`Well done, little 'un,' said Mr Tulliver, laughing, while Tom felt rather disgusted with Maggie's knowingness, though beyond measure cheerful at the thought that she was going to stay with him. Her conceit would soon be overawed by the actual inspection of his books.
Mrs Stelling, in her pressing invitation, did not mention a longer time than a week for Maggie's stay, but Mr Stelling, who took her between his knees and asked her where she stole her dark eyes from, insisted that she must stay a fortnight. Maggie thought Mr Stelling was a charming man, and Mr Tulliver was quite proud to leave his little wench where she would have an opportunity of showing her cleverness to appreciating strangers. So it was agreed that she should not be fetched home till the end of the fortnight.
`Now then, come with me into the study, Maggie,' said Tom, as their father drove away. `What do you shake and toss your head now for, you silly?' he continued; for though her hair was now under a new dispensation and was brushed smoothly behind her ears, she seemed still in imagination to be tossing it out of her eyes. `It makes you look as if you were crazy.'
`O, I can't help it,' said Maggie impatiently. `Don't tease me, Tom. O what books!' she exclaimed, as she saw the bookcases in the study. `How I should like to have as many books as that!'
`Why, you couldn't read one of 'em,' said Tom, triumphantly. `They're all Latin.'
`No, they aren't,' said Maggie. `I can read the back of this... History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.'
`Well, what does that mean? You don't know,' said Tom, wagging his head.
`But I could soon find out,' said Maggie, scornfully.
`Why, how?'
`I should look inside and see what it was about.'
`You'd better not, Miss Maggie,' said Tom, seeing her hand on the volume. `Mr Stelling lets nobody touch his books without leave, and I shall catch it, if you take it out.'
`O very well! Let me see all your books, then,' said Maggie, turning to throw her arms round Tom's neck, and rub his cheek with her small round nose.
Tom, in the gladness of his heart at having dear old Maggie to dispute with and crow over again, seized her round the waist and began to jump with her round the large library table. Away they jumped with more and more vigour, till Maggie's hair flew from behind her ears and twirled about like an animated mop. But the revolutions round the table became more and more irregular in their sweep, till at last reaching Mr Stelling's reading-stand, they sent it thundering down with its heavy lexicons to the floor. Happily it was the ground-floor, and the study was a one-storied wing to the house, so that the downfall made no alarming resonance, though Tom stood dizzy and aghast for a few minutes, dreading the appearance of Mr or Mrs Stelling.
`O, I say, Maggie,' said Tom at last, lifting up the stand, `we must keep quiet here, you know. If we break anything, Mrs Stelling 'll make us cry peccavi.'
`What's that?' said Maggie.
`O it's the Latin for a good scolding,' said Tom, not without some pride in his knowledge.
`Is she a cross woman?' said Maggie.
`I believe you!' said Tom, with an emphatic nod.