Part 7 (1/2)

”Well, I can't help it if I have,” said Peggy.

She felt cross and a little hurt because Clara had not seemed any more glad to see her when she had been just crazy to see Clara. Miss Rand had been delighted to see her, and even Mrs. Horton had seemed more glad than Clara. Only the peac.o.c.k and Clara had seemed proud. Perhaps Clara had been afraid Peggy would rumple her dress. It was a very lovely s.h.i.+mmery dress with smocking. Peggy liked dresses that were smocked. She seated herself on a branch of the apple tree and began to swing back and forth. She was never shy herself, so it did not occur to her that Clara was shy. There did not seem to be anything to say, and it seemed a long, long time, since Thanksgiving Day, when she had last seen Clara, and as if they would have to get acquainted all over again.

”Did you have a nice journey?” said Peggy.

”No, horrid! I'm always car-sick. Father's coming for us and we are going back in the automobile.”

”That will be great fun,” said Peggy.

”It will be better than the train,” said Clara, ”but it's a long ride, and I always get awfully tired.”

”Do you?” said Peggy, swinging back and forth again.

”How long your legs are,” said Clara.

Peggy stopped short in her swinging. ”If you say anything about my legs I shall go crazy,” she announced. Then she climbed as high in the apple tree as she could get and dared them to come and join her. ”Come up into my house, you short-legged people,” she called down. ”I have a room in a tower and there are windows in it, and I can see all over the place.

Come up here--why don't you come?”

”Don't be cross, Peggy,” said Alice. ”You know I am scared to, and Clara would spoil her dress if she climbed up there.”

”What are dresses for if you can't climb trees in them?” Peggy called down.

”I wish I had a frock like yours, it is such a pretty color,” said Clara, who always liked other people's things better than her own.

The compliment to her dress restored Peggy's good humor. She was very seldom cross, and she felt thoroughly ashamed of herself. So she condescended to play dolls with Clara and Alice, and there was no fun so great as to have Peggy play dolls. She put them through such adventures and made them have such narrow escapes that the little mothers were positively thrilled. So it was a very happy afternoon for every one, even for Miss Rand, who came out just before it was time for the children to go home, with a tray on which there was a pitcher of something nice and cold that tasted of orange, and some small doughnuts.

Miss Rand sat down on an apple branch, which seat she preferred to a chair, and she sang for them, at Peggy's request, some Scotch songs, in a sweet contralto voice.

”It has been a nice afternoon,” said Peggy, as she kissed Clara good-bye, and this time Clara gave her a most responsive kiss.

CHAPTER VI

DIANA

Peggy did not think of Lady Jane again until supper-time, when Mrs. Owen said to Alice, ”I've warmed some milk for the cat. It is in the blue pitcher; you can turn it into her saucer.”

Peggy kept very still. She hoped against hope that her furry little gray friend would come at the sound of her name. ”I can't find her anywhere, mother,” said Alice.

”I haven't seen her all the afternoon, now I think of it,” said Mrs.

Owen. ”Did you see her, Peggy? Do you suppose she could have slipped out when Michael Farrell came in?”

”I am afraid she did, mother,” said Peggy.

”Well, Peggy Owen,” said Alice, ”I never knew any one as careless as you are. You ought to be punished.”

”You are not my mother,” said Peggy.

”It is a very serious matter,” and Alice gave a wise shake to her small head. ”It is the second time you've let her get out.”