FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  
this table." Briar did so. "Kneel down, Briar, so that the light from the candle falls full on your face." Briar knelt. Her eyes were beaming with happiness. "Look at me," said Pauline. Briar raised two honest and pretty brown eyes to her sister's face. "I think," said Pauline slowly, "that you are the sort of girl to make a promise--a solemn, awfully solemn promise--and stick to it." "Yes; you are right. I am made that way," said Briar proudly. "I see you are. Patty, will you kneel so that the candle may shine on your face?" Patty hurried to obey. "I am made like that, too," she said. "I always was like that. When I said I wouldn't tell, you might pinch me black and blue, but it didn't change me. Pen has tried to run pins into me sometimes to make me tell. Pen is the only one who would tell when she promised not." "I think so," said Pauline decidedly. "Pen would not do at all. Girls, I shall come to you to-morrow evening. To-morrow evening, very late, I will come to you here. Perhaps you will have gone to bed, but that won't matter. I will come to you whether you are in bed or whether you are up; and I will claim your promise. You will do what I ask, and you will never, never, never tell. You must help me. You will--oh, you will!" "Of course," said Briar. "Darling Paulie, don't cry. Oh, how the pet is trembling! Patty, she's trembling like anything. Do kiss her and hug her, and tell her there's nothing we wouldn't do for her." "There's nothing in all the world we wouldn't do for you," said Patty. They both kissed her so often and with such deep affection that she found herself leaning on their innocent strength. She would not tell them yet; she would tell them just before the time to-morrow evening. Of course they would go with her. Pen would never do. It would be madness to confide in Pen. Notwithstanding her excitement Pauline did sleep soundly that night before her birthday. No sooner had her head touched the pillow than sweet unconsciousness visited her. She slept without dreaming, and was at last awakened by the shouts of her sisters. "Paulie, get up. It's your birthday. Oh, do dress yourself fast! There's such a lot of fun going on! We are to have a whole holiday, and Aunt Sophy is so delightful. And what do you think? She has dragged father out of his study, and he is standing in the very middle of the lawn. He has a huge, untidy-looking parcel in his hands, and he looks as if
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Pauline
 

morrow

 

evening

 

wouldn

 

promise

 
birthday
 
trembling
 

Paulie

 
solemn
 

candle


standing

 

middle

 
dragged
 

father

 
kissed
 

parcel

 
affection
 
untidy
 

innocent

 

leaning


strength

 

visited

 

unconsciousness

 

shouts

 

awakened

 

dreaming

 

pillow

 

touched

 

Notwithstanding

 

excitement


confide

 
holiday
 

madness

 

sisters

 

soundly

 
sooner
 

delightful

 
proudly
 

slowly

 
hurried

sister
 

honest

 
pretty
 
raised
 

beaming

 

happiness

 
matter
 

Darling

 
Perhaps
 

change