from which Elsie never ventured to stir again during their visit.
John chased chickens at intervals, but it was a doubtful pleasure;
and all the time she kept a wary eye on the distant pig.

That evening, while Mrs. Worrett slept and Mr. Worrett smoked outside
the door, Elsie felt so very miserable that she broke down altogether.
She put her head in Johnnie's lap, as they sat together in the darkest
corner of the room, and sobbed and cried, making as little noise as
she possibly could. Johnnie comforted her with soft pats and
strokings; but did not dare to say a word, for fear Mrs. Worrett
should wake up and find them out.

When the morning came, Elsie's one thought was, would Alexander come
for them in the afternoon? All day she watched the clock and the
road with feverish anxiety. Oh! if papa had changed his mind,--had
decided to let them stay for a week at Conic Section,--what should
she do? It was just possible to worry through and keep alive till
afternoon, she thought; but if they were forced to spend another
night in that feather-bed, with those mosquitoes, hearing the blue
shad rattle and quiver hour after hour,--she should die, she was
sure she should die!

But Elsie was not called upon to die, or even to discover how easy it
is to survive a little discomfort. About five, her anxious watch was
rewarded by the appearance of a cloud of dust, out of which presently
emerged old Whitey's ears and the top of the well-known carryall.
They stopped at the gate. There was Alexander, brisk and smiling,
very glad to see his "little misses" again, and to find them so glad
to go home. Mrs. Worrett, however, did not discover that they were
glad; no indeed! Elsie and John were much too polite for that. They