As she turned slowly round, and the sunshine struck upon her face, the

two watchers were amazed to see that this very active and energetic lady

was far from being in her first youth, so far that she had certainly

come of age again since she first passed that landmark in life's

journey. Her finely chiseled, clean-cut face, with something red Indian

about the firm mouth and strongly marked cheek bones, showed even at

that distance traces of the friction of the passing years. And yet she

was very handsome. Her features were as firm in repose as those of a

Greek bust, and her great dark eyes were arched over by two brows so

black, so thick, and so delicately curved, that the eye turned away from

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the harsher details of the face to marvel at their grace and strength.

Her figure, too, was straight as a dart, a little portly, perhaps, but

curving into magnificent outlines, which were half accentuated by the

strange costume which she wore. Her hair, black but plentifully shot

with grey, was brushed plainly back from her high forehead, and was

gathered under a small round felt hat, like that of a man, with

one sprig of feather in the band as a concession to her sex. A

double-breasted jacket of some dark frieze-like material fitted closely

to her figure, while her straight blue skirt, untrimmed and ungathered,

was cut so short that the lower curve of her finely-turned legs was

plainly visible beneath it, terminating in a pair of broad, flat,

low-heeled and square-toed shoes. Such was the lady who lounged at

the gate of number three, under the curious eyes of her two opposite

neighbors.

But if her conduct and appearance had already somewhat jarred upon their

limited and precise sense of the fitness of things, what were they to

think of the next little act in this tableau vivant? The cabman, red and

heavy-jowled, had come back from his labors, and held out his hand for

his fare. The lady passed him a coin, there was a moment of mumbling

and gesticulating, and suddenly she had him with both hands by the red

cravat which girt his neck, and was shaking him as a terrier would

a rat. Right across the pavement she thrust him, and, pushing him up

against the wheel, she banged his head three several times against the

side of his own vehicle.

"Can I be of any use to you, aunt?" asked the large youth, framing

himself in the open doorway.

"Not the slightest," panted the enraged lady. "There, you low

blackguard, that will teach you to be impertinent to a lady."




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