ictoria's ear with agonised sharpness,

"Dem boots am so high, an' my ankle is guv out, jes ondo de buttons!"

A stone might have sympathised with her maidenly distress, but that
wicked Victoria burst into absolute shrieks of laughter.

"Oh, oh, oh! yer ole fool!" she cried, between her shouts of merriment.
"Yer too ole for new fashions--telled yer so!"

Clorinda's outraged modesty was forgotten in the fury which Victoria's
lack of sympathy caused.

"Jis let me git up!" cried she. "I'll fix yer; I'll frizzle dem long
beaucatchers like a door mat, an' stamp on 'em."

"What am it?" demanded Dolf.

As well as she could speak for laughing, Victoria began "She's just
choked up her foot in Miss Harrington's high pinercled boots!"

"Hush up!" interrupted Clo. "I'll pisen yer if yer don't shut yer
impudent mouth."

"Ki! ki! ki! oh, laws, I shall die! Ole folks hadn't orter try to be
young uns. I've telled yer so, Clo, fifty times," shrieked the yellow
maiden; "'tain't no wonder yer snickered, Dolf; borrered feathers! he,
he! Vic!"

Clorinda sprang to her feet with a yell of triumph and rage, and limping
toward Victoria, caught that yellow maiden by her much-prized tresses,
and for a few moments the battle between the rivals raged furiously.

Clo quite forgot her religion in the excitement, and her language might
have shocked the elders had they heard it, while Victoria struggled
bravely to save her tresses from extermination.

"De hall door's a openin'," cried Dolf, struck with a brilliant thought;
"I believe it's marster comin' out."

The battle ceased. Dolf ran towards the house and the combatants after
him; Clorinda limping like a returned soldier, but Dolf never stopped
till he was safe in his own dormitory, not caring to trust himself in
the presence of either of the infuriated damsels.

Indeed, the next morning it required the special interference of Mrs.
Mellen herself to settle the matter, and several days passed before
perfect harmony was restored in the lower regions at Piney Cove.

CHAPTER XXXV.

MRS. MELLEN AND HER COUSIN.

The next afternoon Tom Fuller came down to the island again.

Elizabeth and Elsie were quite alone, for Mellen had driven over to the
village on some matter of business; but the sisters were not taking
advantage of their solitude to indulge in one of those long, cozy,
confidential chats which had been their habit in former years.

Elsie was in the upper part of the