And accordingly, repaired to the back of the house, and took
their stand under the schoolroom window. The schoolroom was on the
first floor, but the house was raised some distance from the ground by
means of stone pillars, so none of the children were tall enough to
see into the room.
Dilsey called Diddie softly, and the little girl appeared at the
window.
"Have you said your lesson yet?" asked Dumps.
"No, an' I ain't ergoin' to, neither," answered Diddie.
"An' yer ain't had yer dinner, nuther, is yer, Miss Diddie?" asked
Dilsey.
"No; but I don't care 'bout that; I sha'n't say my lesson not ef she
starves me clean ter death."
At this dismal prospect, the tears sprang to Tot's eyes, and saying,
"I'll dit it, Diddie; don' yer min', I'll dit it," she ran as fast as
her little feet could carry her to the kitchen, and told Aunt Mary,
the cook, that "Diddie is sut up; dey lock her all up in de woom, an'
s'e neber had no dinner, an' s'e's starve mos' ter def. Miss Tawwy
done it, and s'e's des ez mean!" Then, putting her chubby little arms
around Aunt Mary's neck, she added, "Please sen' Diddie some dinner."
And Aunt Mary, who loved the children, rose from the low chair on
which she was sitting to eat her own dinner, and, picking out a nice
piece of fried chicken and a baked sweet potato, with a piece of bread
and a good slice of ginger pudding, she put them on a plate for the
child.
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