`` Oh , she liked it , and she kissed me , and I liked it . Do n't little boys like little girls ? '' asked Demi , with his mouth full , and an air of bland satisfaction . `` You precocious chick ! Who put that into your head ? '' said Jo , enjoying the innocent revelation as much as the Professor . '' 'T is n't in mine head , it 's in mine mouf , '' answered literal Demi , putting out his tongue , with a chocolate drop on it , thinking she alluded to confectionery , not ideas . `` Thou shouldst save some for the little friend . Sweets to the sweet , mannling , '' and Mr. Bhaer offered Jo some , with a look that made her wonder if chocolate was not the nectar drunk by the gods . Demi also saw the smile , was impressed by it , and artlessy inquired . . . `` Do great boys like great girls , to , ` Fessor ? '' Like young Washington , Mr. Bhaer ` could n't tell a lie ' , so he gave the somewhat vague reply that he believed they did sometimes , in a tone that made Mr. March put down his clothesbrush , glance at Jo 's retiring face , and then sink into his chair , looking as if the ` precocious chick ' had put an idea into his head that was both sweet and sour . Why Dodo , when she caught him in the china closet half an hour afterward , nearly squeezed the breath out of his little body with a tender embrace , instead of shaking him for being there , and why she followed up this novel performance by the unexpected gift of a big slice of bread and jelly , remained one of the problems over which Demi puzzled his small wits , and was forced to leave unsolved forever . CHAPTER FORTY-SIX UNDER THE UMBRELLA While Laurie and Amy were taking conjugal strolls over velvet carpets , as they set their house in order , and planned a blissful future , Mr. Bhaer and Jo were enjoying promenades of a different sort , along muddy roads and sodden fields . `` I always do take a walk toward evening , and I do n't know why I should give it up , just because I happen to meet the Professor on his way out , '' said Jo to herself , after two or three encounters , for though there were two paths to Meg 's whichever one she took she was sure to meet him , either going or returning . He was always walking rapidly , and never seemed to see her until quite close , when he would look as if his short-sighted eyes had failed to recognize the approaching lady till that moment . Then , if she was going to Meg 's he always had something for the babies . If her face was turned homeward , he had merely strolled down to see the river , and was just returning , unless they were tired of his frequent calls .
Under the circumstances , what could XXXXX do but greet him civilly , and invite him in ?
Amy Bhaer Demi Dodo Jo Meg Washington confectionery evening mannling