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190 to free it, before she put it down on the carpet again; and in the meantime she was angrily  snapping her insulted tail from side to side. It was too much to be passed over in silence, and,  to Bessie’s great relief, Frank Muir burst into  a hearty laugh, as he rose to rescue the unoffending cat, who, at sight of the stranger,  fled under the sofa, and was only dragged out  with some difficulty. Bess and the rector joined in the laugh, and for a few moments no  one of the three could speak. When she could control her voice:

“I am sorry, Mr. Muir,” Bess said, “to be forced to apologize for such mischief. The truth of the matter is, that I left two small boys  alone in the library, with nothing to do. This is only one more proof that ‘Satan finds some  mischief still.’”

“Who are they?” asked Mr. Washburn, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes, while  Mr. Muir put the cat, now barefooted again,  down on the floor, and fastened the rose into  his own buttonhole.

“Rob and Fred,” answered Bess. “I am sorry to confess that my small cousin is such an imp.”