"We would none of us dream of disturbing him; but we would love to look at him sometimes, and perhaps sometimes to hear him speak."
"I dare say you will see him. When he is well enough he will dine with us," said Lucy. "But you must not expect"——
"Oh, we expect nothing—nothing certainly from you," said Phyllis Flower, flushing angrily, for there was a tone in Lucy's voice which she could scarcely stand. Then she, continued, "Why are you determined not to be nice to us, Miss Merriman?"
"You had better call me Lucy," said the girl after a pause. "We are all girls together. You are at school and I am at school."
"How old are you, Lucy?"
"I am fifteen."
"And I am thirteen and a half. How old do you think I look?"
"Oh, any age. You are so thin."
"And wizened," laughed Phyllis. "Well, never mind. I dare say I shall grow tall enough by-and-by. Now, my dear," she continued after a pause, "you have nothing whatever to be jealous of in me. I am not clever, I am not good-looking; in short, I am nothing at all, just the most ordinary person. But I can tell you something about the characters of your other school-fellows if you like. Would you care? There is plenty of time. Shall we walk up and down for a little?"
Lucy could not resist the temptation. Phyllis, who was quite as frank and free as Mrs. Merriman herself, laid her hand on Lucy's arm. Lucy shuddered, but submitted.