in a provoked tone, "I should have thought you
would have known better than to bring us this way. I shan't go across."

"Then you can go back," said the pert Fanny; "nobody cares."

"It was not my proposition," remarked Gertrude, mildly, though with a
heightened colour; "but I think I can help you through the difficulty.
Mrs. Graham was afraid you had worn thin shoes, and I brought you a pair
of india-rubbers."

Belle took them, and, without the grace to express any thanks, said, as
she unfolded the paper in which they were wrapped, "Whose are they?"

"Mine," replied Gertrude.

"I don't believe I can keep them on," muttered Belle; "they'll be
immense, I suppose."

"Allow me," said the lieutenant; and, taking one of the shoes, he
stooped to place it on her foot, but found it difficult to do so, as it
was too small. Belle, perceiving it, bent down to perform, the office
for herself, and treated Gertrude's property with such angry violence
that she snapped the strap which passed across the instep, and even
then only succeeded in partially forcing her foot into the shoe.

Meantime, as she bent forward, Fanny's attention was attracted by a very
tasteful broad-brimmed hat, which she wore jauntily on one side of her
head, and which Fanny recognised as Gertrude's. It was a somewhat
fanciful article of dress, that Gertrude would hardly have thought of
purchasing for herself, but which Mr. Graham had brought home to her the
previous summer to replace a common garden hat which he had accidentally
crushed. As the style of it was simple and in good taste, she had been
in the habit of wearing it often in her country walks, and kept it hung
in the closet, where it had been found and appropriated by Belle. It had
been seen by Fanny in Gertrude's room at Mrs. Warren's; she had also
been permitted to wear it on one occasion, when she took part in a
charade. Having heard Gertrude say it was missing, she was astonished to
see it adorning Belle; and, as she stood behind her, made signs to
Gertrude, and performed a series of pantomimic gestures expressive of an
intention to snatch it from Miss Clinton's head, and place it on that of
its rightful owner.

Gertrude's gravity nearly gave way. She shook her head at Fanny, held up
her finger, made signs to her to forbear, and, with a face whose
laughter was only concealed by the deep white bonnet which she wore,
took her hand, and hastened with her along the path, leaving Belle and
her b