This argument was unanswerable and the children ran home hand in hand.
They were the last to leave. When the door closed behind them Miss Lavinia went over to Lizzie Wraggles in the corner to see the fifty “TO’s” that were to be written before Lizzie went home. Alas! the only “TO” on the slate was the one Miss Lavinia herself had written there as a copy. Below was Lizzie’s conception of a house.
As for Lizzie herself she had fallen asleep and one tear was still wet on her cheek. Miss Lavinia’s heart softened. All the other children had gone. She put one arm round Lizzie and gently roused the sleeping child. “Lizzie,” she whispered and kissed her, “little Lizzie, try to be a good girl, dear; and try to read your words just as well as ever you can.”
Lizzie smiled, a little roguish smile. “TO, too,” she crooned, and Miss Lavinia kissed her again and sent her home.
CHAPTER VI
EVERY Saturday morning Tommy kept Granny Tregennis company, for it was then that Aunt Keziah Kate made her pastry. Granny Tregennis had lived for a great many years and was getting very tired; so until twelve o’clock each morning she stayed in bed. Her bed was a very high one with a long post at each corner, and curtains hung all around.
Tommy knew that Granny was always very anxious for his visit; for when he came into the bedroom she was thinking of him audibly. “Where can Tommy Tregennis be?” he would hear her say: “Surely ’tis time for him to come to his granny!”
Then Tommy would creak across the room on tip-toe, climb first of all on to a hassock, and from this to a chair; lifting up a corner of the curtain, “Bo,” he would cry, and Granny always gave a little start. “Why, ’tis the very boy I was thinkin’ of; ’tis Tommy Tregennis himself.”