Royal, however, by his opposition to Lucy’s desire, only disturbed and ruffled her mind, and made her less inclined to comply with his wishes on the next occasion which might occur. And, in fact, another occasion came very soon.
For it happened that Lucy, in making her figure three, reversed the form of it, so as to have the open part come to the right, instead of to the left, as it ought to do. Children very often make this mistake, when they first attempt to form the figure three. Royal, seeing the figure which she made, began immediately to laugh at it. This disturbed Lucy’s mind more than what had taken place before. She looked up to Royal as if wondering what he was laughing at, and said,—
“You needn’t laugh, Royal; that is a three.”
“No, it isn’t a three,” said Royal.
“I tell you it is a three,” replied Lucy. “Miss Anne showed me how to make it one day.”
“O Lucy,” said Royal, “Miss Anne never made such a three as that in her life. That is an E.”
In fact, the letter E is often made, in writing, of very much such a form as Lucy’s reversed figure assumed; but Lucy insisted that it was right, and that she meant to make a whole row of them. Royal, who now began to feel somewhat out of humor himself, lost sight entirely of the principle with which he had begun, of making amends for his former roughness by kind and dexterous management. He insisted that Lucy should let him have the pencil, and he would show her how the figure ought to be made. But she would not; she said that she knew that that way was right, and she was going to make a whole row of them.
Then Royal said that she should not have his pencil any more, for he wouldn’t have his pencil used to make such ridiculous threes as those were, which, as he said, looked like threes turned wrong side out. So Lucy gave him his pencil, and got up from the chest, and walked away down stairs. Royal remained behind, to put his pencil back into his box. Then he began to look over and rearrange the various articles which were stored in his magazine. He found the wheels and body of a small wagon, and he went to work to put them together; and he remained occupied in this work for nearly half an hour.
Before this time had expired, however, he had opportunity to reflect upon his conversation with Lucy, and he saw that he had not managed wisely. He began to feel quite sorry that he had not treated her with more tenderness and consideration. While he was in this state of mind, he suddenly began to hear footsteps upon the garret stairs. He knew at once, by the sound, that it was Lucy coming up again. When she reached the head of the stairs, he found that she had her slate in her hand.
Lucy walked along towards Royal, with a good-natured and pleasant expression of countenance, and held out the slate for him to see what was written upon it. Royal saw that there was a row of threes, all made very neatly and correctly, and with the open part turned the right way.