, and couldn't be
improved.

Among other things she thought she knew all about medicine. There was
a system called "hot crop," or "steaming," and she believed in it, and
wanted everybody to take fiery hot drinks, and be steamed. That was
the chief reason why we were so afraid of her.

Her house was a very pleasant, cosy one, or would have been if it
hadn't had such a scent of herbs all through it. The first day we went
to school aunt Persis met us at the door, and asked Fel to put out her
tongue. Then she took us to a cupboard, and gave Fel something to
drink, that we both thought was coffee; but it was stinging hot
composition tea. Miss Rubie came into the kitchen just as Fel was
catching her breath over the last mouthful, and said she,--

"O, Persis, how could you?"

We followed Miss Rubie into the school-room as fast as we could go.
This school-room was right over a little cellar, just deep enough for
a grown person to stand up in. It was called the "jelly-cellar," and
when we were naughty Miss Rubie opened a trap-door and let us down. I
was so restless and noisy that for a while I spent half my time in
that cellar, surrounded by jars of jelly and jam. And I am afraid I
could say sometimes, "How sweet is solitude!" for there was just light
enough from the one window to give me a clear view of the jars, with
their nice white labels, and more than once I did--I blush to confess
it--I did put my fingers into a peach jar and help myself to
preserves. I was old enough to know better; I resisted the temptation
a great many days, but one unlucky morning I espied Dunie Foster
coming up from the cellar with jelly stains on her white apron, and
that set me to thinking.

"Ah, ha; Dunie eats perserves, and looks just as innocent's a lamb!
Folks think she's better 'n me, but she isn't, she's a
_make-believer_. I wonder if it's dreadful wicked to take perserves?
Prehaps auntie spects us to eat 'em. Any way, Fel Allen never gets put
down cellar, and it's real mean; and if I have to stay down there the
whole time I ought to have something to make me feel better; I feel
real hungry, and they ought to _spect_ I'd eat perserves." So I did
it; partly because Dunie did, partly because Fel wasn't punished and
ought to be, and partly because it was most likely auntie put 'em
there a-purpose! I think I never did it but three times; and the third
time it was thoroughwort and molasses! Strong, I assure you, boiled
down to a thick sirup