Jo had burned the skin off her nose boating , and got a raging headache by reading too long . Beth was worried by the confusion of her closet and the difficulty of learning three or four songs at once , and Amy deeply regretted the damage done her frock , for Katy Brown 's party was to be the next day and now like Flora McFlimsey , she had ` nothing to wear ' . But these were mere trifles , and they assured their mother that the experiment was working finely . She smiled , said nothing , and with Hannah 's help did their neglected work , keeping home pleasant and the domestic machinery running smoothly . It was astonishing what a peculiar and uncomfortable state of things was produced by the ` resting and reveling ' process . The days kept getting longer and longer , the weather was unusually variable and so were tempers ; an unsettled feeling possessed everyone , and Satan found plenty of mischief for the idle hands to do . As the height of luxury , Meg put out some of her sewing , and then found time hang so heavily , that she fell to snipping and spoiling her clothes in her attempts to furbish them up a la Moffat . Jo read till her eyes gave out and she was sick of books , got so fidgety that even good-natured Laurie had a quarrel with her , and so reduced in spirits that she desperately wished she had gone with Aunt March . Beth got on pretty well , for she was constantly forgetting that it was to be all play and no work , and fell back into her old ways now and then . But something in the air affected her , and more than once her tranquility was much disturbed , so much so that on one occasion she actually shook poor dear Joanna and told her she was ' a fright ' . Amy fared worst of all , for her resources were small , and when her sisters left her to amuse herself , she soon found that accomplished and important little self a great burden . She did n't like dolls , fairy tales were childish , and one could n't draw all the time . Tea parties did n't amount to much , neither did picnics , unless very well conducted . `` If one could have a fine house , full of nice girls , or go traveling , the summer would be delightful , but to stay at home with three selfish sisters and a grown-up boy was enough to try the patience of a Boaz , '' complained Miss Malaprop , after several days devoted to pleasure , fretting , and ennui . No one would own that they were tired of the experiment , but by Friday night each acknowledged to herself that she was glad the week was nearly done . Hoping to impress the lesson more deeply , Mrs. March , who had a good deal of humor , resolved to finish off the trial in an appropriate manner , so she gave Hannah a holiday and let the girls enjoy the full effect of the play system . When they got up on Saturday morning , there was no fire in the kitchen , no breakfast in the dining room , and no mother anywhere to be seen . `` Mercy on us ! What has happened ? '' cried Jo , staring about her in dismay .
XXXXX ran upstairs and soon came back again , looking relieved but rather bewildered , and a little ashamed .
Beth Hannah Joanna Malaprop McFlimsey Meg Moffat days night trifles