movements, without, as she thought, betraying herself:
making excuses to go to the village when they
two went off together in that direction; traversing
the orchard, ostensibly looking for Meg when she knew
all the time that the dog was sound asleep in the
woodshed; or yielding to a sudden desire to give the
rascal a bath whenever Lucy announced that she
and Bart were going to spend the morning down by
the water.

As the weeks flew by and Lucy had shown no willingness
to assume her share of any of the responsibilities
of the house,--any that interfered with her personal
enjoyment,--Jane became more and more restless
and unhappy. The older village people had
shown her sister every attention, she said to herself,--
more than was her due, considering her youth,--and
yet Lucy had never crossed any one of their thresholds.
She again pleaded with the girl to remember
her social duties and to pay some regard to the neighbors
who had called upon her and who had shown her
so much kindness; to which the happy-hearted sister
had laughed back in reply:

"What for, you dear sister? These old fossils
don't want to see me, and I'm sure I don't want
to see them. Some of them give me the shivers, they
are so prim."

It was with glad surprise, therefore, that Jane