Page:Burnett - Two Little Pilgrims' Progress A Story of the City Beautiful.djvu/72

60 everywhere I've thought of it more and more," said Rob. "It means more to people like us than it does to anyone else. It's the people who never see things, and who have no chances, it means the most to. And the more I think of it the more I—I won't let it go by me." And all at once he threw himself face downward on the straw and hid his face in his arms.

Meg lifted hers. There was something in the woeful desperation of his movement that struck her to the heart. She had never known him do such a thing in their lives before. That was not his way. Whatsoever hard thing had happened—howsoever lonely and desolate they had felt, he had never shown his feelings this way. She put out her hand and touched his shoulder.

"Robin," she said—"Oh, Robin!"

"I don't care," he said from the refuge of his sleeves; "we are little when we are compared with grown-up people. They would call us children—and children usually have someone to help them—tell them what to do. I'm only like this because I've been thinking so much—and working so hard—and it does seem like an enchanted city; but no one ever thinks we could care about it any more than if we were cats and dogs. It was not like that at home, even if we were poor." Then he sat up with as little