pretending to be busy chasing schoolmates, and screaming with laughter
when she made a capture; but he noticed that she always made her
captures in his vicinity, and that she seemed to cast a conscious eye
in his direction at such times, too. It gratified all the vicious vanity
that was in him; and so, instead of winning him, it only set him up
the more and made him the more diligent to avoid betraying that he
knew she was about. Presently she gave over skylarking, and moved
irresolutely about, sighing once or twice and glancing furtively and
wistfully toward Tom. Then she observed that now Tom was talking more
particularly to Amy Lawrence than to any one else. She felt a sharp pang
and grew disturbed and uneasy at once. She tried to go away, but her
feet were treacherous, and carried her to the group instead. She said to
a girl almost at Tom s elbow with sham vivacity:
Why, Mary Austin! you bad girl, why didn t you come to Sunday-school?
I did come didn t you see me?
Why, no! Did you? Where did you sit?
I was in Miss Peters class, where I always go. I saw _you_.
Did you? Why, it s funny I didn t see you. I wanted to tell you about
the picnic.
Oh, that s jolly. Who s going to give it?
My ma s going to let me have one.
Oh, goody; I hope she ll let _me_ come.
Well, she will. The picnic s for me. She ll let anybody come that I
want, and I want you.
That s ever so nice. When is it going to be?
By and by. Maybe about vacation.
Oh, won t it be fun! You going to have all the girls and boys?
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