FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   >>   >|  
now again resumed with vigor, and after a great deal of animated arguing it was resolved that two short plays should be acted; that a committee should be immediately formed, who should select the plays, and apportion their various parts to the different actors. The committee selected included Miss Russell, Miss Conway, Hester Thornton, Cecil Temple, and two other girls of the second class. The conference then broke up, but there was a certain sense of flatness over everything, and Cecil was not the only girl who sighed for the merry meetings of last year--when Annie had been the life and soul of all the proceedings, and when one brilliant idea after another with regard to the costumes for the fancy ball had dropped from her merry tongue. CHAPTER XXI. STEALING HEARTS. When Annie ran out of the south parlor she found herself suddenly face to face with Mrs. Willis. "Well, my dear child," said the head mistress in her kindest voice, "where are you running to? But I suppose I must not ask; you are, of course, one of the busy and secret conclave in the south parlor?" "No. I have left them," said Annie, bending her head, and after her usual habit when agitated, shaking her hair about her face. "Left them?" repeated Mrs. Willis, "you mean, dear, that they have sent you for some message." "No. I am not one of them. May I go into the garden, Mrs. Willis?" "Certainly, my dear." Annie did not even glance at her governess. She pushed aside the baize door, and found herself in the great stone hall which led to the play-room and school-room. Her garden hat hung on a peg in the hall, and she tossed it off its place, and holding it in her hand ran toward the side door which opened directly into the garden. She had a wild wish to get to the shelter of the forsaken hammock and there cry out her whole heart. The moment she got into the open air, however, she was met by a whole troop of the little children, who were coming in after their usual short exercise before going to bed. Miss Danesbury was with them, and when Annie ran out by the open door, she entered holding two little ones by the hands. Last in this group toddled Hester's little sister Nan. The moment she saw Annie, her little face broke into smiles, she held out two hands eagerly, and fled to the young girl's side. "Where dat pitty toy?" she said, raising her round face to Annie's; "some one did buy dat toy, and it's vedy pitty, and me wants it--
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Willis

 

garden

 

moment

 

parlor

 

holding

 
committee
 

Hester

 

opened

 

hammock

 
forsaken

shelter

 
directly
 

tossed

 

formed

 

pushed

 

select

 

glance

 

governess

 

immediately

 

resolved


school

 

arguing

 

eagerly

 

smiles

 

sister

 

resumed

 

raising

 

toddled

 

children

 

animated


coming

 
exercise
 

entered

 

Danesbury

 

HEARTS

 
STEALING
 

tongue

 

CHAPTER

 

Temple

 

conference


suddenly

 

dropped

 

meetings

 

proceedings

 

costumes

 

regard

 
flatness
 

brilliant

 

Thornton

 

repeated