Sylvia soon came down, with needle, and thread, and cork; while I began to tremble and turn pale on perceiving the instruments of torture.  I had quite forgotten how disagreeable needles felt in the flesh; and Sylvia’s first attempt was brought to a sudden end by a loud scream, which would certainly have roused the neighbors had there been any near.

“Now, Miss Amy!” she exclaimed, “I had your ear almost bored then.  But if you’re going to cut up such didos I shall leave off directly—­it ain’t no such great fun for me.”

She was going up stairs with a very resolute air, and again the ear-rings flashed and glittered; and having by this time lost the acute sense of pain, I called her back and begged her to proceed.

“Now mind,” said she, “if you holler again, I’ll jest stop at once.”

I glued my lips firmly together, while she again adjusted the cork and needle; but I could hardly bear it, and trembled like an aspen leaf.  One ear was soon pierced, while I felt the needle in every part of my frame; and Sylvia was proceeding to do the other, but I jumped up suddenly, exclaiming:  “Oh Sylvia!  I cannot have the other one bored!  It will kill me!”

“Well, I wouldn’t if I was you, Miss Amy,” said she, “cos you can hang both rings in one ear, you know—­and that’ll look real beautiful, won’t it, Holly?”

Holly burst into a loud fit of laughter, and through the effects of ridicule, I submitted a second time to the infliction.  But it was impossible to endure the suffering any longer; the color gradually faded from my face, and just as Sylvia concluded, she found that I had fainted.  The two were very much frightened, and after almost drowning me with water, they lifted me up and carried me to my own bed.  Aunt Henshaw soon came home, and her horror at my situation was only equalled by her astonishment.  Sylvia did not tell her the cause of my sudden illness; but she soon discovered it by a glance at my ears which were much inflamed and swollen, having been pierced in a very bungling manner.  Sylvia received such a severe reprimand that she was almost angry enough to leave on the spot; but she had only erred through ignorance, and I succeeded at length in reconciling her mistress.

“But, my dear Amy,” said the kind old lady, as she sat down beside me, “Why is it that you are always getting into some trouble if left to yourself for ever so short a time?  You cannot tell the pain it gives me.  Why, an account of your various scrapes since you have been here would almost fill a book.”

What could I reply?  It was a natural and most unfortunate propensity which displayed itself everywhere; as well with Mammy in the precincts of the nursery, as when roaming about at Aunt Henshaw’s.

“But the ear-rings?” said I.  “You will give them to me now, will you not?  I should so much like to have them!”

“And so you shall have them, dear,” replied Aunt Henshaw.  “It would he cruel to refuse them after your suffering so much for them.  But I never would have mentioned them had I had any idea of such an unfortunate result.”