"If I only could go," sighed the boy. The tears came into his eyes.
"And you can sing just lovely!" declared Tudie.
Josie stood up with a warmly flushing face.
"I do believe I'd raise an insurrection. It isn't as if you wanted to do anything wicked, like swearing or stealing. And my father said God gave beautiful voices to people to sing with."
"But if I asked mother she wouldn't let me go. And--I couldn't run away. You see that would be just for once. Perhaps then I wouldn't be let to come over here, afterward," the boy replied sadly.
Hanny felt so sorry for him. He was very fair and had pretty, but rather timid eyes.
"You can't raise an insurrection when you know for certain it'll be put down the next moment," the boy added.
"Well," Josie drew a long breath and studied.
"And he'd say, 'Ask your mother; it's as she says.' Most everything _is_ as mother says."
"Then I'd put my arms around his neck and coax. I'd tell him I wanted to be like other boys. They think it's queer----"
"Oh, you needn't mind. I know they laugh at me and make fun of me. But mother's so nice and clean, only I wish she'd dress up as your mothers do, and take a walk sometimes and go to church. And she cooks such splendid things and makes puddings and pies, and she lets me sit and read when I'm done my lessons. I have all the Rollo books, and father has Sir Walter Scott, that he's letting me read now. It's only that mother thinks I'll get into bad things and meet bad boys and get my clothes soiled. Oh, sometimes I'm so tired of being nice! Only you wouldn't want me to come over here if I wasn't."
"But there are a great many nice boys. Ben's just lovely, only he is growing up so fast," said the little girl, with a sigh. "And though Jim teases, he is real good and jolly. He doesn't keep his hands clean, and mother scolds him a little for that."
They could not decide about the insurrection. Presently it was time for Charles to go home. He was always on the mark lest he should not be allowed the indulgence next time. The poor boy had been moulded into the straight line of duty.
The girls went out to swing. They could all three sit in at once. And they often talked all at once.
"Girls!" Josie put her foot so firmly on the ground it almost tipped them out. "Girls, let _us_ see Mr. Reed and ask him."