Yap with him? Maggie ran to the high bank
against the great holly tree, where she could see far away toward the
Floss.

There was Tom; but her heart sank again as she saw how far he was on his
way to the great river, and that he had another companion besides
Yap,--naughty Bob Jakin, whose official, if not natural, function of
frightening the birds was just now at a standstill.

Well! there was no hope for it; he was gone now, and Maggie could think
of no comfort but to sit down by the hollow, or wander by the hedgerow,
and fancy it was all different, refashioning her little world into just
what she should like it to be.

IV

Maggie had thrown her bonnet off very carelessly, and coming in with her
hair rough as well as out of curl, rushed at once to Lucy, who was
standing by her mother's knee. Certainly the contrast between the
cousins was conspicuous. It was like the contrast between a rough, dark,
overgrown puppy and a white kitten. Lucy put up the neatest little
rosebud mouth to be kissed; everything about her was neat--her little
round neck, with the row of coral beads; her little straight nose, not
at all snubby; her little clear eyebrows, rather darker than her curls,
to match her hazel eyes, which looked up with shy pleasure at Maggie,
taller by the head, though scarcely a year older. Maggie always looked
at Lucy with delight. She was fond of fancying a world where the people
never got any larger than children of their own age, and she made the
queen of it just like Lucy, with a little crown on her head, and a
little sceptre in her hand--only the queen was Maggie herself in Lucy's
form.

"Oh, Lucy," she burst out, after kissing her, "you'll stay with Tom and
me, won't you? Oh, kiss her, Tom."

Tom, too, had come up to Lucy, but he was not going to kiss her--no; he
came up to her with Maggie, because it seemed easier, on the whole, than
saying, "How do you do?" to all those aunts and uncles. He stood looking
at nothing in particular, with the blushing, awkward air and semi-smile
which are common to shy boys when in company,--very much as if they had
come into the world by mistake, and found it in a degree of undress that
was quite embarrassing.

"Maggie," said Mrs. Tulliver, beckoning Maggie to her, and whispering in
her ear, as soon as this point of Lucy's staying was settled, "go and
get your hair brushed. I told you not to come in without going to Martha
first; you know I did."

"Tom, come out with