“No, and I’m glad I didn’t. But you say it might do him some good. That’s just what I think it would not do. He has just made up his mind to be better, and suppose he sees that, as a reward, he gets himself into trouble. What is he likely to do, do you think?”
“That’s so,” said Margery. “You’re going off without thinking again, Dolly, as usual. He’d cut loose altogether, and think there wasn’t any sort of use in being decent.”
“Well, I haven’t much faith in his having reformed,” said Dolly. “It may be that he has, but it seems too good to be true to me. I bet you’ll find that he’ll be on their side, after all, and that he’ll just spend his time thinking up some excuse for having put them on the wrong track to-day.”
“I think that’s likely to keep him pretty busy, Dolly,” said Eleanor, dryly. “And that’s one reason I really am inclined to believe that he’ll change sides, and go to Charlie Jamieson, as Bessie advised him to do.”
“Well, if he does, it won’t be because he’s sorry, but because he’s afraid,” said Dolly. “If he can be of any use to us, why, I hope he’s all right. I don’t like him, and I never will like him, and there isn’t any use in pretending about it!”
Everyone laughed at that.
“You’re quite right, Dolly,” said Margery. “When you dislike a person anyone who can see you or hear you knows about it. I’ll say that for you—you don’t pretend to be friends with people when you really hate them.”
“Why should I? Come on, Bessie, if we’re going for a walk. If we stay here much longer Margery’ll get so dry from talking that we’ll have to go and get her some more water.”
“Let’s go up the path and get on the bluff again,” said Bessie. “I like it up there, because you seem to be able to see further out to sea than you can here.”
“All right. I don’t care where we go, anyhow, and it is more interesting up there than on the beach, I think.”