“So they would,” replied her father. “I didn’t think of that; did I?”
Mary Jay got into the chaise again, and Royal drove her home; and on the way, she determined to devote nearly all Lucy’s time in school to making as much, and as thorough progress as possible, in the great fundamental branches of reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic.
CHAPTER XII.
INTERRUPTION.
One afternoon, Lucy went to see her cousin Rollo. Rollo was younger than Lucy, being then about four or five years old. Lucy was six or seven. She was going to spend the evening at her uncle’s, and Royal, her brother, was to come for her in the chaise about half-past eight o’clock.
Before tea, Lucy and Rollo had been playing with picture-books. Lucy sat upon a cricket before a little book-case, looking at the books. Rollo had a stick for a gun, and was marching about, stopping occasionally to make believe fire his gun. He did not care much about the picture-books as he had seen them a great many times.
After tea, Rollo’s father went into a little back parlor, where he had been writing, and Rollo and Lucy returned to the little book-case. They had a lamp now, for by this time it was dark. Rollo wanted Lucy to make him a little cap, so that he could play soldier better. He had a feather, which he told her she could put into it.
So Lucy took a piece of paper, which was in the book-case, and cut a narrow strip, which she put around Rollo’s head like a band, and pinned the ends together. Then she contrived to fasten the feather in at the side of it. Rollo said it would do very well for a cap, and he went marching about and firing his gun.
Lucy found that she could not see very well; so she followed Rollo out into the entry. She wanted to see where he was going. Rollo marched along until he came to the door leading into his father’s back parlor. He opened the door and went in. Lucy remained at the door, looking to see what he would do.
Rollo’s father was seated at a table near the window, with his back to the door, writing very busily; and he paid no attention to Rollo, but went on with his work. Rollo marched backwards and forwards, imitating the sound of a trumpet with his lips, and stopping occasionally to point his stick towards his father, or towards Lucy, and say, Bang, as if he was shooting them.