Chapter X. Maggie Behaves Worse Than She Expected

gher,especiallyasitmightvexTom,whomitwasofnousetoslap,evenifshedared,becausehedidn’tmindit.AndifLucyhadn’tbeenthere,Maggiewassurehewouldhavegotfriendswithhersooner. Ticklingafattoadwhoisnothighlysensitiveisanamusementthatitispossibletoexhaust,andTombyandbybegantolookroundforsomeothermodeofpassingthetime.Butinsoprimagarden,wheretheywerenottogooffthepavedwalks,therewasnotagreatchoiceofsport.Theonlygreatpleasuresucharestrictionsuggestedwasthepleasureofbreakingit,andTombegantomeditateaninsurrectionaryvisittothepond,aboutafield’slengthbeyondthegarden. “Isay,Lucy,”hebegan,noddinghisheadupanddownwithgreatsignificance,ashecoileduphisstringagain,“whatdoyouthinkImeantodo?” “What,Tom?”saidLucy,withcuriosity. “Imeantogotothepondandlookatthepike.Youmaygowithmeifyoulike,”saidtheyoungsultan. “Oh,Tom,dareyou?”saidLucy.“Auntsaidwemustn’tgooutofthegarden.” “Oh,Ishallgooutattheotherendofthegarden,”saidTom.“Nobody’ullseeus.Besides,Idon’tcareiftheydo,—I’llrunoffhome.” “ButIcouldn’trun,”saidLucy,whohadneverbeforebeenexposedtosuchseveretemptation. “Oh,nevermindtheywon’tbecrosswithyou,”saidTom.“YousayItookyou.” Tomwalkedalong,andLucytrottedbyhisside,timidlyenjoyingtheraretreatofdoingsomethingnaughty,—excitedalsobythementionofthatcelebrity,thepike,aboutwhichshewasquiteuncertainwhetheritwasafishorafowl. Maggiesawthemleavingthegarden,andcouldnotresisttheimpulsetofollow.Angerandjealousycannomorebeartolosesightoftheirobjectsthanlove,andthatTomandLucyshoulddoorseeanythingofwhichshewasignorantwouldhavebeenanintolerableideatoMaggie.Soshekeptafewyardsbehindthem,unobservedbyTom,whowaspresentlyabsorbedinwatchingforthepike,—ahighlyinterestingmonsterhewassaidtobesoveryold,soverylarge,andtohavesucharemarkableappetite.Thepike,likeothercelebrities,didnotshowwhenhewaswatchedfor,butTomcaughtsightofsomethinginrapidmovementinthewater,whichattractedhimtoanotherspotonthebrinkofthepond. “Here,Lucy!”hesaidinaloudwhisper,“comehere!takecare!keeponthegrass!—don’tstepwherethecowshavebeen!”headded,pointingtoapeninsulaofdrygrass,withtroddenmudoneachsideofitforTom’scontemptuousconceptionofagirlincludedtheattributeofbeingunfittowalkindirtyplaces.