fumbling in his brains for the context, "habeas cor-
pus, habeas corpus;--" then, relinquishing the vain
search, and addressing himself to the woman, at the
same time elevating his voice, he vociferated: "Hillo,
come, lady sheriff, bring up the body of your prisoner,
I say;" when, as if in obedience to the call of a
magician, a door opened, and from an inner room,
with face flushed, brow dark and fretted with indig-
nation, lips pouting, breast heaving, and her eyes
overflowing with tears, in bounded his sister, Sera-
phine Duchatel, exclaiming: "And is this the crea-
ture that has stood between me and Claude? and
brought here, too, to flout me to my face! I'll not
endure it;" and she burst into a fresh torrent of
tears.

"Who has stood between you, girl?" enquired the
brother, half teasingly, half tenderly: "if there be
a stump between here and Mainville that hinders
you from driving your carriage thither, tell me, and
we'll pull it up as quickly as Doctor Lanctot would
pull you a tooth out."

"You have done well, indeed," continued the angry
girl, weeping, and not minding his clumsy badinage,
"you have done well indeed, to bring her here to
answer me, to scorn me, to defy me, to parade herself
before me, to stand in my presence as proud as any
peacock, -- only not half so beautiful."

"Fine feathers make fine birds, Phin," drily
retorted her brother.

"She is not fine, and if she be, she shall be plucked
of her finery;" exclaimed the sister: "I'll tear her
eyes out; what business has she to look at _me_, and
speak so insolently? I'll have her face flayed; her

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