"Miss Robarts, I am afraid you must excuse me," said
he, getting up and taking his hat and stick. Lucy begged that she
might not be at all in the way, and already began to speculate how
she might best unload her treasures. "Will you make my compliments to
Mrs. Robarts, and say that I am sorry to miss the pleasure of wishing
her good-bye? But I shall probably see her as she passes the
school-house." And then, stick in hand, he walked forth, and Lucy
fancied that Bobby's eyes immediately rested on the bag of
gingerbread-nuts.
"Bob," said she, almost in a whisper, "do you like sugar-plums?"
"Very much, indeed," said Bob, with exceeding gravity, and with his
eye upon the window to see whether his father had passed.
"Then come here," said Lucy. But as she spoke the door again opened,
and Mr. Crawley reappeared. "I have left a book behind me," he said;
and coming back through the room, he took up the well-worn Prayer
Book which accompanied him in all his wanderings through the parish.
Bobby, when he saw his father, had retreated a few steps back, as
also did Grace, who, to confess the truth, had been attracted by the
sound of sugar-plums, in spite of the irregular verbs. And Lucy
withdrew her hand from her muff, and looked guilty.
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