"Well," said she, "did you have a nice time at Hannah Maria's?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"What makes you look so sober?"
Mehitable said nothing.
"Did you play dolls?"
"Hannah Maria's too big."
"Stuff!" cried Aunt Susy. Then her shortcake was burning, and she had to run in to see to it.
Mehitable took her china doll out of the carriage, set her carefully on the step, and then lugged the carriage laboriously to a corner of the piazza, where she always kept it. It was a very nice large carriage, and rather awkward to be kept in the house. Then she took her doll and went in through the kitchen to the sitting-room. Her mother and grandmother and other aunt were in there, and they were all glad to see her, and inquired if she had had a nice time at Hannah Maria's. But Mehitable was very sober. She did not seem like herself. Her mother asked whether she did not feel well, and, in spite of her saying that she did, would not let her eat any of her aunt Susy's shortcake for supper. She had to eat some stale bread, and shortly after supper she had to go to bed. Her mother went up-stairs with her, and tucked her in.
"She's all tired out," she said to the others, when she came down; "it's quite a little walk over to the Greens', and I s'pose she played hard. I don't really like to have her play with a girl so much older as Hannah Maria. She isn't big enough to run and race."
"She didn't seem like herself when she came into the yard," said Aunt Susy.