will you deserve it from God, if you torment your unfortunate sister in
this way!"

The woman's answer was a laugh.

"You're as queer as they make 'em," she said, with a slow, impudent
stare from Anne's out-of-date immense bonnet to her elastic-sided boots,
as if looking for a point at which she might begin to torment a new
victim. But Anne's sensibilities lay far beyond her understanding.

"Have you wore out all your grandmother's clothes yet?" she demanded
with her contemptuous, impudent look, "you're a proper figure of fun in
that bonnet!"

"Be quiet and be done with it, you coarse lump!" interrupted the
bed-ridden woman in so loud and authoritative a tone that the woman
turned slowly and stupidly round to look at her. "This time next week
I'll be in the Union and you'll have no one to torment. You can make
arrangements when you like, the sooner the better."

"All right! it can't be too soon for me," retorted the woman with her
incessant, stupid laugh, which this time did not hide the fact that she
had received a shock at this taking of affairs out of her hands. "But
perhaps you'd rather I didn't do it since you've so many friends."

"No, you needn't bother yourself about me," said the bed-ridden woman.
"I'll have done with you soon."

"_Couldn't_ you?" said Anne, turning to face the woman and speaking with
great earnestness, and as always, when moved, with great preciseness.