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Updated: May 12, 2025
As Lilac was thinking thus, a figure did really appear at the top of the hill, a short square figure with a gaily trimmed hat on its head her cousin Agnetta. For the first time in all her life Agnetta was feeling not superior to Lilac as usual, but shy of her. She did not know what to say to her nor even whether she should be welcome, for she was conscious of having been very ill-tempered lately.
Lilac stood with her back against a truss of hay, rather shrinking away, for now that the moment had really come she felt frightened, and all her doubts returned. She had the air of a pale little victim before her executioner. "Come," said Agnetta, with another snap. "Oh, Agnetta, do you really think they'll like it?" faltered Lilac.
"But I must gather knots of flowers, and buds and garlands gay, For I'm to be Queen of the May, mother, I'm to be Queen of the May!" Tennyson. Agnetta had been quite wrong in saying that Lilac had any idea of being Queen.
"If here isn't Mr Snell coming in alonger Pa," said Agnetta, craning her neck to see out of the window. "He's sure to stay to tea." She immediately drew her chair up to the table and helped herself largely to jam. "And of all evenings in the week I wish he hadn't chosen this," said Mrs Greenways. "Poking and meddling in other folks' concerns.
He soon began, therefore, to look out eagerly for her as he sat at work; but no little figure appeared, and he said to himself, "I shall see her o' Sunday at church." But this expectation was also disappointed, and he learned from Bella Greenways that Lilac and Agnetta were to go in the evenings, it was more convenient.
"Oh, Agnetta!" exclaimed Lilac at the mention of such impossible elegance. Bella's got some red roses with dewdrops on 'em, an' a caterpillar just like life. She'd lend you 'em p'r'aps, an' I don't know but what I'd let you have my silver locket just for once." "I'm afraid he wouldn't like that," said Lilac dejectedly, "because he said quite earnest, `Mind you bring the bonnet'."
"It's a pity you wear your hair scrattled right off your face like that," said Agnetta at last; "it makes you look for all the world like Daisy's white calf." "Does it?" said Lilac meekly; "Mother likes it done so." "I know something as would improve you wonderful, and give you a bit of style something as would make the picture look a deal better." "Oh, what, Agnetta?"
"You've got to be so sober and old-fashioned like," continued Agnetta, "that I s'pose you wouldn't care to go even if you could, would you? You'd rather stop at home and work." "I'd like to go," answered Lilac; "but Molly couldn't never get through with the work to-morrow if we was all to go. There's a whole lot to do." "Oh, of course you couldn't go," said Agnetta loftily.
"It's a poor sort of an object he's copyin', too Old Joe's tumble-down cottage. I peeped over his shoulder t'other day 'taint much like." "Well, I pass him every day comin' from school, and he always looks up at me eager without sayin' nothing. But this morning he says, `Little gal, says he, `I want to put you into my picture." "Lor'!" put in Agnetta, "whatever can he want to paint you for?"
"As soon as ever Ma's about again the wedding's to be," said Agnetta exultingly. "I'm to be bridesmaid, and p'r'aps Charlotte Smith as well." Lilac, who had stopped her scrubbing to listen, now went on with it, and Agnetta looked down at her kneeling figure with some contempt. "What a lot of trouble you take over it!" she said. "Molly used to do it in half the time."
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