"And
certainly she's never _cross_ to Fixie."
"How do _you_ know?" said Rosy, sharply. "You don't see her half
as much as I do. And she can always pretend if she likes."
Beata looked rather anxiously at Colin. He was on the point of
answering Rosy crossly in his turn, and again Bee felt that sort of
nervous fear of quarrels or disagreeables which it was impossible to
be long in Rosy's company without feeling. But Colin suddenly seemed
to change his mind.
"Shall we run another race?" he said, without taking any notice of
Rosy's last speech.
"Yes," said Bee, eagerly, "from here to the library window. But you
must give me a little start--I can't run half so fast as you and
Rosy."
She said it quite simply, but it pleased Rosy all the same, and she
began considering how much of a start it was fair for Bee to have.
When that important point was settled, off they set. Bee was the first
to arrive.
"You must have given me too much of a start," she said, laughing.
"Look here, Colin and Rosy, there's the big cat on the window-seat.
Doesn't he look solemn?"
"He looks very cross and nasty--he always does," said Rosy. Then,
safely sheltered behind the window, she began tapping on the pane.
"Manchon, Manchon," she said, "you can't scratch me through the glass,
so I'll just tell you what I think of you for once. You're a cross,
mean, _pretending_ creature.
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