"Well--what else?" "Oh! anything you please; poetry people ought to be able to guess." "Lottie! Lottie!" "There--I won't say a word more! I'm dumb as Miss Jessie's canary in moulting-time." "Then, perhaps, you will manage to find voice enough to tell me where you have been?" "Of course, Miss Hyde; I never have any secrets--that's just what I was saying to Cora, this morning." "Never mind Cora." "But I do; she's worth minding, and so's her mistress. Mrs. Babylon and I are alike in one thing--we are both fond of fresh air." "Indeed! You seem well acquainted with the lady's tastes." "Well, I may say I am; and you needn't take the trouble to contradict! Acquainted with them? Well, if I ain't, I flatter myself there's nobody in our house that is." I did not answer; the girl's conversation was too quaint and amusing even to sound impertinent, still, I did not wish to encourage her by any sign of approval. "Miss Hyde," she asked, "did you see any strange birds in the woods?" "None, Lottie." "Buy a pair of spectacles, Miss Hyde; don't put it off a day longer! I tell you, out yonder there's two birds well worth watching;--the queerest part is, that it's the female that sings--ain't she a red fellar?" "I saw Mrs. Dennison and Mr. Lawrence, if you mean them," I replied. "Hush! don't mention names! You mean Babylon and her prey! Oh my! that Babylon! Well, I declare, sometimes I'm ready to give up beat; that woman goes ahead of anything _I_ ever came across." Lottie paused, took a long breath, flung up her arms, and performed a variety of singular and dizzy evolutions, by way of expressing her astonishment; then she went on,-- "What do you think she's at now?" I shook my head. "It's as good a thing as you can do," said Lottie, approvingly; "but you might shake it till doomsday before you'd get Mrs. Babylon's manoeuvres through it, I can tell you that, Miss Hyde." I wanted to reprove the girl; I felt mean, dishonest; yet I was so anxious about Jessie that I could not prevent myself listening to any revelations the little imp might see fit to make. "She's put a hornet into Lawrence's hair this time, and no mistake," said Lottie; "and Lord! don't it sting, and make him jump?" "What do you mean, you ridiculous child?" "Mean, Miss Hyde? A whole bucketful--a seaful! Why, Babylon's been telling Lawrence that young Mr. Bosworth and our Miss Jessie are engaged." "Impossible, Lottie! She could not assert so unblushing a falsehood!" "Oh! couldn't she?" cried Lottie, clapping her arms as if they were wings, and giving vent to a crow to express her enjoyment. "As for blushing, don't she know the rub of mullein-leaves? But she did tell him so. She said she was sure that they had been engaged, and that he, Lawrence, had innocently made trouble between them by flirting with Miss Lee;--now, what is flirting, Miss Hyde?" "The abominable woman!" I involuntarily exclaimed.