And now another child ran out from the great doorway, paused a moment as if looking for some one, then, seeing the two little figures near the clump of birches, stole softly near them. On tiptoe, and with tread as soft and noiseless as a cat, she made her way over the short grass, until she was quite near them. Then, hiding behind a low bush, she watched them. How still she stood! For what was she waiting? Her bold eyes were full of mischief, as she whispered, "Oh, hurry _up_!" Dorothy Dainty put her hands to her mouth, trumpet fashion, and called: "Come and catch us!" and instantly the echo from the distant mountain and a shrill voice behind them, repeated: "Come and catch us!" "Oh, oh-o!" cried Dorothy, and Nancy ran to her, and threw her arms about her. "You ought not to frighten Dorothy like that!" cried Nancy. A saucy laugh answered her. "Well, it isn't nice to be shrieked at, and you do it just like the echo, you know you do, and it's enough to frighten any one," said Nancy. The little tease was not in the least abashed. She could imitate almost any sound that she had ever heard, and each success made her eager to repeat her efforts at mocking. "I made old Mrs. Hermanton fly up out of her chair, and drop her ball of worsted and knitting-needles, when I shouted close to her ear." "Why, Floretta!" cried Nancy. Now you think that was horrid, but _I_ tell you it was funny. She'd just been telling about her darling little lap-dog that died _ten years ago_, and she got out her handkerchief to cry, and put it up to her eyes. "'Oh, if I only could hear his lovely bark again!' she said, and right behind her chair, I said: "'Ki-yi! Yip! Yip!' and she jumped up much as a foot from her seat." Nancy laughed. How could she help it? The old lady had told every man, woman, and child who sat upon the piazza, how much she had suffered in the loss of the dog. One testy old gentleman who was troubled with gout, spoke rather plainly. "Madam," he said, "I've heard that story every day of this week, and all I can say is, I wish you had gout in your feet as I have, and you'd have no time to waste crying for a puppy!" He certainly was hopelessly rude, but one must admit every day is far too often to be forced to listen to an uninteresting tale. Floretta stood looking down at the toe of her shoe. She moved it from side to side along the grass for a moment, then she spoke again. "You know old Mr. Cunningham has gout, and is awful cross?" Dorothy and Nancy nodded. They did indeed know that. "Well, he sat on the piazza and laughed when I scared Mrs. Hermanton, so I want to know if he'll think it's funny _every_ time I do things. You know he puts one foot up on a chair, and every time any one touches that chair ever so little, he cries: '_Oh_, oh, oh!' and holds on to his foot. "The next time I'm near him, I'm going to make b'lieve hit my foot against something, and then I'll cry out, just 'zactly as he does: