brown-faced girl appeared, and after giving her a searching,
curious glance, shewed her into the parlor.

"Are the young ladies at home?" asked Mrs. Hastings; and Dora, who
had never told a falsehood in her life, and had no intention of
doing so now, replied that they were and would soon be down; after
which, with a low courtesy she went back to the scene of her late
disaster, while Mrs. Hastings busied herself awhile by looking
around the room which, though small, was very handsomely
furnished.

At last, beginning to grow sleepy, she took up a book and
succeeded in interesting herself so far as to nod quite approvingly,
when the rustle of female garments aroused her, and in a
moment Eugenia and Alice swept into the room. Both were
tastefully dressed, while about Eugenia there was an air of
languor befitting the _severe headache,_ of which Mrs. Hastings
was surprised to hear.

"Then _that girl_ didn't tell you as I bade her to do," said
Eugenia; adding, that "Mrs. Hastings must have thought her very
rude to keep her so long waiting."

But Mrs. Hastings was too good-natured to think anything, and,
after a few commonplace remarks, she told the object of her call,
saying, that "the fresh air would, undoubtedly, do Eugenia good."
In this opinion the young lady fully concurred, and, half an hour
later, she was slowly riding through the principal streets of
Dunwood, wondering if her acquaintances did not envy her for being
on such terms of intimacy with the fashionable Mrs. Hastings. Very