liked little girls, though he greatly preferred talking to pretty
ones. On this occasion, however, he resolved to make himself
agreeable, and in ten minutes' time he had so far succeeded in gaining
Mary's friendship, that she allowed him to untie the blue bonnet,
which he carefully removed, and then when she did not know it, he
scanned her features attentively as if trying to discover all the
beauty there was in them.

At last gently smoothing back her hair, which was really bright and
glossy, he said, "Who told you that you were so ugly looking?" The
tears started to Mary's eyes, and her chin quivered, as she replied,
"Father says so, Ella says so, and every body says so, but mother and
Franky."

"Every body doesn't always tell the truth," said George, wishing to
administer as much comfort as possible. "You've got pretty blue eyes,
nice brown hair, and your forehead, too, is broad and high; now if you
hadn't such a muddy complexion, bony cheeks, little nose, big ears and
awful teeth, you wouldn't be such a fright!"

George's propensity to tease had come upon him, and in enumerating the
defects in Mary's face, he purposely magnified them; but he regretted
it, when he saw the effect his words produced. Hiding her face in her
hands, Mary burst into a passionate fit of weeping, then snatching the
bonnet from George's lap, she threw it on her head and was hurrying
away, when George caught her and pulling her back, said, "Forgive me,
Mary. I couldn't help plaguing you a little, but I'll try and not do
it again."

For a time George kept this resolution, but he could not conceal the