who, Alice knew, shared her feelings concerning the Brewsters.
"And that is your dear little girl," said one of the ladies solemnly.
"She's the picture of your dear aunt Lydia, your aunt that you will hardly remember!" remarked the eldest Miss Brewster. Here Alice faltered forth:
"Sara Dear, come and meet Miss Brewster."
But, instead of coming to meet Miss Brewster, Sara the valiant, the beater-off of Brewsters, flew to her mother and clasped her frantically around the knees.
"Oo-oo-oo-oo!" she cried. "It's Brewsters! Oo-oo! It's Brewsters!"
Then she fell to sobbing. One could distinguish among her words:
"Ghouls! Vampires!" and yet she was coherent enough, so that something penetrated not only to her Grandmother, but to the three ladies who looked at her, first with astonishment and then with a frozen dignity. It was only too plain that Sara had not heard of Brewsters for the first time, and heard of them unflatteringly. An awful silence reigned among them. After which Sara cried, "I'll set Uncle Zotsby's dog on 'em!"
"Hush, Sara!" said Alice inadequately.
Tom's Mother exclaimed, "Well, of all things!"
A cautious little head, the head of Jamie, peered round the corner of the door. His mouth was tightened into a little line. Courage was in his eyes. In his hands he held a bow and arrow, constructed from part of an ancient hoop, the homemade arrow blunted at the point in the hope that it might not inadvertently put out some one's eye. Jamie shot his arrow, which clattered harmlessly upon the floor, and then fled. At this Alice found her voice.
