Page:Delight - de la Roche - 1926.djvu/92

 best left alone. You might go and wipe the dishes for Pearl. She's in a kind of maze this morning. Drat these parties anyway, I say. Everything's at sixes and sevens after them."

Delight picked up a large, soapy platter from the heap of dishes beside Pearl, and began, mechanically, to dry it on a moist tea-towel. Out of the corner of her eye she timidly regarded the plump, pigeon-like girl. It was apparent, even to her, that, though Pearl's hands were stewing in the dish-water, that her spirit dwelt on some remote plane. Her clear, hazel eyes were wide but they saw nothing; her tender, affectionate mouth hung loosely open as though she slept.

"Good gracious," thought Delight, "of all the unnatural places this is this morning! I hope May hasn't been taken queer, too."

She asked, on a note of assumed lightness:

"Where's May this morning?"

A slight smile curved Pearl's mouth; she made a somnolent slushing in the dishpan but uttered no word.

"Where's May?" repeated Delight, loudly and desperately.

"Clea'ing pih," replied Queenie, pressing one tiny hand to her brow. "I got a poh 'ead."

"She says May's cleaning fish," said Mrs. Bye. "Come now, my poppet, you must get ready for school, head or no, if you're going to get an edication." She took the child on her lap and began to lace the heavy boots that dangled below the thin little legs. Queenie turned her face, as though she would shut out all the world, against her mother's floury breast.

"I shouldn't send her to school this morning," said Delight pityingly.

"Bless you, her daddy 'ud never tolerate her wastin'