cried Tom , forgetting his tribulations for a moment and speaking with lover-like ardour . ` Very nice little person to look at . Hope she is not a Dickens Dora ? That curly crop looks like it . ' ` Not a bit ; she 's very smart ; can keep house , and sew , and do lots of things , I assure you , ma'am . All the girls like her , and she 's sweet-tempered and jolly , and sings like a bird , and dances beautifully , and loves books . Thinks yours are splendid , and made me talk about you no end . ' ` That last sentence is to flatter me and win my help to get you out of the scrape . Tell me first how you got in ' ; and Mrs Jo settled herself to listen with interest , never tired of boys ' affairs . Tom gave his head a rousing rub all over to clear his wits , and plunged into his story with a will . ` Well , we 've met her before , but I did n't know she was there . Demi wanted to see a fellow , so we went , and finding it nice and cool rested over Sunday . Found some pleasant people and went out rowing ; I had Dora , and came to grief on a confounded rock . She could swim , no harm done , only the scare and the spoilt gown . She took it well , and we got friendly at once -- could n't help it , scrambling into that beast of a boat while the rest laughed at us . Of course we had to stay another day to see that Dora was all right . Demi wanted to . Alice Heath is down there and two other girls from our college , so we sort of lingered along , and Demi kept taking pictures , and we danced , and got into a tennis tournament ; and that was as good exercise as wheeling , we thought . Fact is , tennis is a dangerous game , ma'am . A great deal of courting goes on in those courts , and we fellows find that sort of `` serving '' mighty agreeable , do n't you know ? '
` Not much tennis in my day , but I understand perfectly , ' said Mrs XXXXX , enjoying it all as much as Tom did .
Demi Dora Heath Jo Tom ardour day first right rowing