Part 16 (2/2)

Mrs. Laval was quiet a moment, hiding her face in Matilda's neck; then she put her gently down, rose up, and met some ladies who were coming round the corner of the verandah, with a tone and bearing so cool, and careless, and light, that Matilda asked her ears if it was possible.

The guests were carried off into the house; Matilda and Norton were left alone.

It was Matilda's turn then. She set down the plate of strawberries Norton had given her, and hid her face in her hands.

Norton bore this for a minute, and no more. Then one of his hands came upon one of Matilda's, and the other upon the other, very gently but decidedly suggesting that they should come down.

”Pink!” said he, ”this may do for mamma and you, but it is very poor entertainment for me. Come! leave that, and eat your strawberries, and let us go on the lawn. The sun will do now.”

Matilda felt that this was reasonable, and she put by her own gratification. Nevertheless her eyes and eyelashes were all glittering when she lifted them up.

”What has mamma done to you?” said Norton, wondering. ”Here, Pink, do you like strawberries?”

”If you please, Norton,” said Matilda, ”couldn't I have them another time? I don't want them now.”

”Then they may wait till we have done playing,” said Norton; ”and then I'll have some too. Now come.”

The great trees cast a flickering shadow on the gra.s.s before the house.

Norton planted his hoops and distributed colours, and presently Matilda's sober thoughts were driven as many ways as the b.a.l.l.s; and _they_ went very widely indeed.

”You must take _aim_, Matilda?” Norton cried.

”At what?”

”Why, you must learn at what; that's the game. You must fight; just as I fight you. You ought to touch my ball now, if you can. I don't believe you can. You might try.”

Matilda tried, and hit it. The game went on prosperously. The sun got lower, and the sunbeams came more scattering, and the breeze just stirred over the lawn, not enough to bend the little short blades of gra.s.s. Mrs. Laval's visitors went away, and she came out on the verandah to look at the children; they were too much engaged to look at her. At last the hard-fought battle came to an end. Norton brought out another plate of strawberries for himself along with Matilda's, and the two sat down on the bank under the locust trees to eat them. The sun was near going down beyond the mountains by this time, and his setting rays changed the purple mist into a bath of golden haze.

”How nice and cold these are,” said Matilda.

”They have been in the ice. That makes things cold,” observed Norton.

”And being warm one's self makes them seem colder,” said Matilda.

”Why, are you warm, Pink?”

”Yes, indeed. I have had to fight you so hard, you know.”

”You did very well,” said Norton, in a satisfied tone.

”Norton, how pretty it all is to-night.”

Norton ate strawberries.

”Very different from Lilac Lane,” said Matilda, looking at the china plate in her hand, on which the painting was very fine and delicate.

”Rather different,” said Norton.

”Norton,--I was thinking of what you said yesterday; how odd it is that some people should be rich and others poor.”

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