by George Eliot
Chapter IV.
ALL ABOUT A JAM PUFF.
It was Easter week, and Mrs. Tulliver's cheese-cakes were even morelight than usual, so that no season could have been better for a familyparty to consult Sister Glegg and Sister Pullet and Sister Deane aboutTom's going to school.
On Wednesday, the day before the aunts and uncles were coming, Tom andMaggie made several inroads into the kitchen, where great preparationswere being made, and were induced to keep aloof for a time only bybeing allowed to carry away some of the good things to eat.
"Tom," said Maggie, as they sat on the boughs of the elder tree, eatingtheir jam puffs, "shall you run away to-morrow?"
"No," said Tom slowly--"no, I shan't."
"Why, Tom? Because Lucy's coming?"
"No," said Tom, opening his pocket-knife and holding it over the lastjam puff, with his head on one side. "What do I care about Lucy?She's only a girl; she can't play at bandy."
"Is it the tipsy-cake, then?" said Maggie, while she leaned forwardtowards Tom with her eyes fixed on the knife.
"No, you silly; that'll be good the day after. It's the pudding. Iknow what the pudding's to be--apricot roll-up--oh, my buttons!"
With this the knife came down on the puff, and in a moment that daintylay in two; but the result was not pleasing to Tom, and after a fewmoments' thought he said,--
"Shut your eyes, Maggie."
"What for?"
"You never mind what for. Shut 'em, when I tell you." Maggie obeyed.
"Now which'll you have, Maggie--right hand or left?"
"I'll have that with the jam run out," said Maggie, keeping her eyesshut to please Tom.
"Why, you don't like that, you silly. You may have it if it comes toyou fair, but I shan't give it you without. Right or left?--youchoose, now. Ha-a-a!" said Tom, as Maggie peeped. "You keep your eyesshut, now, else you shan't have any."
So Maggie shut her eyes quite close, till Tom told her to "say which,"and then she said, "Left hand."
"You've got it," said Tom, in rather a bitter tone.
"What! the bit with the jam run out?"
"No; here, take it," said Tom firmly, handing the best piece to Maggie.
"Oh please, Tom, have it. I don't mind; I like the other. Please takethis."
"No, I shan't," said Tom, almost crossly.
Maggie began to eat up her half puff with great relish; But Tom hadfinished his own first, and had to look on while Maggie ate her lastmorsel or two without noticing that Tom was looking at her.
"Oh, you greedy thing!" said Tom, when she had eaten the last morsel.
Maggie turned quite pale. "O Tom, why didn't you ask me?"
"I wasn't going to ask you for a bit, you greedy. You might havethought of it without, when you knew I gave you the best bit."
"But I wanted you to have it--you know I did," said Maggie, in aninjured tone.
"Yes; but I wasn't going to do what wasn't fair. But if I go halves,I'll go 'em fair--only I wouldn't be a greedy."
With this Tom jumped down from his bough, and threw a stone with a"hoigh!" to Yap, who had also been looking on wistfully while the jampuff vanished.
Maggie sat still on her bough, and gave herself up to misery. Shewould have given the world not to have eaten all her puff, and to havesaved some of it for Tom. Not but that the puff was very nice; but shewould have gone without it many times over sooner than Tom should callher greedy and be cross with her.
And he had said he wouldn't have it; and she ate it without thinking.How could she help it? The tears flowed so plentifully that Maggie sawnothing around her for the next ten minutes; then she jumped from herbough to look for Tom. He was no longer near her, nor in the paddockbehind the rickyard. Where was he likely to be gone, and Yap with him?
Maggie ran to the high bank against the great holly-tree, where shecould see far away towards the Floss. There was Tom in the distance;but her heart sank again as she saw how far off he was on his way tothe great river, and that he had another companion besides Yap--naughtyBob Jakin, whose task of frightening the birds was just now at astandstill.
It must be owned that Tom was fond of Bob's company. How could it beotherwise? Bob knew, directly he saw a bird's egg, whether it was aswallow's, or a tom-tit's, or a yellow-hammer's; he found out all thewasps' nests, and could set all sorts of traps; he could climb thetrees like a squirrel, and had quite a magical power of findinghedgehogs and stoats; and every holiday-time Maggie was sure to havedays of grief because Tom had gone off with Bob.
Well, there was no help for it. He was gone now, and Maggie couldthink of no comfort but to sit down by the holly, or wander lonely bythe hedgerow, nursing her grief.