Page 459 - LITTLE WOMEN
P. 459
Little Women
absent mind, and aching head, and a very decided
disapproval of everybody and everything would allow, and
as she wearily dressed, Amy cheered herself with
anticipations of the happy moment when, lunch safely
over, she should drive away with her friends for an
afternoon of artistic delights, for the ‘cherry bounce’ and
the broken bridge were her strong points.
Then came the hours of suspense, during which she
vibrated from parlor to porch, while public opinion varied
like the weathercock. A smart shower at eleven had
evidently quenched the enthusiasm of the young ladies
who were to arrive at twelve, for nobody came, and at
two the exhausted family sat down in a blaze of sunshine
to consume the perishable portions of the feast, that
nothing might be lost.
‘No doubt about the weather today, they will certainly
come, so we must fly round and be ready for them,’ said
Amy, as the sun woke her next morning. She spoke
briskly, but in her secret soul she wished she had said
nothing about Tuesday, for her interest like her cake was
getting a little stale.
‘I can’t get any lobsters, so you will have to do without
salad today,’ said Mr. March, coming in half an hour later,
with an expression of placid despair.
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