"About what, you little ninny ?" Poor Elizabeth blushed desperately.

She was neither quick nor resourceful.
"Now, George," said his aunt warningly.
"Wasn't I talking ?" the boy rejoined.

"And didn't Betsy butt right in--without even a thing to butt in about?
About--about," he jeered again.
"About Paris!" cried his sister, successful at last in her frantic search for a proper topic of conversation.

"Aunt Deborah's trip to Paris!" "How many times has she told it already ?" her brother replied with withering scorn.

"And anyhow, I was talking of cows!" "Very well," said his aunt, "we'll talk about cows, some cows I saw on a lovely old farm in a little village over in France." "There!" cried his young sister.