That's what I came in to say." "Oh, I don't care to go if you don't want me," said Joy, with a slighted look.
"But I do want you.

Who said I didn't ?" "Well," said Joy, somewhat mollified, "I'll go if there aren't any spiders." The two girls equipped themselves with tin pails, thick boots and a lunch-basket, and started off in high spirits at precisely half-past one.

Joy had a remarkably vague idea of what she was going to do, but she felt unusually good-natured, as who could help feeling, with such a sunlight as that and such distant glories of the maple-trees, and such shadows melting on the mountains! "I want to go chestnotting, too-o-o!" called Winnie, disconsolate, in the doorway.
"No, Winnie, you couldn't, possibly," said Gypsy, pleasantly, sorry to disappoint him; but she was quite too well acquainted with Winnie to undertake a nutting party in his company.
"Oh, yes, do let's take him; he's so cunning," said Joy.

Joy was totally unused to children, having never had brothers and sisters of her own, and since she had been there, Winnie had not happened to develop in any of his characteristic methods.

Moreover, he had speedily discovered that Joy laughed at everything he said; even his most ordinary efforts in the line of wit; and that she gave him lumps of sugar when she thought of it; and therefore he had been on his best behavior whenever she was about.
"He's so terribly cunning," repeated Joy; "I guess he won't do any hurt." "I won't do any hurt," put in Winnie; "I'm real cunnin', Gypsy." "You may do as you like, of course," said Gypsy.