Let us look around and see," responded Maggie, and they went tiptoeing around the room, peeping here and there, while I silently tore my hair.

I was so afraid they would come behind the counter and discover me.
In three minutes, which seemed as many hours, they came to the starting-point again.
"There isn't a soul here." "La, how funny! We might take something." "Yes, if we were thieves, what a fine opportunity we would have." "I'll bet three cents it's John's fault; his father would never leave the store in this careless way." "What a queer fellow he is, anyway!" "Ha, ha, ha! so perfectly absurd! _Isn't_ it fun when he's about ?" "I never was so tickled in my life as when he bought that quilt." "I thought I would die laughing when he took me into the coal-cellar, but I kept a straight face." "Do _you_ think he's good-looking, Hetty ?" "Who?
John Flutter! _good-looking_?
He's a perfect fright." "That's just what I think.

Oh, isn't it too good to see the way he nurses that little mustache of his?
I'm going to send him a magnifying-glass, so that he can count the hairs with less trouble." "If you will, I'll send a box of cold cream; we can send them through the post-office, and he'll never find out who they came from." "Jolly! we'll do it! Belle won't send anything, for he's dead in love with _her_." "Much good it'll do him, girls! Do you suppose I wouldn't marry that simpleton if he was made of gold." "Did you ever see such a red face as he has?
I would be afraid to come near it with a light dress on." "And his ears!" "Monstrous! and always burning." "And the awkwardest fellow that ever blundered into a parlor.

You know the night he waited on me to Hetty's party?
he stepped on my toes so that I had to poultice them before I went to bed; he tore the train all off my pink tarlatan; he spilled a cup of hot coffee down old Mrs.
Ballister's back, and upset his saucer of ice-cream over Ada's sweet new book-muslin.

Why, girls, just as sure as I am standing here, I saw him cram the saucer into his pocket when Belle came up to speak with him! I tell you, I was glad to get home that night without any more accidents." "They say he always puts the tea-napkins into his pocket when he takes tea away from home.