THE DOLL AND HER FRIENDS. 49

I have often wondered at the extreme dislike
which boys: have to dolls. I was the most inoffen-
sive creature possible, giving myself no airs, and
interfering with nobody ; yet even the gentle Willy
was indifferent to me. Edward, though he pro-
tected Rose in her patronage of me, despised me
thoroughly himself; and Geoffrey never lost an op-
portunity of expressing his mortal hatred to me.
I shrunk from Edward’s contemptuous notice, but,
I was not at all afraid of him, well knowing that
neither he nor Willy would hurt a hair of my head;
but. whenever Geoffrey came into the room, terror
seized my mind. He never passed my house with-
out making: all kinds of ugly faces at me; and I felt
instinctively that nothing but the presence of the
other boys restrained him from doing me any harm
in. his power.

I had hitherto never been alone with him, but
at last the fatal moment arrived. One fine after-
noon, Willy went out for a drive in his wheel-chair,
Edward insisting upon drawing it himself, and the
two girls walking on each side. Geoflrey accom-
panied them, intending to walk with them part of
the way, and to go on by himself when he was
tired of the slow pace of the chair. All seemed safe,
and I hoped to enjoy a few hours of uninterrupted
leisure. I always liked having my time to myself;

E