FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46  
47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>   >|  
ly indeed that Miss Minchin was obliged to almost shout--in a stately and severe manner--to make herself heard. "What IS she crying for?" she almost yelled. "Oh--oh--oh!" Sara heard; "I haven't got any mam--ma-a!" "Oh, Lottie!" screamed Miss Amelia. "Do stop, darling! Don't cry! Please don't!" "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" Lottie howled tempestuously. "Haven't--got--any--mam--ma-a!" "She ought to be whipped," Miss Minchin proclaimed. "You SHALL be whipped, you naughty child!" Lottie wailed more loudly than ever. Miss Amelia began to cry. Miss Minchin's voice rose until it almost thundered, then suddenly she sprang up from her chair in impotent indignation and flounced out of the room, leaving Miss Amelia to arrange the matter. Sara had paused in the hall, wondering if she ought to go into the room, because she had recently begun a friendly acquaintance with Lottie and might be able to quiet her. When Miss Minchin came out and saw her, she looked rather annoyed. She realized that her voice, as heard from inside the room, could not have sounded either dignified or amiable. "Oh, Sara!" she exclaimed, endeavoring to produce a suitable smile. "I stopped," explained Sara, "because I knew it was Lottie--and I thought, perhaps--just perhaps, I could make her be quiet. May I try, Miss Minchin?" "If you can, you are a clever child," answered Miss Minchin, drawing in her mouth sharply. Then, seeing that Sara looked slightly chilled by her asperity, she changed her manner. "But you are clever in everything," she said in her approving way. "I dare say you can manage her. Go in." And she left her. When Sara entered the room, Lottie was lying upon the floor, screaming and kicking her small fat legs violently, and Miss Amelia was bending over her in consternation and despair, looking quite red and damp with heat. Lottie had always found, when in her own nursery at home, that kicking and screaming would always be quieted by any means she insisted on. Poor plump Miss Amelia was trying first one method, and then another. "Poor darling," she said one moment, "I know you haven't any mamma, poor--" Then in quite another tone, "If you don't stop, Lottie, I will shake you. Poor little angel! There--! You wicked, bad, detestable child, I will smack you! I will!" Sara went to them quietly. She did not know at all what she was going to do, but she had a vague inward conviction that it would be better
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46  
47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Lottie
 

Minchin

 

Amelia

 

screaming

 
manner
 

kicking

 
looked
 

darling

 
clever
 
whipped

violently

 

approving

 

slightly

 

consternation

 

bending

 
changed
 
asperity
 

entered

 

chilled

 
despair

manage

 

wicked

 

quietly

 

detestable

 

moment

 

method

 

nursery

 

conviction

 
quieted
 
sharply

insisted

 
loudly
 

naughty

 

wailed

 

thundered

 

indignation

 

flounced

 
impotent
 

suddenly

 
sprang

proclaimed

 

severe

 

stately

 
obliged
 
crying
 

howled

 

tempestuously

 

Please

 

yelled

 

screamed