44 THE DOLL AND HER FRIENDS.

one another, but Geoffrey never seemed happy un-
less he was making himself disagreeable. If Willy
was interested in a book, he was obliged to sit upon
the second volume, or Geoffrey would be sure to
run away with it. If Edward was in a hurry to go
out, Geoffrey would hide his cap, and keep him a
quarter of an hour hunting for it. The girls dared
not leave their worsted-work within his reach for a
moment ; for he would unravel the canvass, or chop
up the wool, or go on with the work after a pat-
tern of his own composing’, so that they would be
obliged to spend half an hour in unpicking his
cobbling..

Margaret remonstrated with him in private, and
made excuses for him in public, and did her best to
prevent his tiresome tricks from annoying Willy; Ed-
ward tried rougher means of keeping him in order,
which sometimes succeeded ; but still he could find
plenty of opportunities of being a torment: people
always can when such is their taste.

One day Margaret: was keeping Willy company,
while the rest of the party were gone to the Zoo-
logical Gardens. She had brought a drawing to
finish, as he liked to see her draw, and was some-
times useful in suggesting improvements. But
while they were thus employed, Margaret was sum-
moned to some visitors, and went away, saying that