“I wonder,” she thought, with an added sense of shame and affright, as her eye fell upon them, “if papa knows where Fairy and I went? he said my conduct since I left the school-room, and that sounds as if he did. But I didn’t think any body saw us or would tell on me if he did. Oh, I wish I hadn’t done so! I wish I hadn’t spoken in that disrespectful way to Mamma Vi, and about papa! How could I do it and hurt his feelings so, when I do really love him dearly, dearly, and he’s such a good, kind father? Oh, I hate you for it, Lulu Raymond, and should like to give you a good beating! I shan’t make a word of objection if your father does, and in fact I believe I just hope he will. It’s just what you deserve and you know it is.”
She was deeply ashamed and the more she dwelt upon her conduct the more ashamed and penitent she grew. She rose from her chair and walked restlessly about the room.
“I wonder when papa will come, and what he will say and do to me,” she sighed to herself. “I’ve been pretty good for quite a while till to-day and why couldn’t I keep on? why should I turn round all at once and be so dreadfully bad again? I haven’t been in a passion to be sure, but I have disobeyed papa in two things, beside speaking disrespectfully to Mamma Vi and about him. He certainly will have to punish me somehow, for I know he considers disobedience very, very bad indeed. I think half the punishment he gave me last time was for disobeying him. And it was kinder than to let me go on doing that dangerous thing.”
At that moment, glancing from the window, she saw one of the servants leading Fairy across the yard.
“Ajax,” she called, “what are you doing with my pony?”
The man looked up and answered, “De cap’n tole me for to tote she ’way off to Roselands. ’Spect Doctah Arthur gwine ride ’im when his hosses done wored out wid kyarin’ ‘de doctah’ ’bout de roads f’om mornin’ to night.”
“Dr. Arthur ride that little pony indeed!” exclaimed Lulu. “Why his legs would drag on the ground!”
She laughed over the ridiculous picture conjured up by the words of the negro and her own imagination, then began to cry, as she said to herself, “Papa is sending my pony away to punish me, and maybe he’ll never let me have her again. I’d ten times rather he’d whip me.”
The door opened and the captain came in.
Lulu started up, hastily brushing away her tears, and stood before him with drooping head, hotly flushing cheek and fast beating heart.