"You too!" said Miss Caruthers. "Now you have only to go down into the mud like the others and complete the situation. Look at Tom! Poking about to see if he can find a whole snail shell in the wet stuff there. Look at him! George, a brother is the most vexatious thing to take care of in the world. Look at Tom!"
Mr. Lenox did, with an amused expression of feature.
"Bad job, Julia," he said.
"It is in one way, but it isn't in another, for I am not going to be baffled. He shall not make a fool of himself with that girl."
"She isn't a fool."
"What then?" said Julia sharply.
"Nothing. I was only thinking of the materials upon which your judgment is made up."
"Materials!" echoed Julia. "Yours is made up upon a nice complexion.
That bewilders all men's faculties. Do you think she is very pretty,
George?"
Mr. Lenox had no time to answer, for Lois, and of course Tom, at this moment left the cove bottom and came towards them. Lois was beaming, like a child, with such bright, pure pleasure; and coming up, showed upon her open palm a very delicate little white shell, not a snail shell by any means. "I have found that!" she proclaimed.
"What is that?" said Julia disdainfully, though not with rudeness.