FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  
uld she do? All sorts of desperate schemes came running through her mind, and she gave each its due consideration. "If I were a girl in a magazine story," she thought, "I suppose I'd disguise myself as a pierrette and go and sing on the promenade at Stedburgh. I dare say I'd get heaps of pennies. But--oh! I wonder if girls ever really do such things out of books? Father'd rather I owed pounds than went singing for pennies. He stopped the Sunday School children going round on Christmas Eve, but then they went into the public-houses, and of course I shouldn't. No, I couldn't risk it, and besides, I'd be too shy to sing, and somebody would be sure to find out. Shall I ask Dick to lend me half a sovereign? He would in a minute. No! I've not sunk to sponging on my boy friends, at any rate. I'd rather do a day's charing than that. A good idea! Why shouldn't I turn charwoman? If Beatrice would let me clean out the schools every Saturday, instead of Mrs. Cass, and pay me the money, I'd work off the bill in time. I wonder if I dare suggest it?" The breakfast bell ringing loudly and clamorously at that moment put an end to Gwen's meditations, and she went indoors, but she was much preoccupied during the meal, so that she never noticed how Giles was peppering her piece of bread and butter till she incautiously took a bite and choked. "You hateful boy! You're always up to some monkey tricks!" she exclaimed indignantly. "'For she can thoroughly enjoy The pepper when she pleases!'" jeered Giles, adroitly dodging the smack she designed for him. And the rest of the family laughed--yes, laughed, in a most heartless and inconsiderate manner. "Your wits were wool-gathering, Gwen!" said Winnie, quoting a local proverb. "Stumps did it so deliberately and openly that anybody could have caught him who wasn't absolutely dreaming. We were all watching to see if you'd notice." "The absent-minded beggar!" piped Basil. "I think you're all very horrid and unkind!" complained the victim, still sneezing. "Don't be grumpy, Gwen!" "You must learn to take a joke, childie!" said Father, pushing back his chair and going away to his study. Father so generally stood up for her that Gwen felt aggrieved. She had always flattered herself upon her capacity for accepting "ragging" with equanimity, but this, she considered, was beyond a joke. "It might have got into my eyes and blinded me," she declared with plaintive digni
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Father
 

laughed

 

shouldn

 

pennies

 

Winnie

 
quoting
 
gathering
 

choked

 
manner
 

exclaimed


tricks

 

openly

 
butter
 

deliberately

 
proverb
 

Stumps

 
incautiously
 
inconsiderate
 

dodging

 

adroitly


jeered

 

pepper

 

pleases

 

designed

 

monkey

 

hateful

 

heartless

 

indignantly

 

family

 

flattered


capacity

 
aggrieved
 

generally

 

accepting

 

ragging

 
blinded
 

declared

 
plaintive
 

equanimity

 
considered

pushing
 

absent

 
notice
 
minded
 

beggar

 

watching

 
absolutely
 

dreaming

 
grumpy
 

childie