ng: tawdry finery,
evening-gowns, old skirts, wrappers, sacks, bath-robes, knitted jackets
and shawls and miscellaneous underclothes. The drawers were so crammed
that none would shut. The shelves were piled high with blankets,
comfortables, old hats, a pair of snow-shoes, pasteboard boxes, and
bottles without number; while on the floor were boots, shoes, and
slippers in all stages of wear, overshoes, a broken umbrella, a
walking-stick, a folding-table, and more boxes. And everywhere the
dust lay thick.

Shutting the door hastily, Elsie flung herself upon the couch, covering
her face and pressing her fingers upon her closed eyes. What
a--_heathenish_ place! She really didn't possess the sort of
vocabulary to express the enormity of it. How should she get away?
Suppose there were no train to-night? Suppose she should have to
remain until morning?

If only it were a hotel! If only Mr. Middleton weren't so fine, or if
Mrs. Middleton had gone into Boston! One look at her would have been
enough: she would have known she could never endure her. Better Cousin
Julia with all her oddities. She would have made the sign agreed upon
and gone straight on to New York. And then--poor Elsie Moss! After
all, Mrs. Middleton wasn't any real relative of hers, either. She only
hoped that the other girl might find Cousin Julia so very disagreeable
that she wouldn't too painfully mind being dragged back here.

Some one knocked at the door. Feeling that she couldn't possibly
encounter Mrs. Middleton at this juncture, the girl remained silent.

"It's only Katy," said a pleasant voice, and Elsie bade her come in.

The warm-hearted Irishwoman knew in an instant that something was
wrong, and suspected homesickness. She spoke fondly, as to a child,
saying that tea was nearly ready, and added: "Have you got everything
that you want, miss?"

Elsie could have laughed at the unconscious irony.

"The clothes-press is full of mussy things, and the wash-bowl was
dirty, and there weren't any clean towels," the girl almost wailed.

"Bless my soul, I guess that wash-bowl was forgot for a matter of a few
days!" Katy exclaimed. "Dear me, I'm so sorry. But them towels was
clean, only not ironed. I hadn't got round to 'em yet, and I didn't
know where to lay my hands on any that was put away. There's a lot
somewheres, for we keep a-buyin' and a-buyin'. And I'll just go at
this room the first thing after breakfast in the mornin' and ma