"You keep "em for me," said Bettine sweetly.
"I hope you dance next me at the Maypole when Evangeline"s Queen.
Won"t it be lovely?" and she sighed.
"Lovely?" exploded William. "Huh!"
"Won"t you like it?" said Bettine wonderingly.
"_Me!_" exploded William again. "Dancin" round a pole! Round that ole girl?"
"But she"s so pretty."
"No, she isn"t," said William firmly, "she jus" isn"t. Not _much_! I don" like her narsy shiny hair an" I don" like her narsy blue clothes, an" I don" like her narsy face, an" I don" like her narsy white shoes, nor her narsy necklaces, nor her narsy squeaky voice----"
He paused.
Bettine drew a deep breath.
"Go on some more," she said. "I _like_ listening to you."
"Do _you_ like her?" said William.
"No. She"s awful _greedy_. Did you know she was awful _greedy_?"
"I can _b"lieve_ it," said William. "I can b"lieve _anything_ of anyone wot talks in that squeaky voice."
"Jus" watch her when she"s eatin" cakes--she goes on eatin" and eatin"
and eatin"."
"She"ll bust an" die one day then," prophesied William solemnly, "an"
_I_ shan"t be sorry."
"But she"ll look ever so beautiful when she"s a May Queen."
"You"d look nicer," said William.
Bettine"s small pale face flamed.
"Oh _no_," she said.
"Would you like to be a May Queen?"
"Oh, _yes_," she said.
"Um," said William, and returned to the discomfiture of Evangeline Fish by his steady concentrated scowl.
The next day he had the opportunity of watching her eating cakes. They met at the birthday party of a mutual cla.s.smate, and Evangeline Fish took her stand by the table and consumed cakes with a perseverance and determination worthy of a n.o.bler cause. William accorded her a certain grudging admiration. Not once did she falter or faint. Iced cakes, cream cakes, pastries melted away before her and never did she lose her ethereal angelic appearance. Tight golden ringlets, blue eyes, faintly flushed cheeks, vivid pale blue dress remained immaculate and unruffled, and still she ate cakes. William watched her in amazement, forgetting even to scowl at her. Her capacity for cakes exceeded even William"s, and his was no mean one.
They had a rehearsal of the Maypole dance and crowning the next day.
[Ill.u.s.tration: WILLIAM ACCORDED HER A CERTAIN GRUDGING ADMIRATION.
ICED CAKES, CREAM CAKES, PASTRIES MELTED AWAY BEFORE HER.]
"I want William Brown to hold the queen"s train," said Miss Dewhurst.
"_Me?_" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed William in horror. "D"you mean _me_?"
"Yes, dear. It"s a great honour to be asked to hold little Queen Evangeline"s train. I"m sure you feel very proud. You must be her little courtier."
"Huh!" said William, transferring his scowl to Miss Dewhurst.
Evangeline beamed. She wanted William"s admiration. William was the only boy in the form who was not her slave. She smiled at William sweetly.
"I"m not _good_ at holdin" trains," said William. "I don"t _like_ holdin" trains. I"ve never bin _taught_ "bout holdin" trains. I might do it wrong on the day an" spoil it all. I shan"t like to spoil it all," he added virtuously.
"Oh, we"ll have heaps of practices," said Miss Dewhurst brightly.
As he was going Bettine pressed a small apple into his hand.
"A present for you," she murmured. "I saved it from my dinner."
He was touched.
"I"ll give you somethin" to-morrow," he said, adding hastily, "if I can find anythin"."
They stood in silence till he had finished his apple.
"I"ve left a lot on the core," he said in a tone of unusual politeness, handing it to her, "would you like to finish it?"
"No, thank you. William, you"ll look so nice holding her train."
"I don"t want to, an" I bet I _won"t_! You don"t _know_ the things I can do," he said darkly.
"Oh, William!" she gasped in awe and admiration.
"I"d hold your train if you was goin" to be queen," he volunteered.
"I wouldn"t want you to hold my train," she said earnestly.
"I"d--I"d--I"d want you to be May King with me."
"Yes. Why don"t they have May Kings?" said William, stung by this insult to his s.e.x.
"Why shouldn"t there be a May King?"
"I speck they _do_, really, only p"raps Miss Dewhurst doesn"t know abut it."
"Well, it doesn"t seem sense not having May Kings, does it? I wun"t mind bein" May King if you was May Queen."