school, and Arabella, as usual, had turned from her playmates,
preferring to go home alone.

Reginald looked after her frowning.

"She's just an old _fussbudget_!" he said.

"Oh, hush!" said Katie, "don't you know that we all promised Dorothy
we'd be kind to Arabella?"

"Well, I didn't say it _to_ her," said Reginald, "but I'd like to."

"Now, Reginald," said Katie, "you know mamma said that you were always
to be a gentleman, and that you must be 'specially polite and gentle if
you were to be in a class of girls."

"Well, what did I _do_?" he asked with wide open eyes. "I haven't
touched Arabella; if she'd been a boy I would have shaken her this
morning, when she sneered and called me a pretty boy. Boys aren't ever
pretty; only girls are pretty, and any boy would hate Arabella for
saying it."

They tried not to laugh, but the handsome little fellow was so angry,
and all because Arabella had called him pretty. Reginald, who never
could be angry long, joined in the general laugh which could not be
controlled.

Early Monday morning Dorothy and Nancy were skipping along the avenue on
their way to school.