"Yes;" went on the aggrieved Miss Kling, "you and that Quimby, I suppose, did it. The idea originated with you, of course. _He_ hasn't brains enough; if he had he would not marry Celeste!" and Miss Kling sniffed in utter contempt of poor Quimby. "Thanks for the compliment to _my_ intellectual abilities!" said Clem with a mischievous look; then advancing towards her, he answered in his own frank, manly way, "And so you have found us out? But I trust you will not be offended with us? It is, after all, a trifle, and we said nothing about it merely because we wished to have a little mystery of our own! It was, as the newsboys would say, a lark of ours!" "Lark!" repeated Miss Kling, drawing herself up stiffly; "young man, you will oblige me by not using slang in my presence!" "Pardon me," said Clem, good humoredly; "and in regard to the wire, blame me, if you must blame any one. As you say, it was all my doing, and I induced Miss Rogers to allow the wire to come into her room." "And I, too," added Cyn, propitiatingly, for Nattie's sake, "I wished to learn the business, you know!" But Miss Kling would not propitiate. "Miss Rogers, I have no doubt, was very ready to be induced!" she said, with an effort at sarcasm. "I have heard of young females so much in love that they would run after and pursue young men, but never before of one so carried away and so lost to every sense of decorum, as to be obliged to have a wire run from her room to his, in order to communicate with him at improper times!" This accusation, far-fetched and ridiculous as it was, yet being uttered in the presence of Clem, overwhelmed poor Nattie, and she sank on the lounge, burying her face in her hands, at which Clem made a hasty motion, and then, as if aware any interference of his would only make matters worse, checked himself. But Cyn came to the front with striking effect. "You ought, certainly, to be well informed on the subject of _old_ females who run after _old_ men!" she said, witheringly. "If one may believe what the Tor--what Mr. Fishblate says!" This shot told. Miss Kling turned livid with rage and mortification, and burst into a terrific spasm of sneezing. "Miss Rogers," she said, wrathfully, as soon as she recovered sufficiently to speak, "your conduct and that of your associates is such, that I can no longer allow you to remain on my premises. "Miss Kling, this is--is very unjust," said the agitated Nattie. "It is against the wishes of her friends that she has remained as long as she has," cried Cyn, hotly. "Miss Kling, your proceedings are infamous!" exclaimed Clem, not able to contain himself longer. Rather afraid to draw out Cyn any more, Miss Kling gladly seized this opportunity to attack Clem. "Young man, what right have you to interfere?" she inquired, majestically. Clem bit his lip. Sure enough, what right had he?