“And we shall see her next week,” Katie said.
The sunny days slipped by, and nothing unusual happened at the little school.
In that first week the other pupils learned that there was but one way to get on peaceably with Arabella.
At first they followed Dorothy's example, and urged Arabella to join them in their games, but games which they chose never pleased her, and when Friday came, Reginald spoke his mind. They were walking home from 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.”