"Gee!" said Flibbertigibbet under her breath, "she's just like us."
"Oh, wot's she up ter now?" Freckles whispered.
Truly, any sane person would have asked that question. The Marchioness, having gained her point, was standing on the window seat by the open window, which was protected by an iron grating, and making curious motions with her fingers and hands.
"Is she a luny?" Freckles asked in an awed voice.
Flibbertigibbet was gazing fixedly at this apparition and made no reply. After watching this pantomime a few minutes, she spoke slowly:
"She's one of the dumb uns; I've seen 'em."
The Marchioness was now making frantic gestures towards the top of their window. She was laughing too.
"She's a lively one if she is a dumber," said Freckles approvingly. Flibbertigibbet jumped to her feet and likewise stood on the window sill.
"Gee! She wants us to git the window open at the top. Here—pull!" The two children hung their combined weight by the tips of their fingers from the upper sash, and the great window opened slowly a few inches; then it stuck fast. But they both heard the gleeful voice of their opposite neighbor and welcomed the sound.
"I'm talking to you—it's the only way I can—the deaf and dumb—"