FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   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   >>   >|  
y train and the rest must dance round me. I'm going to have a crown and--" She turned round in order to avoid the scowling gaze of William in the distance. William had discovered that his scowl annoyed her, and since then had given it little rest. But there was no satisfaction in scowling at the back of her well-curled head, so he relaxed his scowl and let his gaze wander round the playground. And it fell upon Bettine. Bettine was also standing by herself and gazing at Evangeline Fish. But she was not scowling. She was looking at Evangeline Fish with wistful envy. For Evangeline Fish was "angelic" and a May Queen, and she was neither of these things. William strolled over and lolled against the wall next to her. "'Ullo!" he said, without looking at her, for this change of position had brought him again within range of Evangeline Fish's eye, and he was once more simply one concentrated scowl. "'Ullo," murmured Bettine shyly and politely. "You like pink rock?" was William's next effort. "Um," said Bettine, nodding emphatically. "I'll give you some next time I buy some," said William munificently, "but I shan't be buying any for a long time," he added bitterly, "'cause an ole ball slipped out my hands on to our dining-room window before I noticed it yesterday." She nodded understandingly. "I don't mind!" she said sweetly. "I'll like you jus' as much if you don't ever give me any rock." William blushed. "I di'n't know you liked me," he said. "I do," she said fervently. "I like your face an' I like the things you say." William had forgotten to scowl. He was one flaming mixture of embarrassment and delight. He plunged his hands into his pockets and brought out two marbles, a piece of clay, and a broken toy gun. "You can have 'em all," he said in reckless generosity. "You keep 'em for me," said Bettine sweetly. "I hope you dance next me at the Maypole when Evangeline's Queen. Won't it be lovely?" and she sighed. "Lovely?" exploded William. "Huh!" "Won't you like it?" said Bettine wonderingly. "_Me!_" exploded William again. "Dancin' round a pole! Round that ole girl?" "But she's so pretty." "No, she isn't," said William firmly, "she jus' isn't. Not _much_! I don' like her narsy shiny hair an' I don' like her narsy blue clothes, an' I don' like her narsy face, an' I don' like her narsy white shoes, nor her narsy necklaces, nor her narsy squeaky voice----" He paused. Bettine drew
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

William

 

Bettine

 
Evangeline
 
scowling
 

exploded

 
things
 

brought

 
sweetly
 

mixture

 

flaming


forgotten
 

delight

 

marbles

 

broken

 

pockets

 

plunged

 

embarrassment

 

turned

 

understandingly

 

noticed


yesterday
 

nodded

 
blushed
 

fervently

 

firmly

 
pretty
 

clothes

 

paused

 

squeaky

 

necklaces


Maypole

 

generosity

 

reckless

 

lovely

 

wonderingly

 
Dancin
 

sighed

 

Lovely

 

change

 

wander


playground

 

position

 

relaxed

 

simply

 

lolled

 
wistful
 
standing
 

angelic

 
strolled
 

curled