o get into it.
Blue Bonnet has sewn it up the back!"

There was a great outcry at this, which had the unexpected effect of
making Blue Bonnet angry.

"There's nothing on earth gives Kitty Clark such pleasure as finding
me out in a mistake," she declared with flashing eyes and cheeks that
burned with mortification. Then she turned on Kitty,--"I'm sorry the
ranch can't offer you any other enjoyment!" she said scathingly and
then, snatching back her ridiculed work, flung herself out of the
room.

Kitty's cheeks turned as red as her hair and she was just framing an
angry reply to hurl after Blue Bonnet when she met Mrs. Clyde's eyes,
full of a pained surprise. The girl checked the words on her lips at
once, but a few hot tears came in spite of her efforts.

"I was only joking," she said with a catch in her voice.

"I'm afraid it was my fault," said Sarah. "I shouldn't have called
attention to her mistake. I'll go and apologize."

Kitty turned to Mrs. Clyde. "I apologize to _you_, Senora," she said,
adding proudly, "but I've nothing to apologize for to Blue Bonnet.
Half the fun of being a We are Seven is being able to say just what we
want to. If everybody is suddenly going to be thin-skinned, I'll have
to go about muzzled."

"Blue Bonnet was hasty," said Mrs. Clyde, "and I'm sure she'll be
ready to apologize as soon as she has thought it over."

The sewing lesson for that day ended in a gloomy silence. At dinner
the two "magpies," as Uncle Joe had nicknamed them, were mute. This
unheard of state of affairs would have aroused comment at any other
time, but just now their attention was diverted.

"Doctor" Abbott, who had ridden over to "take a look at Knight's
wrist," had stayed to dinner--there being always room for one more at
that elastic table--and his bright humorous talk had completely
fascinated every one. After dinner the men went off for a smoke, and
the girls retired for their siesta in an atmosphere as hazy as if they
too had indulged in the fragrant weed.

They went to the swimming hole later in the day, but somehow the zest
was all gone from the sport, with the two leading spirits distrait and
moody, avoiding direct speech with each other, and preserving an
attitude of injured pride. Blue Bonnet had made up her mind that Kitty
owed her an apology, while Kitty obstinately refused even in her
thoughts to acknowledge herself in the wrong.

"Blue Bonnet thinks she's the king-pin of the universe," she mu