FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83  
84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   >>   >|  
of you to say that, Mary," remarked one of the girls. "Well," she continued, "I suppose it is all settled, and poor Annie, to say the least of it, is not a lady. For my own part, I always thought her great fun, but if she is proved guilty of this offense I wash my hands of her." "We all wash our hands of her," echoed the girls, with the exception of Susan Drummond, who, as usual, was nodding in her chair. "What do you say, Susy?" asked one or two; "you have not opened your lips all this time." "I--eh?--what?" asked Susan, stretching herself and yawning, "oh, about Annie Forest--I suppose you are right, girls. Is not that the tea-gong? I'm awfully hungry." Hester Thornton went into the tea-room that evening feeling particularly virtuous, and with an idea that she had distinguished herself in some way. Poor foolish, thoughtless Hester, she little guessed what seed she had sown, and what a harvest she was preparing for her own reaping by-and-by. CHAPTER XV. ABOUT SOME PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT NO EVIL. A few days after this Hester was much delighted to receive an invitation from her little friends, the Misses Bruce. These good ladies had not forgotten the lonely and miserable child whom they had comforted not a little during her journey to school six weeks ago. They invited Hester to spend the next half-holiday with them, and as this happened to fall on a Saturday, Mrs. Willis gave Hester permission to remain with her friends until eight o'clock, when she would send the carriage to fetch her home. The trouble about Annie had taken place the Wednesday before, and all the girls' heads were full of the uncleared-up mystery when Hester started on her little expedition. Nothing was known; no fresh light had been thrown on the subject. Everything went on as usual within the school, and a casual observer would never have noticed the cloud which rested over that usually happy dwelling. A casual observer would have noticed little or no change in Annie Forest; her merry laugh was still heard, her light step still danced across the play-room floor, she was in her place in class, and was, if anything, a little more attentive and a little more successful over her lessons. Her pretty piquant face, her arch expression, the bright, quick and droll glance which she alone could give, were still to be seen; but those who knew her well and those who loved her best saw a change in Annie. In the play-room she devoted h
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83  
84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Hester

 

suppose

 

Forest

 
change
 
casual
 

school

 
observer
 

friends

 

noticed

 

started


Nothing
 

expedition

 

mystery

 

uncleared

 

trouble

 
remain
 

permission

 

Saturday

 

Willis

 
happened

holiday

 
Wednesday
 

carriage

 

glance

 

bright

 

expression

 

pretty

 
piquant
 

devoted

 

lessons


rested

 

dwelling

 

thrown

 

subject

 

Everything

 

attentive

 

successful

 

danced

 

stretching

 

yawning


opened

 

evening

 

feeling

 

Thornton

 

hungry

 

settled

 
remarked
 

continued

 

thought

 

echoed