Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction
But she looked a little sober. What was the use of Boston, and all its
beautiful sights and busy sounds, if you must walk right along as if you
were going to church, and not seem to see nor hear any of the wonders, for
fear of being called countrified? Gypsy began to hate the word.
"You must take your cousin to the Aquarial Gardens," said Mr. Breynton to
Joy, at dinner.
"Oh, I'm tired to death of the Aquarial Gardens," answered Joy; "none of
the girls I go with ever go now, and I've seen it all so many times."
"But Gypsy hasn't. Try the Museum, then."
"I can't bear the Museum. The white snakes in bottles make me so nervous,"
said Joy.
"A white snake in a bottle! Why, I never saw one," said Gypsy, with
sparkling eyes.
"Well, I'll go with you, child, if Joy hasn't the politeness to do it,"
said her uncle, patting her eager face.
"Mr. Breynton," said his wife, petulantly, "you are _always_ blaming that
child for something."
Yet, in the very next breath, she scolded Joy, for delaying her practising
ten minutes, more severely than her father would have done if she had told
a falsehood.
Mr. Breynton was very busy the next day, and forgot all about Gypsy; but
the day after he left his store at an early hour, and took her to the
Museum, and out to Bunker Hill. That was the happiest day Gypsy spent in
Boston.
The day after her aunt had a large dinner company. No one would have
imagined that Gypsy dreaded it in the least; but, in her secret heart, she
did. Joy seemed to be perfectly happy when she was dressed in her
brilliant Stuart plaid silk, with its long sash and valenciennes lace
ruffles, and spent a full half hour exhibiting her jewelry-box to Gypsy's
wondering eyes, and trying to decide whether she would wear her coral
brooch and ear-rings, which matched the scarlet of the plaid, or a
handsome malachite set, which were the newer.
Gypsy looked on admiringly, for she liked pretty things as well as other
girls; but dressed herself in the simple blue-and-white checked foulard,
with blue ribbons around her net and at her throat to match,--the best
suit, over which her mother had taken so much pains, and which had seemed
so grand in Yorkbury,--hoped her aunt's guests would not laugh at her, and
decided to think no more about the matter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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