At last, just as the wretched afternoon was ending, and preparations to close were in progress, a pale, thin girl, with a strange and rather reckless look, came in, and, sitting down before Belle, fixed her gaunt eyes upon her.

“So you were heartless enough to take my place away from me?” she said slowly, after a moment.

“I don’t know what you mean,” answered Belle indignantly.

“Yes, you do know what she means, you little black snake in the grass,” whispered one of the girls in her ear while pretending to put a box upon the shelf.

Belle whirled upon her with such a vivid and instantaneous flash of anger that the girl stepped back precipitately and dropped the box.

Just at this moment Mr. Schriven, in the act of departure, came out of his office and witnessed the whole scene.  He stopped and smiled broadly.  The foreman had informed him from time to time of the little “comedy” progressing at the ribbon counter, and the two potentates felt quite indebted to Belle for a sensation in the dullest of dull seasons, especially at the girl’s conduct was wholly in the line of their wishes, regulations, and interests.  “She’s as plucky as a terrier,” the echo of his chief had said, “and the time will come when she’ll sell more goods than any two girls in the store.  You made a ten-strike in effecting that exchange.”

It was rich sport for them to see her fiery spirit arousing and yet defying the intense and ill-concealed hostility of her companions—­a hostility, too, that was extending beyond the ribbon counter, and had been manifesting itself by whispering, significant nods, and black looks toward the poor child all the afternoon; but so far from shrinking before this concentration of ill-will Belle had only grown more indignant, more openly resentful, and unable to maintain her resolute and tantalizing serenity.

Feeling that it would compromise his dignity and authority even to appear to notice what was going forward, Mr. Schriven wrapped himself in his greatness and passed down the shop, sweeping the excited group—­that was restrained for the moment by his presence—­with a cold, nonchalant glance, from which, however, nothing escaped.  When in the street his characteristic smile reappeared.

“By the Lord Harry!” he muttered, “if she isn’t the gamiest bit of flesh and blood that I’ve seen in a long time!  She’s worth looking after.”

Since his eye and restraining presence, however, were now absent from the store, there would have been no small tumult at the ribbon counter had not Belle by her straight-forward, fearless manner brought things to a speedy issue.  There were now no customers in the shop, and the discipline of the day was practically over, therefore the girl on whom Belle had turned so passionately, having reached a safe distance, said, outspokenly, “I’ll say it now, so all can hear, even if I lose my place for it.  You are a mean, p’ismis little black snake in the grass.  We all know how you got this girl out of the place she’s had for years, and I want you to understand that if you stay you’ll have a hot time of it.”