"Ready at last!" shouted Harty: "now Lucy, my Prayer Book."
But no Lucy came. Rosa and Harty came towards her, and wore astonished to see her face wot with tears.
"What is the matter?" asked Rosa: "have you hurt yourself?"
"No!" sobbed Lucy; "but Mrs. Maxwell says I must not go to church."
"Pooh! is that all?" said Harty; "why, you are not always so fond of church-going!"
This was true, for Lucy often stayed away from church when Mrs. Maxwell did not oblige her to go; but on this particular morning she wanted to go with her sister, whom she was beginning to love very dearly.
"But why mustn't you go?" asked Rosa.
"Because I got in the water yesterday, and Mrs. Maxwell says I am not well."
"Never mind, dear," said Rosa, "perhaps father will let you go out this afternoon. Don't cry any more; we shall not be gone long. Good-bye."
Harty was rather glad that Lucy could not go; he never liked to take Lucy anywhere with him. Perhaps he thought it made him appear more like a mere boy to have his little sister by his side, or that she was not fit to associate with so wise a gentleman as himself.