The old lady would n't speak to them for a time , but happening to meet Jo at a friend 's , something in her comical face and blunt manners struck the old lady 's fancy , and she proposed to take her for a companion . This did not suit Jo at all , but she accepted the place since nothing better appeared and , to every one 's surprise , got on remarkably well with her irascible relative . There was an occasional tempest , and once Jo marched home , declaring she could n't bear it longer , but Aunt March always cleared up quickly , and sent for her to come back again with such urgency that she could not refuse , for in her heart she rather liked the peppery old lady . I suspect that the real attraction was a large library of fine books , which was left to dust and spiders since Uncle March died . Jo remembered the kind old gentleman , who used to let her build railroads and bridges with his big dictionaries , tell her stories about queer pictures in his Latin books , and buy her cards of gingerbread whenever he met her in the street . The dim , dusty room , with the busts staring down from the tall bookcases , the cozy chairs , the globes , and best of all , the wilderness of books in which she could wander where she liked , made the library a region of bliss to her . The moment Aunt March took her nap , or was busy with company , Jo hurried to this quiet place , and curling herself up in the easy chair , devoured poetry , romance , history , travels , and pictures like a regular bookworm . But , like all happiness , it did not last long , for as sure as she had just reached the heart of the story , the sweetest verse of a song , or the most perilous adventure of her traveler , a shrill voice called , `` Josy-phine ! Josy-phine ! '' and she had to leave her paradise to wind yarn , wash the poodle , or read Belsham 's Essays by the hour together . Jo 's ambition was to do something very splendid . What it was , she had no idea as yet , but left it for time to tell her , and meanwhile , found her greatest affliction in the fact that she could n't read , run , and ride as much as she liked . A quick temper , sharp tongue , and restless spirit were always getting her into scrapes , and her life was a series of ups and downs , which were both comic and pathetic . But the training she received at Aunt March 's was just what she needed , and the thought that she was doing something to support herself made her happy in spite of the perpetual `` Josy-phine ! '' Beth was too bashful to go to school . It had been tried , but she suffered so much that it was given up , and she did her lessons at home with her father . Even when he went away , and her mother was called to devote her skill and energy to Soldiers ' Aid Societies , Beth went faithfully on by herself and did the best she could . She was a housewifely little creature , and helped Hannah keep home neat and comfortable for the workers , never thinking of any reward but to be loved . Long , quiet days she spent , not lonely nor idle , for her little world was peopled with imaginary friends , and she was by nature a busy bee . There were six dolls to be taken up and dressed every morning , for Beth was a child still and loved her pets as well as ever .
Not one whole or handsome one among them , all were outcasts till Beth XXXXX them in , for when her sisters outgrew these idols , they passed to her because Amy would have nothing old or ugly .
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