The boys did not run very, very long before they saw the mill, and the
steeple; they chased along the path in high glee after that, and did a
great many things beside chasing along the path. But they all got home
so long before the mothers came from the mill, that the mothers never
knew that they had ever started for London until they were told. You may
be sure they were glad that their boys had at length remembered what a
naughty, foolish thing they were doing.
But how the girls laughed! You may well know that the girls were pleased
enough to see the boys come back. They laughed because the boys had been
silly enough to start, and they laughed because they pretended to be
amused at their coming back after they had started, but you and I know
that they were glad enough that they did come back.
As to 'Lisbeth, she held her head very high when the girls met her. She
did not like being laughed at. They asked her a great many questions
about London, and asked her why she did not stay, and how she liked the
boys for company. It was very trying. Anybody but 'Lisbeth would have
cried, or flown in a passion, but 'Lisbeth did not do either. So then
the girls stopped laughing at her, and talked of something else.
'Lisbeth would not talk of anything else. She was not contented enough
in the place where she grew to talk of anything else yet. She believed
the girls would have done better than the boys; that she had made a
mistake.
Everybody liked 'Lisbeth. She was not always doing naughty, foolish
things like going to London, so the girls were ready to listen to her.
She told them how the boys had behaved, and what she thought of them,
and how determined she was to go to London, and how she believed that
the girls would have behaved better, and invited them to start with her
the very next day; and if there ever was a silly little girl in all the
world, it was 'Lisbeth.
[Illustration]
The girls talked to their mothers that night about 'Lisbeth's
invitation, which was just the proper thing to do. The mothers were
sorry that 'Lisbeth was not better contented in the place where she
found herself; they were so sorry that they concluded to try to make her
better contented, so they told the big girls that they might go, but the
very little ones must stay at home. A couple of little ones stole away
with the rest and came to great trouble afterward, but the larger girls
went with 'Lisbeth.
'Lisbeth was delighted the next day when the girls said that they would
go; she had been thinking so much about it that she was unhappy.
You should have seen them the next day when they started. They were a
pretty party. 'Lisbeth carried no stick this time, but a little basket,
and generally managed to keep in front. There were ten of them. I think
the old mile-stone would have laughed if it could, when it saw so many
sweet faces bend over it to read about the miles, but then, of course,
it could not.
'Lisbeth had walked so far, and run so much the day before, that she was
tired a little soon; she was even very tired indeed, by the time she
reached the mile-stone. No one else thought of being tired, they had
been quietly playing at home the day before. 'Lisbeth did not say that
she was tired, yet she really was.
The girls' hands were full of flowers, their baskets and arms were full
of flowers; they made balls of flowers and played with them as they
walked. They left the mile-stone far away; they left the mill and the
steeple far out of sight; they came to fields which were new to them.
'Lisbeth grew more tired at every step.
"We must hurry and get there," said 'Lisbeth, and they all hurried; but
they could every one hurry faster than 'Lisbeth without getting so
tired; all except the little naughty ones who stole away, but even they
were not as tired as 'Lisbeth, they had not walked so far and been so
tired the day before.
"I know we've come a dreadful long way," said 'Lisbeth; but nobody
seemed to think so, they all went on as fast as they could. 'Lisbeth
went on as fast as she could.
"I 'most think we've come a hundred miles," said 'Lisbeth.
"Oh no, we have not come many miles at all; it will take us all
to-night, and to-morrow, and the next night, and more days and nights
besides," said one of the girls, and the rest were all sure it would.
"A hundred miles won't take that many days."
"Yes they will; they will take longer," said one girl, and the rest said
so too.
"But we will want supper."
"We cannot have any."
'Lisbeth was not pleased.
"We must have some."
"We cannot have any till we get to London."
'Lisbeth was sure they must have some, but could not think in such a
minute how to get it.
"We will fish some up," said 'Lisbeth, looking at the water.
But nobody had any fish-hooks, though there was the water and perhaps
the fish.
"We will flim in and catch some," but nobody would allow 'Lisbeth to
swim in and catch some.
"We will get some supper from a house."
"We have no money."
'Lisbeth looked down as she walked. She was perplexed.
"We cannot have supper to-night, nor to-morrow night, nor the next
night; nor breakfast, nor dinner." 'Lisbeth looked up and smiled; she
thought they were making sport about it, but the girls' faces were quite
serious; besides, she began to wonder herself where supper and dinner
would come from.
"We must hurry most dreadful; the sun is skimming down low," said
'Lisbeth; indeed it began to look late.
"Oh we will walk all night, and all day, and to-morrow night, and the
next day and night and--"
"I won't," said 'Lisbeth, very decidedly.
"You must."
"I won't; I'm most dreadful tired now."
"There's no house to sleep in; no, not even in London."
'Lisbeth looked up at the girl in distress, then off in the distance.
"Not even in London!" repeated 'Lisbeth; "not even in London."
'Lisbeth wanted to stand still.
"Come along!" said several voices; but 'Lisbeth did not wish to come
along, and the little girls who were naughty and stole away were crying
as hard as they could cry.
"You must; you wanted to go, and we started, and you must go."
"But I'm tired; I want to think a minute."
"The sun is almost down."
"I want to go home," said 'Lisbeth.
"We want to go to London, and if you do not go now you can never go."
'Lisbeth stood up very tall. She was very grave. She looked straight
ahead of her.
"I will go back; I will never go," said 'Lisbeth.
Then they all went back, and 'Lisbeth never knew how pleasant home was,
how good supper was, how dear mother was, how long a hundred miles must
be, till she had managed to get back and fly into mother's arms, and eat
mother's supper, and go to bed in the nice comfortable place where she
belonged.
'Lisbeth was very sick and very sore, and very uncomfortable for many
days after trying to get to London, and did not forget very soon how far
a hundred miles must be.