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green fire as the muscles near her lips twitched. "None

of your business!"

"Miss Towers!" whiplashed Miss Dewhurst.

"Answer Miss Dollanganger's question!"

"It's my purse," said Sissy Towers, glaring at me

defiantly.

"It's a very lumpy purse," I said, and suddenly I

lunged forward and seized Sissy Towers about the

knees. With my free hand, as she struggled and

howled, I pulled from her pocket a blue scarf. From

that scarf tumbled Mr. and Mrs. Parkins and baby

Clara. I held the three porcelain dolls in my hand and

demanded, "What are you doing with my sister's

dolls?"

"They're my dolls!" said the girl, her gimlet

eyes narrowing to slits. The girls gathered around

began to snicker and made whispering remarks to one

another.

"Your dolls? These dolls belong to my sister." "You lie!" she fired back. "You are stealing

from me and my father can have you thrown in jail!" "Miss Dewhurst," ordered the small demon, her

hand reaching for the dolls, "you make this person

leave me alone! I don't like her, no more than her

dwarf sister!"

I got to my feet and towered threateningly

above her. Protectively I put the dolls behind my back.

She'd have to kill me to get to them!

"Miss Dewhurst!" shrieked the imp as she

attacked me. "My mommy and daddy gave me those

dolls for my Christmas!"

"You lying little devil!" I said, itching to slap