gs. She thought herself extremely neglected, and the
repentance and sense of shame which she had more or less experienced in
the morning and the memory of Dr. Maybright's words and the look in has
grave eyes had faded under a feeling of being unloved, forsaken,
forgotten. Even David had never come near her--David, who lived for
her. Was she not his queen as well as sister? Was he not her dutiful
subject as well as her little brother?

All the long day that Flower had spent in solitude her thoughts grew
more and more bitter, and only hunger made her now forsake her room. She
went into the dining-room; it was a long, low room, almost entirely
lined with oak. There was a white cloth on the long center table, in the
middle of which a lamp burnt dimly; the French windows were open; the
blinds were not drawn down. As Flower opened the door, a strong cold
breeze caused the lamp to flare up and smoke, the curtains to shake, and
a child to move in a restless, fretful fashion on her chair. The child
was Firefly; her eyes were so swollen with crying that they were almost
invisible under their heavy red lids; her hair was tossed; the rest of
her little thin face was ghastly pale.

"Is that you, Flower?" she exclaimed. "Are you going to stay here? If
you are, I'll go away."

"What do you mean?" said Flower. "_You_ go away? You can go or stay,
just as you please. I have come here because I want some food, and
because I've been shamefully neglected and starved all day. Ring the
bell, please, Fly. I really must order up something to eat."

Fly rose from her chair. She had long, lanky legs and very short
petticoats, and as she stood half leaning against the wall, she looked
so forlorn, pathetic, and yet comical, that Flower, notwithstanding her
own anger and distress, could not help bursting out laughing.

"What is the matter?" she said. "What an extraordinary little being you
are! You look at me as if you were quite afraid of me. For pity's sake,
child, don't stare at me in that grewsome fashion. Ring the bell, as I
tell you, and then if you please you can leave the room."

There was a very deep leather arm-chair near the fireplace. Into this
now Flower sank. She leant her head comfortably against its cushions,
and gazed at Firefly with a slightly sarcastic expression.

"Then you don't know!" said Fly, suddenly. "You sit there and look at
me, and you talk of eating, as if any one could eat. You don't know. You
wouldn't sit there