evening dress.

The spinster!

Mincingly, the spinster-doll took the proffered hand. She jumped lightly to the floor.

Through the window came a fourth doll, all in spangled tights from neck to feet. It took a flying leap,

landing beside the acrobat-doll. It looked up at me with grinning face, then bowed.

The four dolls began to march toward me, the acrobats leading, and behind them with slow and stately

step, the spinster-doll and banker-doll-arm in arm.

Grotesque, fantastic, these they were-but not humorous, God-no! Or if there were anything of humor

about them, it was that at which only devils laugh.

I thought, desperately: "Braile is just on the other side of the door! If I could only make some sound!"