The shingle which Royal meant was a thin, flat piece of wood, such as is used to put upon the roofs of houses.
The gum arabic bottle was a small, square bottle, containing some dissolved gum arabic, and a brush,—which was always ready for pasting.
Before Lucy got the paste, Royal came back with his shingle, and he came into Miss Anne’s room, to see what had become of Lucy; and Miss Anne then said he might paste it there if he pleased. So she spread a great newspaper upon the table, and put the little bottle and the Indian upon it; and Royal and Lucy brought two chairs, and sat down to the work. They found that the table was rather too high for them; and so they took the things off again, and spread the paper upon the carpet, and sat down around it. Lucy could see now a great deal better than before.
“Miss Anne,” said Lucy, “I very much wish that you would give me your gum arabic bottle, and then I could make little books, and paste pictures in them, whenever I pleased.”
“Yes,” said Miss Anne, “and that would make me ever so much trouble.”
“No, Miss Anne, I don’t think it would make you much trouble.”
“Why, when I wanted a little gum arabic, to paste something, how would I get any?”
“O, then I would lend you mine,” said Lucy.
“Yes, if you could find it.”
“O, Miss Anne, I could find it very easily; I am going to keep it in my treasury.”