her. He
gallantly agreed to, and got down on his knees upon the carpet and began
taking off the cover.

"I do wonder what it can be!" said Mrs. Winslow anxiously.

"I can't find anything but bran," returned Fox, digging a