Lucy found that she could not untie the knot. Then she looked about to find her scissors, to cut it; for she had a pair of scissors, which her mother had bought for her, some time before; but, then, as she was accustomed to leave them any where about the house, wherever she had been using them, they were continually getting lost; and she could not find them now. Royal, instead of helping her, seemed rather inclined to tease and trouble her.
While Lucy was thus walking about the room, sometimes looking for her scissors, and sometimes stopping to make one more attempt to untie the knot without them, Miss Anne came into the room. Miss Anne was a young lady about seventeen years of age. Miss Anne was always very kind to Lucy.
“Miss Anne,” said Lucy, “do you know where my scissors are?”
“No,” said Miss Anne; “can’t you get your parcel open?”
“No,” said Lucy; “I can’t untie the knot; and I can’t find my scissors to cut it.”
Miss Anne sat down in a little rocking-chair, and asked Lucy to come to her, and let her look at it.
“See what a hard knot,” said she.
“I should have been willing to have untied it for her,” said Royal, “but she would not let me.”
Miss Anne did not reply to this remark, for she supposed that probably Royal had offered his help to Lucy in some way which was not pleasant to her.
“Should you like to have me loosen the knot a little?” she said to Lucy; “and then perhaps you can untie it.”