But, powerful as are the effects of a lady's eyes, they had none other here than to make the great picturesque fellow smile at her mockingly before turning his hawk-like gaze on the frightened girl who clung to her sister's hand as they hurried away. "Has he gone, Cynthy?" whispered Julia, at the end of a few moments. "I don't know. I can't hear them, and I won't look back, or they'll think we are afraid--and we are not." "I am--horribly afraid," said Julia, in a choking voice. "I'm not," said Cynthia. "A nasty, rude, impudent pig that he is. Oh, if I were a man, I'd whip him till he lay down on the ground and begged for mercy. To insult two inoffensive girls like that! Harry shall beat him well, that he shall, or I'll never speak to him again." "Make haste," whispered Julia. "Let's run." "I won't run," cried Cynthia. "I wouldn't run away from the biggest man that ever lived. I never heard of such a thing. Oh, how cross papa will be." "We had better not tell him," said Julia, faintly; and her face was deadly pale. "Not tell papa? Why, you foolish little coward, Julie! But only to think of the insufferable impudence of the wretch. I wish he had said it to me." "No, no: don't wish that," cried Julia, excitedly. "It is too horrible. Oh, Cynthy dear, I shall dream of that man." "You shan't do anything of the kind," cried her sister, whose eyes sparkled and face flushed with excitement. "Such nonsense! Two unprotected maidens walking through the forest met a wicked ogre, and he opened his ugly great mouth, and gaped as he showed his big white teeth like a lion, and then he said, I am going to gobble up the prettiest of those two little maids; and then they ran away, and a gallant knight coming along, they fled to him for help, and fell upon their poor knees in a wet place, and said, `Oh, brave and gallant paladin, go and smite down that wicked ogre, and we will give you smiles, and gloves to wear in your helm, and tie scarves round your waist, and if you will promise not to eat us, you shall some day have one of us for a pet!' And the name of the gallant knight was Sir Perrino Mortoni, and--" "Oh pray be quiet, Cynthy, I feel so upset you cannot tell." "Stuff and nonsense! Don't interrupt my story. The ogre has gone." "I shall always be afraid of meeting that man." "What, after the gallant knight has killed him? Oh, I see, you are afraid that Sir Perrino would not slay him, but would bind him in chains, and keep him at his castle for an artist's model. Then we will appeal to another knight, Lord Harry the Saucy, and he shall do the deed. Where is the gallant I wis not," she added, laughing. "I know who he is," said Julia, who was trembling still. "So do I," said Cynthia, merrily. "Well, never mind, my darling sissy; don't let a thing like that upset you. Come: be brave. They are gone now, and we shall never see them again."