o lack of interest or excitement
_there_. The chair followed steadily with its little burden. It went
nicely; she was very comfortable; it was a new and most pleasant mode of
getting over the ground; and yet--there was something at work in Daisy's
heart that was not pleasure. She was sadly disappointed. She was left
alone. It had tried her a good deal that Nora and Ella should have ran
after the larger party with so cavalier an abandonment of her, when they
knew her chair must go another road. Then she was very sorry that the
doctor had seen good to forsake her; and felt that from the
thoughtfulness or unselfishness of boys she had little to hope for. Look
at them! there they went before her, putting more and more distance
between them and the chair every minute. Perhaps they would entirely
forget their little convoy and be out of sight in a trifle more time.
And in all that big party of pleasure, everybody engaged with somebody
else, she was left with no one to speak to her, and no company at all
but that of Logan and Sam. Daisy two or three times put up her hand
stealthily to her face to get rid of a tear that had found its way
there. Daisy thought at first that she would not have done so to her
friends as they had done to her; but then presently she reflected what
reason she had to know better and to do better, that they had not; and
instead of anything like resentment, a very gentle and tender feeling of
pity and kindness arose in Daisy's mind toward them. Her hurt sense of
unfriendliness quite soothed itself away; and now Daisy began to enjoy
herself and the day and the party of pleasure. Her share of it, at
least. Her chair was under shadow of the tall woods now. It is true, it
was very hot there. No air seemed moving. The chair-bearers often raised
an arm to their brows to wipe away the heated moisture that stood there
and ran down their faces. But Daisy had no exertion to make; and instead
of that, her own motion seemed to give a little life to the lifeless
air. Then she was at leisure to look and enjoy; not having even to take
care of her own footing. The depth of green leafage over her head when
she looked up; the depth of green shade on either hand of her, pierced
by the endless colonnade of the boles of trees; how wildly beautiful it
was! Daisy thought of a good many things she would like to ask Dr.
Sandford--if she had the liberty; but he did not talk about wonderful
things to her now that she was well and ha