r and her uncles,
would laugh at her--for if Tom had laughed at her, of course every one
else would; and if she had only let her hair alone, she could have sat
with Tom and Lucy, and had the apricot pudding and the custard!

"Miss Maggie, you're to come down this minute," said Kezia, entering
the room after a few moments. "Lawks! what have you been a-doing? I
niver see such a fright."

"Don't, Kezia," said Maggie angrily. "Go away!"

"But I tell you, you're to come down, miss, this minute; your mother
says so," said Kezia, going up to Maggie and taking her by the hand to
raise her from the floor, on which she had thrown herself.

"Get away, Kezia; I don't want any dinner," said Maggie, resisting
Kezia's arm. "I shan't come."

"Oh, well, I can't stay. I've got to wait at dinner," said Kezia,
going out again.

"Maggie, you little silly," said Tom, peeping into the room ten minutes
later, "why don't you come and have your dinner? There's lots o'
goodies, and mother says you're to come."

Oh, it was dreadful! Tom was so hard. If _he_ had been crying on the
floor, Maggie would have cried too. And there was the dinner, so nice,
and she was so hungry. It was very bitter.

But Tom was not altogether hard. He was not inclined to cry, but he
went and put his head near her and said in a lower, comforting tone,--

"Won't you come, then, Magsie? Shall I bring you a bit o' pudding when
I've had mine, and a custard and things?"

"Ye-e-es," said Maggie, beginning to feel life a little more tolerable.

"Very well," said Tom, going away. But he turned again at the door and
said, "But you'd better come, you know. There's the dessert--nuts, you
know, and cowslip wine."

Slowly she rose from amongst her scattered locks, and slowly she made
her way downstairs. Then she stood leaning with one shoulder against
the frame of the dining-parlour door, peeping in as it stood ajar. She
saw Tom and Lucy with an empty chair between them, and there were the
custards on a side-table. It was too much. She slipped in and went
towards the empty chair. But she had no sooner sat down than she
wished herself back again.

Mrs. Tulliver gave a little scream as she saw her, and felt such a
"turn" that she dropped the large gravy-spoon into the dish, with the
most serious results to the table-cloth.

Mrs. Tulliver's scream made all eyes turn towards the same point as her
own, and Maggie's cheeks and ears began to burn, while Un