"Your wax dolly—Lady Jane."
"I am very sure I shall not," replied Katy.
"We will be very careful of her," added Flora. "We won't let her be hurt a bit—you may depend on that."
"I'm not going to let you have my dolly to break and spoil—I'm sure I shall not," said Katy, who even seemed to be angry because she was asked.
"But don't I say we won't hurt it a bit?" continued Flora. "And when you come over to my house, you shall have my dolly just as long as you want her; and her house too, and all the chairs and tables and things."
"I don't want them."
"Do please to let us have Lady Jane," teased Nellie. "We want her ever so much; and I know she won't get broken or dirty. Please to lend her to us, Katy."
"I shan't do any such thing; so it's no use to tease me. Why don't you play with your own dollies? I won't lend Lady Jane—that's flat."
Nellie felt so bad she could not help crying,—not because she could not have the doll, but because her sister was so harsh and unkind. She would not have cared so much if Flora had not been there, for she did not like to have her see her sister behave in this manner.
Poor Flora wanted to cry, too, when she saw how badly Nellie felt; but she tried to be brave, and placed her arm round her friend's neck, as if to let her know that she would be kind to her.