sible, shrink away from the prickliest of tuckers; while her mother
was saying, "Don't, Maggie, my dear--don't look so ugly!" Tom's cheeks
were looking very red against his best blue suit, in the pockets of
which he had, to his great joy, stowed away all the contents of his
everyday pockets.

As for Lucy, she was just as pretty and neat as she had been yesterday,
and she looked with wondering pity at Maggie pouting and writhing under
the tucker. While waiting for the time to set out, they were allowed
to build card-houses, as a suitable amusement for boys and girls in
their best clothes.

Tom could build splendid houses, but Maggie's would never bear the
laying on of the roof. It was always so with the things that Maggie
made, and Tom said that no girls could ever make anything.

But it happened that Lucy was very clever at building; she handled the
cards so lightly, and moved so gently, that Tom admired her houses as
well as his own--the more readily because she had asked him to teach
her. Maggie, too, would have admired Lucy's houses if Tom had not
laughed when her houses fell, and told her that she was "a stupid."

"Don't laugh at me, Tom!" she burst out angrily. "I'm not a stupid. I
know a great many things you don't."

"Oh, I dare say, Miss Spitfire! I'd never be such a cross thing as
you--making faces like that. Lucy doesn't do so. I like Lucy better
than you. I wish Lucy was _my_ sister."

"Then it's wicked and cruel of you to wish so," said Maggie, starting
up from her place on the floor and upsetting Tom's wonderful pagoda.
She really did not mean it, but appearances were against her, and Tom
turned white with anger, but said nothing. He would have struck her,
only he knew it was cowardly to strike a girl.

Maggie stood in dismay and terror while Tom got up from the floor and
walked away. Lucy looked on mutely, like a kitten pausing from its
lapping.

"O Tom," said Maggie at last, going half-way towards him, "I didn't
mean to knock it down--indeed, indeed, I didn't."

Tom took no notice of her, but took, instead, two or three hard peas
out of his pocket, and shot them with his thumbnail against the window,
with the object of hitting a bluebottle which was sporting in the
spring sunshine.

Thus the morning had been very sad to Maggie, and when at last they set
out Tom's coldness to her all through their walk spoiled the fresh air
and sunshine for her. He called Lucy to look at the half-b