er they
were, by executing something like a hornpipe before the window.

Mrs. Mumpson, however, was not vanquished. She had only made a
compulsory retreat from the scene of hostilities; and, after rallying
her shattered faculties, advanced again with the chair. "How dared you,
you disreputerble female?" she began.

Mrs. Wiggins turned slowly and ominously upon her. "Ye call me a
disrupterbul female hag'in, han ye vont find hit 'ealthy."

Mrs. Mumpson prudently backed toward the door before delivering her
return fire.

"Woman!" she cried, "are you out of your mind? Don't you know I'm
housekeeper here, and that it's my duty to superintend you and your
work?"

"Vell, then, hi'll double ye hup hand put ye hon the shelf hof the
dresser han' lock the glass door hon ye. From hup there ye kin see all
that's goin' hon and sup'intend to yer 'eart's content," and she
started for her superior officer.

Mrs. Mumpson backed so precipitately with her chair that it struck
against the door case, and she sat down hard. Seeing that Mrs. Wiggins
was almost upon her, she darted back into the parlor, leaving the chair
as a trophy in the hands of her enemy. Mrs. Wiggins was somewhat
appeased by this second triumph, and with the hope of adding gall and
bitterness to Mrs. Mumpson's defeat, she took the chair to her rival's
favorite rocking place, lighted her pipe, and sat down in grim
complacency. Mrs. Mumpson warily approached to recover a support
which, from long habit, had become moral as well as physical, and her
indignation knew no bounds when she saw it creaking under the weight of
her foe. It must be admitted, however, that her ire was not so great
that she did not retain the "better part of valor," for she stepped
back, unlocked the front door, and set it ajar. On returning, she
opened with a volubility that awed even Mrs. Wiggins for a moment. "You
miserable, mountainous pauper; you interloper; you unrefined,
irresponserble, unregenerate female, do you know what you have done in
thus outraging ME? I'm a respecterble woman, respecterbly connected.
I'm here in a responserble station. When Mr. Holcroft appears he'll
drive you from the dwelling which you vulgarize. Your presence makes
this apartment a den. You are a wild beast--"

"Hi'm a vile beastes, ham hi?" cried Mrs. Wiggins, at last stung into
action, and she threw her lighted pipe at the open mouth that was
discharging high-sounding epithets by the score.

It