paper placard upon which he had been scribbling.

When his laudable work was completed, this ingenious and remorseless boy
had to stand and laugh at it for five minutes. If Gypsy had only seen him
then! And Gypsy was nearer than he thought--in the front door, and coming
up the stairs with a great banging and singing and laughing, as nobody but
Gypsy could come up stairs. Tom just put his hand on the window-sill, and
gave one leap out on the kitchen roof, and Gypsy burst in, and stopped
short.

Tom crouched down against the side of the house, and held his breath. For
about half a minute it was perfectly still. Then a soft, merry laugh broke
out all at once on the air, something as a little brook would splash down
in a sudden cascade on the rocks.

"O--oh! Did you ever? I never _saw_ anything so funny! Oh, dear _me!_"

Then it was still again, and then the merry laugh began to spell out the
placard.

"Gypsy Breynton. Hon.--Hon. Gypsy Breynton,--what? Oh, Esq., M. A., D. D.,
LL. D.--what a creature he is! Gypsy Breynton, R. R. _R. R.?_ I'm sure I
don't know what that means--Tom! Thom--as!"

Just then she caught sight of him out on the ridge-pole, whittling away as
coolly as if he had sat there all his life.

"Good afternoon," said Gypsy, politely.

"Good afternoon," said Tom.