'Lisbeth did not find any word in her lesson the next day which she did
not like. She spelled them over, and concluded that she liked them all
pretty well. One word she looked at quite hard before she concluded that
she liked them all, but she found out that she did not object to it. She
spelled them so nicely that Miss Pritchet was quite pleased, and
'Lisbeth had a little more time than she had the day before, to look
around and find out what next was to be done.
Jemmy Jenkins sat next to her; he was older than 'Lisbeth, but that did
not make any matter; he whispered to 'Lisbeth behind his slate. She
thought after this that she knew Jemmy Jenkins better than anybody else.
At recess she and Jemmy Jenkins had a great deal of fun and jumped over
Miss Pritchet's garden plot seventeen times each, without getting in the
middle of it more than twice.
"Say, Jemmy," said 'Lisbeth, "I think this flower plot would look nice
with its roots stuck up."
"How?" inquired Jemmy, ready for anything new and agreeable.
"This way," replied 'Lisbeth, and she seized a pretty marguerite in
bloom, dug it up with a stick, and planted it upside down; the stick to
which it was tied for support she propped under it to keep the roots in
the air, for the marguerites have little tender stems.
Nobody happened to see. Jemmy thought this would be very nice. He ran
and got the spade, and took out his knife to cut sticks, and they soon
turned Miss Pritchet's plants upside down, with the flowers in the
ground, and the roots in the air, and nobody caught them at it. They
washed off the mud at the pump, and then the bell rang and they all went
in to school.
[Illustration]
Miss Pritchet looked from the window; she caught a glimpse of the garden
plot; she caught a glimpse of the roots in the air; she gave a little
cry and ran to the door.
'Lisbeth had forgotten the marguerites. She was trying to squeeze a
big knot through the little hole in her shoe.
"Who did this?" Miss Pritchet almost screamed.
"I don't know 'm!" replied everybody in a minute, seeing something had
happened. 'Lisbeth called, "Don't know 'm!" together with the rest,
without knowing what the confusion was about. When she found out what it
was about, she only said "oh!"
Miss Pritchet looked at her. She looked at Miss Pritchet.
"Did you do that?" inquired Miss Pritchet, pointing to the marguerites.
"Do what?" inquired 'Lisbeth as politely as she could.
"Uproot my flowers."
"Were they yours?"
"Did you do it?"
"Yes 'm," replied 'Lisbeth, trying to look as though nothing had
happened. "I didn't think anybody tended 'm."
"What did you do it for?"
"To give 'm air," replied 'Lisbeth. "Please 'm may Susan Jordan put
this string in my shoe, it won't never go in?"
"Come here this moment, you improper child!" said Miss Pritchet.
'Lisbeth dropped her shoe-string and cowered up to Miss Pritchet like a
startled dove.
"Didn't you know better?"
"No 'm, I never did."
"You will!"
"Will I? I want to know as much as I can," said 'Lisbeth.
Need I say that Miss Pritchet taught her at once what it was to put the
roots of marguerites to air? I need not tell you, I know. But one thing
I will tell you, 'Lisbeth bore her punishment by herself, and never told
on Jemmy Jenkins; but Jemmy Jenkins was man enough to tell on himself,
which was much the best way, and pleased Miss Pritchet so much that she
broke off both punishments clear in the middle, and told 'Lisbeth and
Jemmy Jenkins that she would try not to remember about the marguerites
at all, if they would try never to do so any more.
Yet when 'Lisbeth, upon starting for home, told her that she had
learned one thing that day, she had learned not to put the roots of
marguerites to air, Miss Pritchet looked very stern, for which 'Lisbeth
could not account at all.
Gorham felt very much ashamed in having his sister treat Miss Pritchet's
marguerites in such an unfeeling manner; he felt very much ashamed
indeed. Gorham was a very proper boy; he did not like to have his sister
called an improper child. He would like to have told Miss Pritchet so,
only that would have been improper. He was not pleased with Miss
Pritchet; he was not pleased with 'Lisbeth; he was not pleased with
Jemmy Jenkins.
After school he told Jemmy Jenkins what he thought of it; that it was
not proper to treat anybody's marguerites in such a manner; that he was
older and bigger and wiser than 'Lisbeth, and should have told her
better; and Jemmy Jenkins sat on a log rubbing his fingers together and
thinking that Gorham was not making any mistakes at all, though he,
himself, had made a great mistake when he helped 'Lisbeth plant the
marguerites with the roots up.
Jemmy Jenkins felt very much ashamed of himself, very much ashamed
indeed, which was the very best way for him to feel, as he would not be
likely, after feeling so much ashamed of himself, to do so again.
'Lisbeth told her mother that she was learning a great deal at school;
then the mother smiled, but when she heard about the marguerites she did
not smile, she looked as stern as she could, and 'Lisbeth thought this
was beyond bearing, for everybody to look stern when she was learning
and improving.
But 'Lisbeth did improve, she improved a great deal, only after she had
been at school with Miss Pritchet a couple of years it turned out that
'Lisbeth could not stay any longer with Miss Pritchet, could not stay
any longer where she grew, but must go to a new place, and go a great
way to get to it; in fact, after a great deal of talking, and a great
deal of thinking, and a great deal of planning, 'Lisbeth's mother found
that she must--she could not help it, she could do nothing better--she
must go to live in London.