"Ah! not maybe, Daisy. Say you truly will, dear Daisy, darling Daisy. You shall mix all the pies, Daisy, and I'll be your horse, too."
"I'll tell you anofer time," said Daisy, much enjoying the new position of affairs.
"Ah! no, Daisy," pleaded the now humble suitor: "if you'll promise now, I'll--I'll--Daisy, I'll give you my white mice."
Daisy plumped herself down upon the sand, and gazed at Frankie, astounded at the magnitude of this offer, in return for the promise which, in her secret soul, she was longing to give.
"Maybe your mamma won't let you give 'em away," she said at length; and then, with relenting in her generous little heart, she added, "and I wouldn't like to take 'em from you, Frankie: it's too much."
"Yes, yes, mamma would let me," said Frankie, eagerly. "Bessie has a pair, and Maggie a pair, and I a pair; and mamma said that was too many, and she won't mind one bit if I give you mine. And I don't care for them at all, Daisy, they're such stupid things. I'd just as lieve give them to you."
"Well," said Daisy, shaking her curls at him, "then I'll promise; and I only want to mix half the pies, Frankie, I wouldn't do 'em all, oh! not for any thing."
This amicable agreement being sealed with a kiss, and peace thoroughly restored, Bessie left the two little ones to their "mixes," and went back to the others, whom she entertained with an account of Frankie's complete defeat and submission. They rather rejoiced at it, for the way in which Frankie usually lorded it over the submissive Daisy did not at all agree with their ideas of propriety.
"But do you think Frankie really means to give the white mice to Daisy?" asked Nellie.
"Why, yes," answered Bessie, "he _promised_, you know."
"But," said Nellie, doubtfully, "I do not think mamma would like Daisy to have them."
"Oh! she needn't mind," said Maggie. "Our mamma did say she was sorry Willie Richards had sent three pair; and Frankie has not really cared for his since the first day. They're too quiet for him. Daisy might just as well have them."
"But I don't know if mamma would care to have them in the house," said Nellie. "She is so afraid of mice."
"What, a grown-up lady afraid of white mice!" said Lily.
"Well, she's afraid of _real_ mice," said Nellie, "and I'm not sure she wouldn't be of white ones."