Fly reflected seriously for half a minute, and then answered,
"I'd ravver have the candy with blind-eyed!"
"There, girls, what did I tell you?"
"'Cause I could eat the candy athout looking, you know," added Fly, shutting her eyes, and putting a sprig of cedar in her mouth, by way of experiment.
"You little goosie," said Prudy; "when Aunt Madge was crying so about Maria, I did think you were a hard-hearted thing to look up and laugh; but now, I don't believe you knew any better."
"Hard-hearted things will soften," said auntie, kissing the baby's puzzled face. "Little bits of green apples, how hard they are! but they keep growing mellow."
"O, you little green apple," cried Dotty, pinching Fly's cheek.
"I was rather hard-hearted, if I remember, when I was an apple of that size," continued Aunt Madge. "I could tell you of a few cruel things I said and did."
"Tell them," said Horace; "please 'fess."
"Yes, auntie, naughty things are so interesting. Do begin and tell all about it."