<% 7 Kj/A yv/yy/ // // DO PLEASE SIT DOWN, THERE'S A GOOD MOTHER BUNCH, AND TELL ME ALL ABOUT THEM !" 1S0 xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PACE LUCY HAT) A GREAT SNEEZING PIT, AND WHEN BHB LOOKED AGAIN INTO THE SMOKE, WHAT DID BHB BEE BUT TWO LITTLE BLACK FIGURES ! 1S3 " I'M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU : HUSH, don! don't BARK bo" 1S6 "I CAN EAT MUCH BETTER WITHOUT," SAID LAVO .... 191 LAVO HAD CLIMBED UP THE SIDE OF THE DOOR, AND WAS SITTING ASTRIDE ON THE TUP OF IT 194 "All! CECCO, CECCO ! " CRIED THE LITTLE GIRL, PAU8ING AS SHE BEAT HER TAMBOURINE 199 "IS THAT THE WAY YOU GET FISH?" SHE ASKED .... 204 "HELP ME: I'M AFRAID," SAID LUCY 210 HARK ! THERE'S A CRY, AND OUT JUMPS A LITTLE BLACK FIGURE, WITH A STOUT CLUB IN HIS HAND 215 AND HERE BESIDE HER WAS A LITTLE FELLOW WITH A BOW AND ARROW8 SUCH As BHB HAD NEVER BEEN BEFORE 221 "IS IT NOT GOOD?" SAID THE LITTLE HOSTESS 228 WHISKING OVER THE SNOW, WITH ALL HER MIGHT AND MAIN, MUFFLED UP IN CLOAK8 AND FURS 232 "MARRIED] on mi, TOU ARE JOKING*' 2oi) " I WILL snow YOU WHERE YOU LIVE— THIS Is CONSTAN- TINOPLE" 245 "I CUT II OUT WITH MY KNIFE: ALL MYSELF " 251 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xiii TAGE WHILE HE JERKED OUT HIS ARMS AND LEGS AS IF THEY WERE PULLED BY STRINGS 2o5 "SEE NOW," CRIED THE SPANIARD J "STAND THERE ! All ! HAVE YOU NO CASTANETS ? " 263 "WHAT ARE YOU ABOUT, LITTLE BOY?" 266 <• AH ! MADEMOISELLE, GOOD MORNING J ARE YOU COME HERE TO TAKE SHELTER FROM THE SHELLS?" 272 WHAT CAN THAT BE, COM ING AT THIS TIME OF DAY?" . 277 "GOOD MORNING, WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?" 2S0 2S5 OH ! SUCH A DIN $'s anli a's OK THE QUESTION OF PUTTING UPON H's antr ^'s OR THE QUESTION OF PUTTING UPON CHAPTER I PALMER-WORM PARK Four roofs sloping down together left in the midst a small space, a little more than a yard square, and somewhat enlarged by an attic window opening upon it from one of the roofs. On the lead which covered the said flat space stood various flower- pots and boxes filled with earth, and with a framework covered with muslin or net stretched over them. Among them knelt a girl of thirteen, big, dark, rosy, the wind playing with her immense bush of black, rather rusty hair, as with a brown % B S PERNIl chap. holland apron over her morning frock, and the frame removed from one of the pots, Bhe was busied in removing with a camel's hair brush, certain green, yellow-banded caterpillars from a withered oak branch to a fresh one talking to them in do very civil terms as slio did so: "You horrid little plague, come along! What do you stick so fast for'. Have you 1< »st your appetite? You can't live on earners hair, you know ! Off with you ! You goose, you! Don't you know if you go climbing you'll find nothing but slates, and the swallows will swallow you, and there'll be an end of you ! Come along, you sulky thing! Get on the brush, I say; I won't have any tricks. Curling yourself in a ball, indeed. Tumbling down! No! Keep your spinning for your cocoon. Don't wast.' it that way, I say— Wah! I shall pinch you! Oh, dear: Horace ought to give me the first silk gown off you, when he's made his fortune!" • Paula ! " called a voice below in the room. "Well, what?" • Miss Lillywhite's come." « >!,. bother ' I can'1 come, I'm doing the i PALMER-WORM PARK 3 " But Persis sent me." " Bother Persis ! Get upon your leaf, you nasty little wriggler." " But Elspeth said she couldn't have you always late for lessons." " Bother Elspeth ! You made that one tumble down ! Here, come up and help me, Alie." " But, Paulina, Elspeth said she couldn't have Miss Lillywhite kept waiting." "She must, then. I'm not going to starve all Horace's Pemii to please her ! Lilly may hear the little ones — There's a brush for you." "But Elspeth hears them," said the younger sister, who nevertheless had obeyed, standing on a chair, with her legs within the window, and her body and head out, a lighter, paler head than Paulina's, with brown hair and eyes. " Nobody asked her," was Paulina's reply. " Here, you take and do this branch — carefully, mind."' Pemii — or, more properly, Borribyx Per nil — is, it should be observed, the name of a lar^e kind of silkworm, which lives upon oak leaves, and spins a handsome oreen cocoon. Some egGrs had been entrusted to Horace Quintall, and were to be the B 2 4 ON THE QUADRANGLE chat. foundation of his fortune— only, as lie was at school himself, the care had to be left to his sis- ters. To shift small green caterpillars from one oak-leaf to another may not be in itself the most delightful occupation in life, but at any rate it is so far preferable to lessons, that Aline was much readier than she would have been half an hour ago to assist Paulina in the operation. "How they crawl! Have they changed their skins again ? " " Yes, and eaten them up." " I say ! How many there are to do ! Won't Miss Lilly white be in a way ? " "Never mind. There's plenty of time for our lessons; and as long as there's that, she has no right to complain. She never used before Sisters came home, and I won't be on my P's and Q's to please their fidgets. I wonder they haven't called yet-" "Ah! s1m ; s foUring to Sisters," said Aline. "Talking! What about?" said Paulina, with a jerk, as if Bhe disliked the notion. Alx. ut all s.mis of things. She was telling them i PALMER- WORM PARK 5 about Horace going to Prince's Quay last year, to the regatta." "What business had she to tell them about that ? " " It is very cross of her ; but she did begin some- thing about the regatta, and she thought they ought to know " " Now I do declare that's sneaking and spiteful ! " cried Paulina, stamping her foot on the hard black leaden roof, so that the pots and glasses rang. "What has she got to do with Horace? I'll pay her out ! What more ? " " I don't know. They sent me away to look for you." " Ay, to have their plot out ! But I'll be even with them. I won't have Horace put upon and hindered of his pleasures." " You know Mrs. Peterson did make a great fuss last year." " I know she did, old cross patch. What busi- ness had she poking in her nose and worrying ? He should go, if it was only to give her a lesson." " Papa didn't know about it." 6 PERSIS chap. " No, of course not. Who was going to be such a sneak as to tell him what the Petersons and all the lot of them might choose to make up? Take care, A.lie; you'll let that one drop " Aline did let it drop, giving a greal start as a step was heard on the floor behind, and a dear, quiet voice said, "Are you here, Aline Paula?" " Yes, changing the Pernii" called back Paulina. " Oh, those silkworms ! Can't they be done at any other time ? " " No," said Paulina, in a displeased tone ; " their boughs die, and that would kill them." " Then I think you ought to begin earlier in the day. Have you nearly done ? Perhaps I could help you, and then you could get down by the time Olive has finished her scales." " Oh do, Persis dear," cried Aline, crawling through the window out upon the roof to make way for her, though not without a gruff growl of warning from Paulina that sin- would upset all the pots, and that there was net another brush. However, there appeared through the window the bead and Bhoulders of another young lady, not un- like Aline, only grown ill', and with the Soft brOWD I PALMER-WORM PARK 7 hair coiled round her head instead of flying loose. "Are there many more ? I could help you through them," she said, as she mounted the chair ; and though neither girl gave up the brush to her, she managed so well with leaves and fingers, that the sulkiest green caterpillars crawled where they ought as she coaxed them : " Come, my finger can't be half so nice as that fresh oak ! There ! On the edere. Put them on the edo'es and under side, Alie ; they like that best. Here, my pretty green fellow ! " Paulina thawed and brightened again as the Pcrnii began to accept their new lodgment ; and when Persis offered to come and help for half an hour before breakfast, she agreed to it thankfully, feeling that Persis was as well convinced as herself that no trouble was too great to be taken on behalf of Horace, their only boy. She even had a great mind to ask Persis about Aline's story of Miss Lillywhite's tales, but she had a natural distrust of all grown-up people, and she could never quite tell whether to count Persis as belonging to her own side or to that of — should she call it the enemy? And before the self-debate was over, another voice was heard — 8 QUICK ! CHAP I. " Children — Paulina ! Aline ! Where have you hidden yourselves ? Miss Lillywhite is waiting ! Persis ! — what, you here too ? All come up like the family in die Huge Else?" u Here's die Huge Else herself," said Persis, making them all laugh. "No, we aren't weeping, Elsie; we're only in Palmer-worm Park, doing Horace's masnjots ! We've all but done." " It must not be done in lesson-time," said the clear, resolute voice from within — not sharply or unkindly, but with a sound as if it would be obeyed. " Only this once. You see it's a matter of life and death to the worms. W 7 e are going to have a spell at them before breakfast in future." " Only don't catch cold, Persis. Make haste, now ; and remember, Paulina, lesson-time must not be encroached upon again. It is not right by Papa or by Miss Lillywhite." There was a very grey cloud over Paulinas face as ahe shook her head with a t<-ss bark wards, and muttered something thai Persis did not choose to hear. CHAPTER II THE QUINTALLS Mr. Quint all was one of the partners in the Peterskirk Bank, and lived in an old brick house, with a large walled garden and paddock, a little way out of the town, just so far that Miss Lilly white always went and came by the omnibus ; and he did the same on wet days. Elspeth and Persis were the children of his first wife, who had died when they were almost babies, and their grandmother. Mrs. Trefusis, had taken them to her home at Kew, where they had lived with her and their aunts through all their childhood, only making visits at home every year. Paulina, Horace, Aline, and the two little ones, Olive, and Clare, were the children of the second wife. She had had a great deal of bad health, and died just as Paulina was thirteen. The children were still in mourning for her, and sometimes 10 THE KEW SISTERS chap. thought sorrowfully of "poor Mamma," but she had never been able to do much for them, and they did not miss her as many children would miss their mothers. At the time of her death Elspeth and Persia had been in the South of France. Their grand- mother had lately died, and one of their aunts had been so much worn out by nursing her. as to have to go abroad for her health, taking them with her. They ottered to come home to their father at once ; but as Persis was rather delicate, and a winter abroad was very good fur her, Mr. Quintall would not consent to this, though he accepted their pro- posal to return in the spring and take care of the house and of their brother and sisters. In their visits they had always shown themselves very kind sisters. They had played with the younger ones, told them stories, described sights in London, — yes, and even had Paulina to stay at l\.\v twice, and Horace once, for a week together, and shown everything to them; nor did they ever forgel to send charming letters and presents on the birth- days. So the younger ones had all Looked forward bo their return Paulina especially. She was a n THE QUINTALLS 11 sensible girl, and felt that things were not going on well, and that they ought to be set to rights ; while, if she tried to do so, it always ended in a quarrel with one or other of the servants, generally in their teasing her about the fine times she would have when her half-sisters came. Then she would not lord it about the house, and be Miss Quintall. She would soon find the difference, and have to take care of her P's and Q's. Even Paulina's cousins, the Proudfoots, who lived in the country, pitied her, and seemed to think she would be a sort of Cinderella. They told her that Elspeth and Persis were stuck-up fine ladies, grand and scornful, and that this was the reason that her own mamma would never let them live at home. But Paulina did not think much of Henrietta and Georgina Proudfoot : they had never been very nice girls, and she was pleased to belong to sisters whom she could believe superior to any one in Peterskirk, certainly equal in look and style even to Miss Poins, the daughter of the principal partner, who had a grand park. No, she was not a bit afraid of them. They were her own dear bio- beautiful sisters, real ladies ; 12 PROUDFOOT OPINIONS chap. and people might talk of P's and Q's aa much as they pleased, she knew slie should be happy with them. And was she ? It was six weeks since their first coming, and it no longer seemed as it' they were company. Were Henny and Georgie Proudfoot right ? Paulina had stood by "Sisters" with all her might in the great battle with Emma the house- maid, who had flatly refused to exert herself to get the drawing-room into a state to sit in every day. " She had never been used to it," for Mrs. Quintall, when she did come down stairs, used to sit in the dining-room and keep the drawing-room blinded and swathed up. That battle-royal, and one or two more, had ended in Emma's going away, with some very strong language as to Miss Paulina's ingratitude in worshipping the rising sun, and hopes that she would repent it. Nay, Paulina had endured, and very reasonably, the having the canary-birds' cages, with all their apparatus of newspaper, turned oul of the sunny window in the dining-room. Perhaps she bore it all the better because Aline wenl into fits of crying ii THE QUINT ALLS 13 at the banishment of her dear little Dick. But it went hard with her when Elspeth objected to having Ponto fed indoors. Ponto was Horace's dog, and any interference with Horace's concerns was not to be borne. Horace was at school about three miles off on the other side of Peterskirk, but he came home from Saturday to Monday, and Saturday afternoons were the happy times of his sisters' life — at least so they thought from Monday morning till Saturday noon, and then — however it was with Paulina, Aline's happiness was not quite so certain a thing. Indeed, the way the sisters behaved about Aline was one of the things that was doing most to change Paulina's views about them. Was not Aline a stupid, fretful little thing, apt to cry for nothing ? And what business had Persis to come flying down with her cheeks in a flame to spoil Horace's amusement, when he was only just exploding a few caps to teach the child to stand fire ? Why should Elspeth interfere when he rubbed out the sum that had just been finished, to teach her not to be such a dawdle ? Horrid little thing, she had found it 14 PHKSACKS CHAP. out too, or why did she Dot bear her tortures meekly, as she ought to do, and always had done hitherto, but cry and roar till '-Sisters" came down to scold poor Horace, and carry her off to spoil her ? Nay, had not Elspeth even pronounced that Aline would play the best, if Paulina did not take more pains? It was plain that they were making a favourite, and that was very unjust and unfair, not to be borne or submitted to for a moment ! Nurse herself, and Miss Lillywhito, like all former governesses, were always blaming Aline for whining and being idle, and was all this to be turned upside down, and the child only coaxed when she was tiresome '. Then poor little Clare, who used to play all day in peace, was caught and pinned down in the morning to learn to read, instead of only saying the names of a few letters when she pleased! And if sin- refused, these cruel sisters would even put her in tin- comer! It all came into Paulina's head now as she changed the Pemii, and she began to say t<» herself,"If I tad only known, [*d never have been bo Eflad to Bee them ! Yes, 1 n THE QUINTALLS 15 how it is— just as Henny said— pretending to be nice at first, till they have wormed them- selves in, and then setting Papa against us poor children. But I'll be even with them, that I will, and Horace shan't miss the regatta." But when Persis so good-humouredly showed her the last green caterpillar on his fresh leaf, she quite started at the break into her thoughts, and the start blew away a great many of them. Nay, when Persis looked round at Horace's room, to which the window belonged, and wondered whether a cabinet for his birds' -eggs would not please him for his next birthday present, she began to forget what enemies her sisters were. After all, Aline had only beard a little of what Miss Lillywhite was saying, and everybody knew that Aline's versions of a story were not to be depended upon. Paulina never did believe them unless she wanted to have a grievance. The story of the last regatta, as far as Paulina knew it, was this : — These boat-races took place at Prince's Quay, a place about nine miles from Peterskirk, upon the 28th of June, the Coronation-day, which was always a holiday at Horace's school, and it 16 PAPA chap. was the custom of the boys to make up parties, and go down by railway in the morning and return in the evening. The very carefally-brought-up boys, such as the clergyman's sons, the Browns — whose mother was a very strict widow — and one or two more, never went ; but it was the young people's fashion to pity them very much, and call their parents very unkind, and nobody had ever made any objection to Horace's joining the party. Last year all the younger population knew that the set Horace had gone with had got into a great scrape. Tom Drake, one of the seniors, had come back with two undeniable black eyes, which he had had in a fight with a sailor-boy; all the rest seemed t<> bave had something that was not at all good for them, and tumbled up stairs and into bed somehow. Most had very bad headaches the next day, and some fathers were reported t<» have declared they would never let their Bons go again; but as one or other said so every Bummer and always forgol it the next, this did nol much trouble any one. Mr. Quintal] was always a busy man. He had ii THE QUINTALLS 17 much more to do with the management of the bank than Mr. Poms, and was often at work beyond office hours. Then he went to the reading-room, or out riding, and never came home till late. When his wife had been tolerably well, he would take her out for a drive, and he used to sit with her in the evening; but the children were very little with him, and scarcely knew him. He had been less with them than ever since their mother's death, and they had no notion of telling or asking him anything. Yet, since Elspeth and Persis had come home, they had seen more of him. He sat in the drawing- room in the evening, and liked their music, though he generally went to sleep, and he talked more than of late. Paulina heard people say that he was recovering his spirits, and that his daughters were doing him a great deal of good. It is not quite certain that this delighted Paulina as much as it ought to have done. She did not like to think her half-sisters were brightening the home more than she could have done — nay, perhaps than her own Mamma. She felt cross over it. CHAPTER III QUACK COMMON "The Pemii are quite well, Horace." " Persis comes up and helps us change tlicui every morning." " All right ! Look here, Polly." " What a horrid-looking thing, and how it smells. What is it?" " Fancy your not knowing 1 It's a great moth caterpillar." " How did you get him ? " " Oh ! a fellow got it and didn't want it, and I swapped my umbrella for it, because he'd broken his nose." " His nose ! " "His umbrella's nose, stupid, trying to poke ou1 a woodpecker's nest." "But what will you do for an umbrella ? M chap, in QUACK COMMON 19 " Oh ! I've got his ; 'tis just as much use, you sec, and they were just alike at first, only his father is a Turk, and would blow him up no end, for it is the fourth humhcrclla that he has come to grief with this term." "And you traded on greater endurance?" said Elspeth, looking up from her drawing. "I knew you were a jolly old sis," said Horace with a hug. " And that creature ? " asked Persis ; " I hope he is to go out on the leads." " Oh, yes, only I must take him in in the winter. He lives in wood, and he'll eat for a year or two. and then change." " And will he go on smelling all that time ? " asked Aline disconsolately. " Or being smelt," put in Elspeth. " Well, I don't think he's at all nasty," Paulina's general spirit of opposition tempted her to say. " Polly shall have him put in a bottle and carry him round her neck for a scent," cried Horace. " Luckily that wouldn't agree with him any more than with us," said Elspeth. " Come, take him away to Palmer Park, Horace, there's a good boy." c2 20 QUALMS chap. 11 Wouldn't you like one more good sniff?"' quoth Borace, holding the box with the disgusting red animal close to her nose ; an infliction which Elspeth bore with laughing good humour, for she was ex- ceedingly fond of her only brother, but she defended Persia from the like. " No, no, Horace ; don't. Persie can't stand so much as I can. Take the monster away ; he'll make her faint." And still merrily, though resolutely, Elspeth sailed along between Horace and Persis, with whom Aline had taken refuge, defending them with outspread dress from the raid which the boy showed himself ready to attempt. He ran laughing up stairs, Paulina keeping close behind him. "Elsie always makes such a fuss about Persie !" she said. "Well, Persie is a tender piece of goods, ain't she '. ' said Horace. " I don't see it ; and Alio is getting affected, and will be just as bad, and they encourage her in it." "Holloa : what's the row V '• Why, just fancy — Elspeth came out quite angry because I had taken the candle and Kit Alie in HI QUACK "COMMON 21 the dark, and she chose to set up one of her roarings 1 A great girl like that ! If it had been little Clare i' would have been absurd enough ; but Persia coaxed her and petted her just as if she had been a baby. It is quite true, Horace ; they are making a favourite." " Holloa ! I wonder if this privet-hawk wants to change," said Horace, kneeling on the leads, and caring a great deal more for the fat green cater- pillar striped with purple and white, and with a horn on his tail, than for home affairs. " Oh no, he's not half big enough. And, Horace — " "I don't see the lackey." " I think he is shrivelling up to nothing." " Oh ! hurrah ! these black fellows of the Red Admiral are jolly." " There again ! Persis never lets Aline gather the nettles for them ; she always docs it herself." " That's rather jolly of her." " Only it is spoiling Aline." "Then I'll unspoil her. I say, what a famous net frame this is ! Ill be bound Persis made that." " Well, she did, — at least I helped ! But do you know, Horace " 22 PAPILIOMANLft chap. •■ ( >h. Polly : " he interrupted, for as a general rule people are alwaya much more eager to tell their own news than to hear other people's, "Harding says one can get silver- washed fritillaries by the dozen on Quack Common! I must get over there as soon as ever there's a holiday. Would there be time on a Saturday?" "Hardly, if you walked. But, Horace, I was going to tell you, that horrid Lilly has been at Sisters about the Regatta day, and you're to be prevented from going to Prince's Quay." "Eh! That's meanness of the last description," said Horace, but with a careless tone that did not lit the strong voice. "Did you hear father say so?" " No, but Alie heard Sisters and Miss Lillywhite balking." "Oh! if it is only Ali< — Besides, T don't knew whether 1 shouldn't go after the silver-washed." said the butterfly-mad boy. "You won't be allowed to go anywhere," said Paulina, half provoked at Dot being able to get up a hardship. " Mrs. Hill, and Mr. Cunard, and all the rest of the cross ones, will ask Mr. Quick not in QUACK COMMON 23 to give a holiday, and Elspeth will go and put up Papa to do the same." What made Paulina talk in this way it is really difficult to tell, but when people have begun to get up a nice little grievance, it is provoking not to have it perceived or made much of by other people. She succeeded so far as to make Horace say, " She'd be an uncommon cross toad if she did then." But it was spoken in an absent sort of way ; he was counting his oak-eating silkworms all the time. " It would be very cross ! quite unjustifiable. You have always had a holiday, and I'll not see you cheated of it. I know how I'll manage." " All right," said Horace ; " only don't upset that hopdog." Horace had a great deal of faith in Paulina ; she was a year older than he, and, from having been much with her Mamma, was a good deal older in mind and ways, and she had often begged him off in scrapes, and obtained pleasures for him. He knew his cause was safe in her hands, and, so far as he cared about it at all, felt secure ; but it was only too plain that what nurse called " they nasty jmlmers" were far nearer his heart than all t lie boats PROVOKING? chap, m in the regatta, So Long as lie had his holiday he did no1 heed whether he went to Prince's Quay or not; in fact, as he was not likely to meet any butterflies, moths, or caterpillars there, he did not by any means feel called in that direction. Never was there a more unpromising ^ri.-v.-inr,- ; CHAPTER IV PETS Might not Horace be more safe and as happy with- out the Prince's Quay Regatta ? That thought was borne in upon Paulina's mind when she awoke early on Sunday morning with the sun peeping pleasantly in behind the blinds. As- suredly Elspeth and Persis would say so, and the better self urged that it would be a sad thing to let him run into the way of temptation. But then it would be giving in ; it would be letting one's self be put upon ; it would be allowing the Sisters once to begin, and then there was no knowing when they would stop. Horace would be deprived of all his pleasures, and they would be as dull and stupid as the Airlies. Yes, but suppose he did get into mischief ! Knock. " Yes, Susan." Enter Susan to draw up the blinds. 26 PILLOAVS chap. • Seven o'clock, Miss Paulina." " Oh ! very well," in a sleepy voice. " Your sisters are getting up, Miss Paulina. It is quite time." " Don't bother about my sisters, Susan ; I shall be io time." Now Elspeth and Persia liked to go to the early service at St. Paul's Church — the new one — at half- past seven, and they trusted to Paulina to be down stairs, make the tea, and have things ready so that their father, who generally came down at a quarter to nine on a Sunday morning, might find everything in order, even if they should be a few minutes late. They had asked her kindly, and she had been pleased, and had always hitherto been quite in time, but Susan's interruption somehow vexed her. "Making me get up early to do their work," said she to herself. " Why can't they stay at home ? I don't like being put upon ! I'll get up presently — there's lots of time." However, lets of time have an unaccountable manner of slipping away when one has a soft pillow, and the next thing Paulina was sure of Was Susan at the .leei-. 'Miss Paula! Miss Paula' There 1 I tv PETS 27 told you so. Asleep again! Oh, dear ! it is half- past eight o'clock ! " "I shall be ready quite in time," said Paulina, defiantly jumping up, recollecting that in old times she should hardly have viewed this as being late. A great scurry she had ; but hastily washed, hastily brushed, and what was worse, with hastily gabbled prayers, hurried over after she had heard her father's step on the stairs, she ran down the broad old stair, just as Elspeth, with her bonnet on, was making the tea, and her father blaming her with some sharpness for not being content to stay at home, but running about to strange churches, breaking up all the hours of the family. " I am afraid we are later than usual, Papa," said Elspeth. " Oh, Paula ! did not you make the tea ? " Paulina felt angry at the reproachful tone. " It's not my business now," she answered pertly. " The child is right," said Mr. Quintall. " Duties you have taken on yourself are not to be put off on her whenever you choose to leave them. I'll have no more of this gadding about before breakfast." "Oh, Papa!" exclaimed Persis, who had already a great tear on each cheek. 88 ST. PAUL'S chap. "No, indeed! It is too much for you already. You arc knocked up for the day. Elspetb should have known better." " Indeed, Papa " " Nonsense ! Don't I see her made almost hys~ terical ? It is just the self-willed foolish way young women act ! Now listen, both of you. Since nothing else will do, I forbid you to be running off to St. Paul's in this wild manner, as if your parish church was not good enough for you. Do you hear ? " " Yes, Papa," said Elspeth, looking up ; " but per- haps you do not quite know what a privation this would be to us." " I know that what sufficed for your mother — ay, and mine before her, good women as ever lived — may suffice for you, and I will have it so." By this time Aline, frightened at her father's loud voice and at Persis' silent choking and strug- gling with tears, began to sob, and that put an end to it. "Novel- mind, my little Aline," said her father; "hush! nobody is angry with you;" and he heaped her plate with marmalade. To set.' tin- elder sisters blamed was certainly new and wonderful, and en the whole it is to be feared IV PETS 29 that Paulina was rather entertained ; and certainly, whatever twinge she felt, she did not choose to think herself guilty of having caused it all by not having come down in time to make the preparations. At least she so entirely expected to be blamed, that she had got her defence ready, and was quite determined not to care. Horace had drummed on the end of the table with the handle of his knife all the time it was croino- on, but now that Aline was pacified, Persis carried off her own bonnet and Elspeth's, and presently returned with somewhat red eyes ; but as Mr. Quintall began to talk as usual, the two daughters answered him, and the breakfast went on as if the subject was over. Then Horace eagerly claimed Persis' assistance in Palmer- worm Park, and away she went, followed by Aline, with a little hand stealing into hers. Horace was perhaps extra civil in helping Persis through the window, and, when he saw her anxious about her crape, getting a chair for her to sit upon in moderate cleanliness ; and he made a great deal of fun, to which she responded brightly, and wholly amused by the sight of the beautiful cocoon which 30 PATIENCE chap. the hopdog was spinning — a delicate apple-green fellow, with white tooth-brush tufts down his back, black velvet slashings visible as he crawled, and a rose-coloured feather in his tail. He had got into a corner of his box, had constructed a framework of silk, in the midst of which he was standing upright, waving his head from side to side as he produced from his mouth the silk with which he was enveloping himself in a sort of cloud. Horace declared he was just as good as a real silkworm, and that he would wind off the hopdog cocoons and get them woven,- — they would bo a new sort of silk, and he would take out a patent for them : all the ladies should be wearing " hopdoggia " dr. Paulina, hearing Persis laugh, thought the trouble of the morning quite got over, but little Aline had a tenderer heart, understood that the laugh was not quite free, and, when Persis went to wash her hands and prepare for church, followed her to her room, and tried to show her fellow-feeling by saying, " Papa was so cross." " Never say that again, Aline," was Persis' answer, as angrily as Persis could speak. " Papa has rea- sons, and BaVS what lie thinks right," iv PETS 31 " And shall you never go to St. Paul's before breakfast again ? " asked Aline. " I don't know," — and the voice quivered. " We must try to do what is right. Now, Ali Baba dear, run away, or your boots will never be laced in time." Aline knew that there was a full quarter of an hour before her, but she had the sense to perceive that Persis wanted to be alone, and went off as she was desired. When little girls will do a thing like this, they show tact and consideration, and grown people are very much obliged to them. The whole family met to walk to St. Peter's, through a mile of closed shops, only meeting girls here and there carry- ing out dinners to the baker's. At this, the old church, Paulina thought it rather a distinction to have one of the square pews, with a green curtain on a rod on the outer side of it. Every one had been used to kneel with elbows on the seat, and head against the sides of the pew ; but though Elspeth and Persis interfered with nobody, they did not turn round, but knelt upright on the floor, leaning against nothing. Aline had once asked why, and Elspeth had said that they thought this way more reverent than crawling 32 PEW-SPORTS chap. on the elbows: and Aline then observed thai her Papa was always upright, and never leant as the children did. However, Paulina did not choose to take her head out of her favourite corner: it was a great deal too comfortable to be given up, and therefore she said it was all nonsense, and that she would not see Alie affected and changeable. Horace's place was in the middle of the side, against the wall of the church, where he had a delightful knot-hole full of dust— a perfect preserve of curiosities, which seemed to fill up fresh every week ; however, he routed it out every Sunday. On this day he found a fine fat spider, and was holding the end of its line, intending to let it lower it self down upon the black stocking that swelled smoothly above Aline's boot before it was hidden by her little black petticoat. But his manoeuvre was perceived by Elspeth, who, being out of reach herself, touched her father, and he reached ou1 and put a sudden stop to the proceeding by a Bummary blow on Horace's ears with his prayer- book - making him drop the spider and subside sud- denly, hiding his face on the pillow of his twisted .nin-. Paulina's blood boiled. Rather than inter- iv PETS 33 fere with Horace's little amusements, her own calves should have been the promenade of stag-beetles, ear- wigs, hornets, if he pleased. To set Papa upon him, that was beyond all endurance. No doubt this way of kneeling was to act spies on them all. That was the way Paulina said the Litany. " Wasn't it an abominable shame ? " she said, as soon as she could get to Horace's side after church. " Eh — what ? " asked Horace, who had quite for- gotten all about it. " That great knock she made Papa give you at church." He laughed. " That ! who cares for a little bit of a whack like that ? If you want to know what a real stinger is, I'll show you." Paulina had no desire for such an experience, but it seemed strange to take a blow from a father so lightly, and in fact some boys would have been far more grieved — some angry and resentful ; but Horace was a bright, careless fellow, on whom no vexation ever sat long. They sat on Paulina in his stead. It might have been thought that she was the one who had been punished, by her gloomy face all dinner-time, while 34 PERVERSENESS chap. Horace chattered and laughed as he only of all the young ones seemed able to do in Papa's company. Hitherto it had been the custom to take a country walk immediately after dinner, and have the Sunday Catechism, saying of hymns, and reading, after coming in; but on this day it was so bright and hot that Elspeth and Persis decided that from henceforth, while summer lasted, it would be best to have the Sunday occupations first, and the walk after,— a very reasonable plan, as Paulina would have seen if she had not been just in that captious state of mind which cannot endure any change. No, it was not too hot to walk — they always did walk after dinner: nobody could learn just after dinner: it was very unkind — it was impossible. Whether impossible or not, she thought it so : and a sort of stupidity— that was not unlike that of the d,-;if adder we are told of in the Bibb — came over hoi- mind and memory, and made her blunder over the answers in the Catechism, so that Horace laughed outright, and it was very painful to her sisters' ense of reverence. They were glad t<> sot her to work where -lie would not disturb others, namely, to looking out and tv PETS copying texts as references to the Catechism — a work which she had done with interest and enjoy- ment for the last four or five Sundays ; but on which, in her present mood, she would not bestow the slightest pains or attention. Meantime Persis had done two verses of Greek Testament, and read a chapter of the " Kings of Judah " with Horace. She always had to go through his yawning and growling at the beginning, and callinsr it a oreat bore not to be let alone on Sunday, like other fellows; but when he had once fairly started, he always grew interested ; and he had found that when, on Friday, a lesson in religious know- ledge was given, he knew much more about it than the other fellows. Elspeth had the two little girls, teaching them by word of mouth, while Aline learnt the collect and a hymn, and then letting them play or look at pictures while Aline had a little lesson on what she had learnt. All went well till Elspeth came to look at Paulina's copy-book. The handwriting and spelling were such as people of thirteen can do when they are cross. Moreover, when the ill-written words were read, they 36 QUESTIONS chap. had not the most distant connection with the subject in Land. The reference to the Second Epistle of St John had been looked out by Paulina in the second chapter of the Gospel, and so she had set down a verse about the marriage of Cana in Galilee without troubling herself for a moment to consider whether it could possibly apply. And when Elspeth pointed it out, she answered glumly, "It was in the book, I'm sure." Elspeth was really angry. She had been taught so early to find out references that they came as easily to her as the alphabet, and perhaps she did not quite know how puzzling they might be to a beginner; but the senselessness and inattention pro- voked her greatly. "This is too bad!" she said. "Could you not think for one moment, instead of making a holy subject almost absurd ? " " It was in the book." doggedly repeated Paulina. Then Elspeth looked, but her anger was not Lessened. "That is no excuse! If you had cared in the least for what you were about, could you not have asked Persis or me i Besides, here's a word Left out ' And how do you spell contrition ? tv PETS .37 No, Paulina, this "will not do. You must write that page over again, fit to be seen, instead of coming out." Persis, who was explaining a picture to little Clare, exclaimed, "Oh, Elsie, please! we never had punishments on Sundays." " I am very sorry, as sorry as you or Paula can be," returned Elspeth gravely ; " but such careless- ness and temper, especially on such a subject, cannot be passed over. It would not be right to take her out to enjoy herself." Perhaps Persis recollected that it was not well to interfere with her sister's rule, for she said no more ; only she lingered when the others were going to put on their hats, and said, " Make haste, Paula ; if you write all you can, and very nicely, and show it to Elsie when she comes down, very likely she will wait for you and let you come." " I don't want to come with her," muttered Paulina, and her head went down between her elbows as Horace's had done at church, so that nothing was to be seen save her black bush of hair ; and when Persis smoothed it, she shook the hand off with a pettish jerk, but then felt aggrieved PENANCE chap. and angry when Persis moved quietly away, only first putting a fresh pen near her, in case any of the blame of the had writing should have been due to the old one. There Bhe remained with her bead between her elbows, till Bhe heard them clattering t" merry voices came through the window. "There they are, all -one ..lit to enjoy themselves," said Paulina to herself; "and here am I left t<» mope at home, just because Elspeth takes a fancy to make us do Btupid things on Sunday when we can't. I thought Sunday was meant for a holiday. Elspeth hasn'1 gol a bit of right to Bpoil it with tiresome stupid Lessons — when one has done them already, iv PETS 39 too! I'll not stand it! I'll not do them! I'll not be put upon!" And Paulina pushed away the book, reached out her arm, and took down Through the Looking Glass, reading it in a dreamy, discontented way, trying to think she was enjoying it very much ; but not even the Knight would entertain her now, she was much too sorrowful and unhappy a victim, much too like a Cinderella oppressed by cruel step-sisters. Presently she looked up as the voices of people in the road sounded cheerfully. " Oh, dear ! oh, dear ! everybody is out of doors and happy but me— and I have got these texts to do! My own mamma never made me write texts out ! Oh, I wish Sisters hadn't come; I want my own mamma." And then she began crying passionately and violently, as she had never before cried for her mamma. She had cried for a good while and had grown tired of it, and begun to draw her sobs more slowly, when she heard the sound of the study door, and the pause of a tread before the door. Perhaps she gave a somewhat louder ><>!> in r«>n- )o PROMENADING .map. sequence. At any rate, the door was opened and Mr. Quintal] said : — " What's the matter now '. Why aren't you out \ " " Elspeth made me stay," she sobbed out. "Elspeth! Why >." "She made me Btay in, to write my texts over again. And how was I to know that it was the Epistle." "Well, never mind now. Dry up your tears and come out. I'll not have you kept in all Sunday! Put on your hat." Paulina obeyed in no small haste and satisfaction. It did not come across her to question whether if her account was true it was perfectly honest. She only felt the satisfaction of having Papa on her side against her sisters. He was not a very talkative man, and she did not expect a lively walk ; indeed, before they had gone far, he met his friend the doctor, and they began discussing Borne matter concerning the health of the town, about which she 1 1 • -it ber knew nor cared. The avenue was a fine broad quadruple row of lime-trees, extending nearly a mile from the main I of the town, and the way home from almost Paulina's brief at bring left at homi r. i". l> PETS 43 everywhere. Here, after some little time, the walk- ing party were met, with hands full of cowslips and bluebells, and Horace with three new cater- pillars disposed in different pill-boxes about Ins person. Of course they looked much surprised to see Paulina, and Elspeth asked in an undertone, " Did Papa give you leave?" " Yes, he told me to conic" "Oh, if Papa gave you leave, it is all right." Paulina was very anxious to know what would pass with her father about it, but as long as Dr. Penrose was present, of course nothing was said, and when at the garden gate he had taken leave, Paulina only caught thus much by lingering on the stairs : — " Why did you keep that child indoors crying ? " Again she missed Elspeth's answer. "I've no doubt you mean rightly, Elspeth, but things may be overdone. I won't have the children disgusted, and their religion made a penance to them. I don't approve of it." Paulina heard a movement, and could not \ su- ture to stay any longer, but she nodded t<» herself 44 PARTY SPIRIT chap; IV with satisfaction at finding that Papa was <>n her side. She never bethought herself how little lie really knew how Bhe had behaved, yet her frighi lesl Elspeth should show him that unfortunate copy- book might have shown her that she knew she was not being true and just in all her dealii She was beginning to think her sisters tyrants always to be opposed, always trying to oppress, and to rank every one as their supporter or hers. In fact she was learning party spirit. CHAPTER V QUADRILLES Monday afternoons were spent at the dancing school, and as Miss Lilly white had a bad cold, Elspeth undertook to take Paulina and Aline to the Assembly Room, which was hired for the weekly lessons. It was Elspeth's first time of going, and Aline was much delighted, only wishing her dear Persis was going too, and pouring out an immense quantity of information, — rather more, perhaps, than Paulina wished. " Do you know, Elsie, we are the only pupils that come in our own carriage, except the Rays." "Because we live the farthest off," suggested Elspeth. "Oh, no, the Browns live further, and come in by train. They haven't carriages to come in." 1,; PERFUME AND PRIMROSE .hap. "Very likely not,' said Elspeth ; "but it is very silly to care about that, Aline Ft is manners, n<»t carnages, that make man, or woman either." " I wonder," pursued Paulina, " whether the Rays will be there. That little Tom is so rough and horrid ! " " I didn't know you had boys." " Oh, yes. Tom Ray is almost a baby, only seven years old; and Cecil Wharton goes, and two or three more little fellows like that," said Aline very proudly, being herself nine ; " besides Percy Grafton." « Percy Grafton !" exclaimed Elspeth; " why, he is almost a man." 11 Quite," said Aline. " And oh, he does wear such lovely ties. And he has one pin with a coral death's- head on the top, and another with a dear little dog. And I wonder if he'll have his primrose-coloured gloves this time. I like them best, but Paula likes his pale green ones, — don't you, Paula '. " " No, I like his pale lavender, only he split them all across/' said Paulina. " And his Bcents. He has sometimes millefleurs, and sometimes eau de ( 'ologne, and something else I v QUADRILLES 47 can't remember," said Aline. " I wonder who he'll dance with." " Whom, if you please," said Elspeth. " J should think nobody would wish to dance with any one so absurd and conceited." Paulina looked very much affronted. " He is a very fine young man," she said. Elspeth laughed, but Aline went chattering on. " Oh, every one wants to dance with him," she said. " I heard Miss Barker say he was the beau of the dancing-room. He always wants to have Afillicent Airlie for his partner, and she can't bear him." " She shows her sense," said Elspeth ; " but you said just now every one wished it." " Oh, except her. And if she won't have him, lie generally asks Paulina, or sometimes one of the Rays, if Paulina can't, but " " Hush, Aline ! don't go on so loud," said Paulina. " Here we are." " Yes, here's the Assembly Room, and there's Milly Airlie ! Now there's a flight of stone steps, Elsie," continued Aline, quite delighted to have to show , the way. 48 PARTNERS chap. Millie. -nt Airiie, a nice-looking girl of fifteen, neatly dressed In white piquS, shook hands on the steps, and asked Paulina to be her partner. "I don'1 know," said Paulina; " I never will be engaged before I :_ r '» in. ' " Just the contrary to me," said MUlicent. " Aline, then, will you have me ? " " Oh, yes ! thank you," cried Aline, clasping her hand with a glad little jump. " I know Mr. Grafton wouldn't dance with me !" Elspeth wished her little sisters were as lady-like as the daughter of the Vicar of St. Paul's. " Are you alone, Millicent ? " she said. ' Mamma is coming in presently, but she had to go to a shop, and sent me on to go in with some one. It is very troublesome, but I am to go to my uncle's for some grand parties this autumn, and she thought I ought to know the steps.'' Paulina hold aloof. She knew that Elspeth wanted her to make friends with Millicent Airiie, and in her present mood this did not make her like her the better. Moreover, she wanted mere even than usual to dance with Percy Grafton, because lie was generally the leader <»f the party v QUADRILLES 43 to the Prince's Quay Regatta, and she wanted to hear all about it from him. H< i had left Mr. Quirk's school last half-year, and was improving himself in dancing and deportment generally, under the tuition of Mrs. Leviti, who came over weekly from Prince's Quay, with her husband to act as violinist. It was a large room, ^vitli a raised step for an orchestra, and chairs and benches all along one side; Mr. Leviti tuning his violin, and bis wife and two young lady assistants putting some little girls through their arm exercises with poles, while the <»tbcrs were waiting on the chairs. Mr. Grafton was not come. All the little girls knew one another, and there was a great deal of greeting and shaking hands; but Elspeth was too new in the place to know many people as yet, and none of her acquaint- ance were among the mothers and governessi she sat down to wait for Mrs. Airlic. Presently Miss Paulina Quintall was called up i.. handle her polo. Her great fear was Les1 Percy Grafton should come in while she was thus occupied, and ask somebody else; and all the time she was straightening her arms and balancing the polo, her eyes were twisting askew towards the door, but still in E PITCHERS WITH LONG EARS i bap. vain, though Bhe was twice called to order, and told to look straight before her. All Bhe managed to see ou1 of the corners of her eyes was Mrs. Airlie coming in, and, after a good many greetings to various people, sitting down by Elspeth and beginning to talk. By the time they were well in the conversation Paulina's exercises were over, and Aline's had begun. She had a Btrong suspicion that Elspeth might be consulting Mrs. Airlie about the regatta, and so Bhe came as near as she could, instead of joining any group of little girls. Sure enough it was that vi i\ thing ! There was a chair in front of them, and Paulina had very quick ears, s<> that though they lowered their voices as she approached, she could still catch the most of it. Y< Mrs. Airlie was saying, "we have aever allowed our boys t«» go. (More shame for you! thought Paulina. In fact, they have never seemed t.» wish it. [Poor stupid creatures! said the girl t<> If, We have tried at times t«» arrange some Little festivity instead." (Oh, indeed! some deadly- lively "Id woman's tea-party, I suppose.) Y< returned Elspeth. "that was what we v QUADRILLES 51 thought of. Another year, it* Horace is at home— (What ! unnatural sister ! was she going to send Horace from home ?) — and wishes it, we might all go down together ; but this year, I cannot think it fit to let him go alone with " Paulina's attention was taken off, for Percy Grafton entered the room in his loveliest pale prim- rose gloves. Whom was he looking for ? That was a beautiful bow ! Ah, the wretch ! he was making his way to Millicent Airlie. Paulina's heart beat with foolish jealousy, though she knew full well what Milly's answer would be. " Always engaged ! that is too cruel," she hoard him say, or rather knew that he was saying. Then he stood meditating for a moment — and was it Elspeth's whisper that Paulina caught : "Insufferable puppy! I should like to whip him." "Ay," thought Paulina, "you would like to hinder any one from ever speaking to me, shouldn't you? And Mrs. Airlie is just as bad! Hark!" " I think I should have spoken to Madame Leviti, only that it must anyway be for a very short time, and they all do keep strict silence, and I can quite depend on Milly 52 Ql [PS < uw. At that moment Aline was released; Mr. Leviti made three preliminary sounds with his " kit," and Percj GraftoD advanced to Miss Paulina Quintal! ami requested the honour of her hand, with the magnificenl formality needful under Madame Leviti's eyes. Millicenl had to do the same with Aline- In fact, every one with every one. No speaking was allowed, as Mrs. Airlie said, and yet Paulina had contrived a turn of the nock and a whispered answer — •Second choice, Mr. Grafton" — with what she meant to be a look of arch reproach, but if she had had Elspeth's eves she would have thought it ridiculous affectation. To talk during the figure was manifestly impos- sible, hut the veteran attendants on the dancing school had sundry ingenious contrivances for under- standing one another, and there were moments when people who cared less for obedience than for being found out, could say a good deal to one another. It' any little one made a mistake, and every one was thrown out while she was Bel right, there was often .1 low buzz all round, which came to a sudden end the momenl Madame Leviti looked up. It was in one of these sudden pauses, caused by little Eva v QUADRILLES Grace going wrong in the chaine des dames, that Paulina contrived to ask in a hasty whisper, "Are you going to the Regatta?" "Yes, certainly, the whole party. Are you ?" " Oil no, only Horace." Here Paulina saw Elspeth looking at her, and stood straight, with a composed countenance ; but as the dance was resumed, and her side stood still while the others were careering across, Percy managed to say, with a glance from the corner of his eye towards Miss Quintal!, "Dragon in human form — eh ? " A nod and a sigh, and the response, " The worst of it is, I'm afraid she won't let Horace go." "Intolerable! Can't she be circumvented?" The second figure was over now, and they had to stand still while the third was prepared for, and to do their part of the third. Again came a blunder: Millicent Airlie had forgotten, and was dancing the lady's part. Percy Grafton gave the further information : — " The Quagga is to race the Petrel ; there are bets up to three hundred pounds on it. Tt is t«> be 54 THE REGATTA chap. the best regatta there has been at all. All the windows towards the bay are taken." •• <>li, he must go," cried Paulina, under her breath. " How can we manage \ " " Could not someone gel him out for the day?' suggested Percy. •oli, but " "Paulina!" came a grave voice across tin- room. Percy and Paulina started, shrugged their shoulders, and compressed their lips. Paulina felt Elspeth's eye upon her all the rest of the dancing lesson. How provokingly unlike dear old Lilly, who always sat between two <>f her friends, and if she ever looked up at all, could always be daunted with a saucy glance. Anger and determina- tion were growing higher and higher every moment in Paulina. No, the tyrant sisters should not inter- fere with everybody's pleasure, and cut the whole family off from all their friends, Girls might he under her dominion, but Horace should be saved. No1 another word could be exchanged with Percy Grafton till the general break-up Then, while Elspeth was being introduced by Mrs, Airlie to Borne lady wlm bad come with her lit 1 1 * * girls, and v QUADRILLES had begged to know Miss Quintal!, there were a Do v few more sentences : — " You see how it is, Percy." " New brooms sweep clean," he responded ; " in fact, I believe there's a conspiracy among the fogies. Counterplot them, that's the ticket," said Mr. Grafton, looking witty. " I think I see." " Ah, I knew you had the spirit. Make a begin- ning at once. Ce nest que, — you know the French proverb." " Paulina, come and put on your hat." She was forced to follow into the cloak room, and there was on her face what she thought a very determined look, but which was a very sullen one. " Paula," said Elspeth, as they were going home, " I thought it was a rule that there was no talking at these lessons." "I didn't talk." " Paulina ! " " Nobody calls that talking ! " " Indeed ! " "Everybody does it." " I do not know what everybody else does, but 50 PRIMNESS chap, v if these lessons are made an opportunity of being disobedient and unladylike, I shall put a stop to ill. •in." Paulina had a great mind to say, "Do you think Papa would let you," but there was a grave, quiel resolution about Elspeth that did not make it at .-ill easy to be openly impertinent to her. But the resolution was taken. She should be circumvented. CHAPTER VI PREVARICATION. Yes, Elspeth was to be circumvented. Whatever she might accomplish as to her sisters, Horace's liberty was not to be abridged. He was to be trusted like other boys, and should go to the Regatta and enjoy himself, instead of being put off like a baby with some stupid little trumpery treat,— a tea- drinking in the nursery, or a picnic with the Airlies, forsooth ! Percy Grafton should see that Paulina Quintall was a girl of spirit and resource in her brother's cause, and was not to be put down by any fine prim London-bred sister, coining down to send them all to the right-about, and think everything wrong. Did no voice within say to Paulina, that, in the first place, Horace did not care for the Regatta, and 58 PERSISTENCE chap. in the next, thai it was no good sister's part to promote her brother's going among a set of lads who might teach him evil habits, thai would perhaps cling to him for life '. Alas! it is very odd what a difference self-will makes, either in our inward voices or our inward oars' Tf Horace did not care for the yacht racing, he ought! Why should he not be like other boys, id of the muff the elder sisters would like to make him ? Temptations ! Paulina had heard of such things, but she believed them to be what stupid, tiresome people talked of when they wanted to prevent their unfortunate victims from enjoying themselves or having any fun. She felt herself a high-spirited, generous sister, standing up for her brother and his rights, and she entirely forgot that the reason she cared so much for Horace's having this entertainment, was not because she showed symptoms of disappointment, but because Elspeth had offended her. Paulina believed thai sin- would no1 tell a false- hood, but Bhe had never quite learnl to think a subterfuge wrong. N"\\ about Beven miles off lived her old Great vi PREVARICATION 59 uncle, Mr. Proudfoot. He was the head of the Proudfoot family, and had a large, very pleasant estate and farm, but he was very old, and nearly blind, and things were chiefly managed in the house by his old housekeeper, Mrs. Rebekah Saunders, of whom all his young visitors were very fond, for they were petted to their heart's content, and allowed to skim the cream, and eat the preserves, and play in the great spare attics, and roast chest- nuts in the ashes, and do everything else that was thought delightful. Horace was an especial favourite with both master and maid, and was every iioav and then invited to spend a day at the farm, which he could easily reach by going in the morning train to the nearest station, walking a little more than a mile, and returning in the same way in the evening. Mr. Proudfoot was too blind to write, and once or twice when he had wanted Horace to come out to him, he had made Rebekah mark the day in a corner of one of his cards and send it by the post, and this was quite understood in the family. It struck Paulina that if Horace could show such a card to his father, with the day of the Regatta marked on i;o QUERIES chap. it, Mr. Quintal) would no1 hesitate for a moment to grant the holiday, and Elspeth would probably be only too glad to have him bo safely disposed of. "There will be no telling falsehoods," said Paulina to herself; "only Bhowing the card. Yet Burely she must have known that a falsehood in action was very like a falsehood in word, or else why should Bhe have watched everybody out of the room before Bhe began to search in the card basket. and riven such a violent Btart when Aline came in and asked what Bhe was looking for ? "Oh, I was just seeing if if there was a card tit to make a pincushion on. And she began looking at the cards, as if con- sidering them, telling herself that it was quite true, since she should see if there were one suited to her purpose. How horribly inconvenient it was in Aline to ask what the pincushion was to be made of. "Oh, I don't know: I've got a bit of ribbon." •• < >),, Paula : you don't mean t<> cut that beautiful bit with the pagodas and Chinamen upon it / If y Ml \\ what I'm about. VI PREVARICATION r,\ Poor little Aline was nol conscious of any par- ticular bothering, but she was pretty well used to being hunted about by Paula, and could take it meekly. No card of Mr. Proudfoot's was in the basket, as in fact he never left one. But Paulina still had a resource. Mrs. Saunders — Becky, as her favourites called her — was, as she well knew, quite ready to pity and sympathize with the children of her mas- ter's niece, and to expect that they must be oppressed by their half-sisters. So she would write to her, and beg her to say nothing to her master, but to send his card or an envelope addressed to Paulina herself, putting the date in the corner. The difficulty was to write the letter without being asked to whom she was writing; and here Paulina was obliged to resort to another contrivance. She dawdled purposely over learning her lessons for the next day, and when Aline and the little ones were going down after the elders' dinner, she said, as naturally as she could, that she had not finished her tiresome geography, and could not come : there were ever so many horrid places in tin- interior <»l Africa to be looked out. 62 PRYING SISTERS citap. This made a very good excuse for putting the globe "ii ilie table as a screen, and spreading a great atlas before her, in the middle of which lay her geography-book, and within that a sheet of note- paper; the inkstand could be reached by making a long arm over the map of Africa, and Paulina began— "My deak darling old Becky, — I knew you will be a ducky darling, and kelp your pet iii a bother, and kold your tongue, like a good old darling as she was. Horace wants a holiday terribly on the 20th: lie has always had one to go to the Regatta, but my sisters are making a fuss and trying t<> hinder him, which is a great shame. Now, dear Becky, do please Stand OUT friend, and just " Hark! What was that? A footstep! What a Start ! Down goes a drop of ink iii the middle ol Timbuctoo ! A hand on the door— whisk goes the letter under the atlas: Oh, what a dreadful thing t.» have tiresome, troublesome, horrid, prying halt- sisters ; "My poor Paula,"— ii was Persia's gentle voice, — "this is very iii<'«' and steady of yOU." Paulina's heart would have fell a pang, only it was vi PREVARICATION 63 stifled by the fancy that this good-nature was only an excuse for coming to see what she was about. "How close and dismal the room feels," said Persis, drawing up the blind, and opening the win- dow wider. "No wonder you felt stupid and could not get on. Here, let us try if we cannot find the places together — which are they ? " " Oh, let me see," said Paula, exceedingly afraid that the atlas would be moved and her letter dis- covered. " There's what's his name — Ticondcroga." " There surely is not a Ticondcroga in Africa," said Persis. " I thought it was a fort in America. Let me look." Paulina rather rudely held the atlas fast, and muttered, " I've just done, if you"ll only let me alone." " Only do let me make out about this place for my own satisfaction," said Persis. " Let me see the book." " There !" said Paulina, crossly. " I like to learn my lessons by myself." "That's a change," said Persis, smiling, for at first Paulina had always been crying out for her help. " Has Elsie taught you self-reliance, as she calls it ? 64 PAGES BLOTTED chap. Ticonderoga ! My dear, it is Timbuctoo! And do wonder you could not Bee it. under that terrible spot of ink ! Why, it is fresh I " "Is it ?" said Paulina, still thinking that she was guilty of no untruth. "Quite fresh ! So much the worse for my fingers and the man," said Persis. " What a pity ! How could it have happened? What have you been doing, Paula? You never should have ink about and map-books open." Persis was so true herself that she was entirely unsuspicious; otherwise she could hardly have failed to perceive that there was something wrong when Paulina, in a dreadful fright, held the atlas fast. lest it should be lifted up, and almost said. " Oh, don't ! " ■• I think I had better fetch some of my soft blotting-paper/' said Persis. " Nothing takes up ink so well." And while she was gone to her room for it. Paula popped the letter into a drawer and breathed more freely; but tins most inconvenient Persis had no Booner bo taken up the ink that it remained only ;i little cloudiness, to express, as she said, tlie black- vi PREVARICATION 65 ness of the negro country, then she began to say, " I think Elsie will hardly be able to find out where the mischief was." "I don't see why she should ever find it out at all," said Paulina. " Why, of course you will tell her ? " ,: There's no use. That old atlas is all over ink- spots already in England and Europe, and nobody ever thought of telling anybody." And Paulina turned the jDages to a place where Ireland was spotted over like a plum-pudding. Horace had done it one day when the last governess had set him an imposition before he went to school ; but she was too cross and guilty to mention the ridiculous scene when it was found out. " Well," said Persis, " the poor book does seem to be in a bad way, but I never could be happy to have done the smallest damage without confessing it." " I don't tell lies," said Paulina snappishly, feeling as if resenting the supposed injustice vindicated her from all that made her feel uncomfortable. " I should trust not, indeed," said Persis with a shudder. "Dear Paula, how can you speak of any- thing so dreadful ? I only meant that the safesl 66 PAULA'S TROUBLE chat. w.iv for one's self and other people is to mention every little thing the moment it happens." "I don't call this anything," sulkily answered Paulina, partly resolved against yielding to Persis, and partly in dread of bringing upon herself Elspeth's inquiry what she was doing with the ink. Persis desisted, seeing that, it was of no use, and perceiving that respect for the atlas was so lost that the injury to it was hardly viewed as mischief; so that for her to mention it was hardly a duty, and might make Paulina view her as a tell-tale. However, she kindly stayed, and helped Paulina to search out several places A\ith long and uncouth names, not getting much gratitude, for of curse the girl was only burning to be rid of her. Nay, she even Btayed to help to put away the books, and thus took away all ehance of finishing the letter or even getting it out of the drawer where it had been hid- den, and v hich was a very dangerous plai The only way that Paula could manage now, was thai after spending her hour in the garden, where all were sitting out after dinner, when Bhe bade ni-dit sh.- exclaimed to Aline,"Fve left something in the bcI L-room," and darted off into it. She vi PREVARICATION 07 shut the letter into a book and carried it up stairs with her, and in the evening light she sat up in bed and finished in pencil : — " You see how I am put about to write, dear ducky daddies ; I am writing this in bed, because they watch me so. If you will just put one of Uncle Proudfoot's cards in an envelope, and write the ' 20th ' in the corner and send it to me, I can get poor Horace his holiday, and it will be all right ; only don't tell my uncle. I am sure you can manage it, and that you will be the dear old thing you always were. Mind you address the envelope to me, and say nothing about it. " I am your affectionate "P.Q." It was not so difficult to contrive the getting the letter into the envelope and addressing it, for that took so short a time that Paulina could manage it by getting up early and spending a few minutes in the schoolroom before meeting Persis in Horace's room to feed the caterpillars. There was a pillar post not very far from the gate. Paulina put on her hat — not a very usual practice with her when she was only going to get ts PILLAR POST < hap. Leaves for the caterpillars— ran headlong down stairs. out at the door, and through the iron gate. It ■ .jinn-el i-asily iViHii the inside, and in a few Beconds Bhe was dropping her letter into the slit in the pillar. But oh, she had forgotten. The gate had shut itself, and there was no means of opening it from the outside. There was Paulina Quintall, with n i gloves, only her hat, shut out into the street. She was beginning to find out how prickly are all ways outside the straight one. Indeed, it is hardly true to say she was beginning, for it was not the first time Paulina had manoeuvred, or she could hardly have clone it so readily. She hurried across the road — it was half road, half street here — and at haphazard gathered a handful of green leaves and grass from the hedge on the opposite side, and then rang the bell. She had never been afraid of being alone in the street before, but Bhe certainly did not like it dow, feeling Bure that Bhe could not be looking like a lady, and n<>t at all certain what Would happen to her. She waited Long, and rang again, and she gave ■ Hill Q : tart at the Vnier w i t h i ! I . IT IS NOT MIM rvri.iN.v vi PREVARICATION 71 " "Ringing again! Mind, I won't have none of that ! I shan't answer the door for a quarter of an hour if I have any more of that." " Susan ! " called Paulina. " Bless me, if it is not Miss Paulina ! Well, if ever ! Paulina held up her leaves. " I got these for the caterpillars, and was shut out." So she ran past Susan and reached Palmer- worm Park safely and unsuspected ; and, alas ! she only felt her escape, not how evil her deceit must be. CHAPTER VII QUANDAMES Paulina's next anxiety was about Rebekah's answer. She did not at all want to have the Letter put into her hands before everybody, when Aline — if not one of the elder sisters — would be sure to exclaim, " Who ran be writing to you, Paula?" and would think it very strange if she did not open it at once. She wished she had desired Etebekah to direct it to the the post-office, so thai it might lie there till it was called for; but there were two dangers in doing this— one, that Rebekah would not understand too many directions, and the other, thai Bhe would understand too well that there was something underhand, and carry the lett< r bo her master, though it was not easy to believe thai dear old Becky would be so treacherous. chai>. vii QUANDARIES 7:: Letters used of course to come in the morning, and the country posts also came in the afternoon, when they used to lie at the office till six o'clock, unless any one inquired there afler them; and if Mr. Quintall expected any letter in particular, he sometimes sent down one of the clerks from the bank, or sometimes called himself on his way home, and brought in the family letters. This was what Paulina greatly wished to avoid. She knew that her having received the envelope might be remembered when the card was produced, and that it would be even more dangerous than the post-box in the morning, into which, if she had good luck, she might manage to fish before any one else looked in. No one ever said a truer w r ord than Sir Walter Scott when he wrote — (: Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive. - ' Paulina was full in the midst of this web as she racked her brains to find an excuse for £oin£ to the post-office. She could not say she wanted stamps, for some had just been given to her. She 74 PLEASE TAKE ME chap. must make an excuse for getting into the Btreet, and then trust to lurk. However, fortune favoured her, foral Luncheon the children's dinner Elspeth said. " I think T must go into the town this afternoon; L want Borne drawing paper and some other things.' 1 "Oli, please let me come," cried Aline; "I want " and she paused. "D«> you know what, Alie '. " asked Elspeth, Laughing. "I observe tliat a whole string of wants spring up as soon as any one is going into the town." " Oli, hut I do really want some Turkish delight." " Nonsense, Alie."* said Paulina, who had taken her resolution. "Take me, Elsie; 1 do really want some perforated card." '■ Me too," cried ( Hive ; " I do really want to sp< nd my penny." "Me too," cried little Clare; "me do reelly wan: Bweeti ■• Haven't you a 'me do reelly want* too, Pen said Els] i I b, laughing. ' Persic is vr<>\\ n up." Said -Mine. vii QUANDAItTKS 75 " Ah, Ali Baba," said Elspeth good-humouredly, "if you begin hatching wants at your age, you won't stop when you are grown up ! " " I can truly say, me do rcelly want — not to go into Peterskirk," said Persis decidedly, for .she did not like the town at all— a thing which greatly amazed her little sisters. " Very well, then ; Paula is the only one who has a sensible reason for wanting to go with me," s:tiu t<> tin' worsted Bhop while Elspeth was choosing lnr drawing paper. and get lnr perforate 1 card. The consent came quite easily, mid almost made her feel ashamed The fact was that a birthday was not far off, ami vii QUANDARIES 77 Elspeth knew the delight of secret contrivances for making up presents as a surprise, and thought that this might account for Paulina's desire to go shopping by herself. Away then posted Paulina, going so fast that she almost tumbled into a perambulator round the corner, and quite ran against a woman witli a market busket, who seemed inclined to give her a good scolding. And when she reached the post office, she found getting the letters no such rapid business. Quan- tities of people seemed to be there wanting orders, or letters, or stamps, or something, and they were all attended to in turn, on the principle of 'first come, first served," which hurt her dignity very much. She did not like to see a common soldier or a little scrubby maidservant attended to before Miss Paulina Quintall ; and, besides, suppose she was kept waiting too long, and Elspeth were to suspect ! However, her pride was thus for flattered, though with a great fright at first. " Miss Quintall, can I do anything for you ? " said a voice a little in front of her. She gave a start, and then perceived that Miss P. QUINTALL chap. the voice came from one of the young clerks in the bank, and she was able to feel herself a little grand again, as Bhe answered. "Thank you. Mr. Bake well, if you would ask for our letters." Mr. Bakewell Bigned acquiescence, and Paulina stood a little out of the line of people waiting, — getting, however, jostled by all who \\< re going away, and feeling more cross and frightened every minute, as she wondered whether Bhe had better caution Mr. Bakewell against telling her father he had met her there, and then deciding that there was Buch a distance between one of the partners and the junior clerk that nothing was more unlikely than that he should mention any such thing. His presence saved her full ten minutes' waiting, as he had been there for some time before herj but still she had been kept so long, that when a letter addressed t.. Miss V. Quintal] was put int.. her hand, she durst not stop to read or t<> look at it, but put it into her pocket and hurried away, Bcarcely thanking .Mr. Bakewell. Sli»' had really forgotten .-ill about the perforated card, .'Hid w.-is in lull career back again, when straight before her Bhe Baw Elspeth I vn QUANDARIES 70 "My dear, what a time you have been ! F was going to the worsted shop in search of you." "I have Dot been there," said Paulina, colouring, but still trying to persuade her conscience that she was speaking truth. "I did not think I should find just what I wanted there, and so I went on further." " You should have told me if you intended it," said Elspeth. " Your going into a shop three doors off is very different from your wandering half over the town by yourself. I do not think Papa would like it." " I have often been by myself," growled Paulina. " With Papa's knowledge ? — eh ? However, we will not say any more about it now. Have you got what you wanted ? " Paulina had actually answered Yes, but she recol- lected that Aline and all the rest would come crowd- in-- round expecting to see her card, so, with a stammer and falter, she said, "Yes; at least I musl still get a bit of card here." Elspeth had never been so near suspecting some- thing wrong. Indeed she would have quite sus- pected it if it had not been for the approaching birthday, for Paulina bought her card in an inatten- 80 PRICKLES chap, vii tive hurry, very unlike a person who had just been taking so much trouble about her materials. She did not know whether Bhe wanted it coarse or fine, broad or narrow, nor how much Bhe required, bo that Els] »ot 1 1 could not help saying gently, " My dear, you should always know your own mind before you come shopping, or you are very unnecessarily troublesome." Paulina shook her shoulders. She was in a state of mind all over prickles, in which the slightest reproof made her think of the P's and Q's, and feel justified in any kind of underhand resistance to such tiresome, fussy half-sisters. CHAPTER VIII P. AND P. Not till Paulina was in her own room taking off her things did she venture to open her envelope. Eagerly she tore it open; it stuck very fast, all along the edges, and she tore right through the back before she could get it open. Behold, there was no card in it ; it was all letter, three sheets, in a crampy-looking hand, beginning "My dear Child." Was Becky actually venturing on calling her so ? Surely that was very impertinent, if the old thing were ever so tiresome, in giving her a lecture instead of doing as she was asked. Paulina stamped on the ground with impatience and anger at the insolence, and the vexation that the Sisters should get their own way, and oppress poor Horace after all. Then it struck her that the writing was Dot like G UNCLE I'UOl'DFOOT I BAP. thai of an old Bervant. It might be worse She had heard something about Uncle Proudfoot being able to write, though be could nol read. That dreadful old Rebekah must actually have gone and told him, and he had written her a scolding. Of course that was it. Did it not begin — " My dear Child, — You ask me When old people began in that way, how could they expect young ones to have any patience to read their letters? No, no! Uncle Proudfoot and his lecture would keep, and be might have stood by his own niece's children better than to let them be ground down by the Trefusis kind! Elspeth's mis- deeds and Horace's disappointment were always growing in Paulina's eyes. Mine came racing into the room to look at the purchases, and Bhe hastily thrust the letter into her pocket, intending to think no more about it. and make away with it when she had an opportunity. She was sure that Bhe had quite lectures enough from her sisters by word of month, without troubling herself bo read them in cross old Uncle Proudfoot's crooked writing. She answered Aline in the same ill-tempered vi ir P. AND r. 8:* as to what she meant to do with her card. " Was it to be anything for Persis' birthday ? " " No ! There was quite fuss enough about Persis already." " Oh, but Persis is such a duck ! " said Aline. " Only think, Paula, she told us stories all the way. She told us about the Princess that held her tongue and sewed the nettle shirts for her brothers." Paulina felt as if she was doing it. " And, Paula," went on Aline, " if you would only let me have a little bit of your card, I would make a book-marker for Persie. I could do it all myself ! May I ? " " Don't keep bothering," said Paulina. " You care for nothing else but what is new, and pets and spoils you. Now, I care too much for my own mamma to make up to what is new." "But Persis doesn't want us to forget our own mamma," said Aline. " We went to the High Wood to-day, and Persie and I made the most beautiful wreath of wood anemones and blue periwinkles that I ever saw, and we went home by the cemetery and put it on her grave." " All flummery, and I hate it," said Paula, angrily ; not that she did really hate anything but the being G 2 84 A PICNIC POSSIBLE chap. forced to acknowledge kindness in her half-sisters. "Why can'1 they be a little kind to poor Horace, instead of their flowers and thing •• Kind to Horace !" Mine opened her eyes. "Ay! hindering him from the Regatta for Lilly's nonsense and Mis. Airlie's." " But Horace doesn't want to go to the Regatta, said Aline. "Oh, nonsense: that's the way they make you and him give way to them. But I care for old ways, not for new fancies and fashions S " '•' But, Paula, aren't you almost sure that we are all going to do something ever so nice instead '. Do you know I almost think it will be a picnic on Quack Common. I am sure there is a great secret; and oh, wouldn't that he nice \ "No! not if it is instead of the Regatta, and all oothered up with the Airlies" answered Paulina, flouncing away in the determination t<> have her gri< trance, now that her machinations had proved ICCeSsful, and Only brought a leetuiv upon her. Only as she sat at tea did it Hash upon her that it was possible thai worse things still might he in bore, Uncle Proudfool might mean to tell Papa I vin P. AND P. 85 She must read his letter, reproofs and all, and see whether there were any danger of anything so shocking, or if she could do anything to prevent it. No sooner had this thought occurred than she became almost wild to make an opportunity of read- ing the letter ; but with Aline sitting opposite to her, sighing over a French verb and watching for any possible distraction, this was quite impossible. At last, however, Aline had finished, and ran away to dress ; and Paulina, who had found that no word would stay a moment in her head — nay, that her eyes could scarcely see rightly while this dreadful alarm was on her mind — took the letter out of her pocket, laid it on her old friend the atlas, and began to spell it out again. " My dear child," it began, — " you ask me " So far was plain in the first two lines, but then came seven or eight words together that Paula could not make out at all. It was really very illegible writing ; any one would have found it so : and ' ; love/' " father," " sacrifice," were ail she could make out at long intervals apart, and she could see nothing looking in the least like the words Horace, Prince's Quay, or Regatta, insomuch that she began to doubt whethei 86 QUI? CHAP. it were qo1 all a mistake, or whether it had anything to do with the matter at all. She hastily looked at the end. It was a good deal crowded up into the space over the commencement, but Bhe made out the letters "Ever y r ' a' :,y , K. IT." About the "K. U." there could be no doubt, foi they were more like printing than manuscript letters. Paula had not a " K. U." anion-- all her acquaintance ! She looked again, and saw an address in white em- bossed letters, stamped on the sheets of paper. It was the number and street of a house in London. It was plain now that it was a letter to Persis— Miss P. Quintall, too. What business had people to write such stupid directions ! And now what was to be done ? Put it back into the envelope and pop it into the post-box in the door, so that it might come out with the other letters in the morning \ Alas ! the envdop,. was far too much torn for this to be possible ! Give it to Persis, asking her pardon and explain- ing that it had been opened by mistake \ Then Paula's expedition to the post-office must have been menti ■■!. and all her plan; would have become known. vin P. AND P. 87 Ami while she was thinking, up came footsteps, and Aline— tiresome, perpetual Aline— flew into the room. "Oh, Paula ! only think," she cried. " But what have you got there ? " "Oh, nothing!" said she, hastily crunching the letter anyhow into her pocket. " Well," said Aline breathlessly, " only think — Elsie and Pcrsie have coaxed Papa out on the lawn to play at croquet, and if you don't want to play, I may." "Papa can't play," said Paulina, getting up slowly. " No, but they are going to teach him ! Isn't it fun? Please, Paula, say whether you want to play, for they are waiting to begin, and I may play it you won't." Paulina had no desire to play. She had rather have puzzled over the "K. U.," but she was in a dog-in-the-manger temper, and the sight of Aline wishing for the game immediately decided her on asserting her rights as eldest, and playing herself. " You aren't fit to play," she said ; " one person who doesn't understand it is quite enough in a game." 88 A PUPIL ( hap. Aline looked much disappointed. •• [ndeed, Paula, Persie said I played very well 1 • Saturday." ■ I d<>n't care how Persia }•< t s you ; I know you can't play." And down ran Paulina in a great hurry, unable I rid of the Letter, which, in its crumpled bulged out in lier pocket. Mr. Quintal! had been persuaded t<> coin.- out on the lawn, not unwillingly, but protesting that he knew nothing about it ; and Elspeth and Persia were merrily showing him how to hold the mallet, and the various devices of the game. He was a slow, deliberate man in his ways, and never seemed to care much for amusement, hut his daughters thought that he worked too hard and incessantly, and were always trying to lure him into relaxations. !!«• took up his mallet in a steady, earnest way, and, now as he w.is to the game, he gave Buch hits thai the ball Beemed to understand him. and era wherever he wished. Quite right, Papa," cried Elspeth ; "you'll b g 1 a player as Kenneth [Jrquhart,- won'1 he r vril P. AND P. 89 ■ Who is Kenneth Urquhart?" asked Mr. Quintal! ,: Oil, don't you know ? " said Elspeth, laughing. '•'Blue — Paula, it's you to play." And Paulina was obliged to go after her ball, which, in her vexation, she drove against the hoop, rebounding far ; and the first thing she heard again was in her father's voice, after delivering his ball: — " Mr. Urquhart is very ultra, I believe." " You know we don't think so," said Elspeth, in a bright outspoken tone, while Persis' face crimsoned over under her hat. " I do not believe you would think so either, if you knew him."' added Elspeth, looking bravely up to her father. " I don't wish to know him. I should have cau- tioned your aunts, if I had guessed what was going on ! Why, Persie, even the novice that I am could have made a better stroke than that." For Persis had struck with a trembling, ineffective hand, and her ball had gone a very little way towards the hoop. " The two P.'s are in a bad way/' laughed Elspeth, giving her mind to the game in a moment. "We shall have only too easy a victory, Papa ! Look out, Persie." Click went Elspeth's ba 11 against Persie's, and for 90 PERTURBATION chap. the next few turns Bhe had it all her own way. Th< ii Paulina fell impelled to retrieve her cause, and as she could really play very well, sin- brought her ball back, and had such a run of luck that Bhe became keenly interested. Persis, too, had recovered herself, and the success of both together brought matters into a very exciting state. Paulina was in despair for her blue ball. Would her father send it entirely away ? Was there not a hope that he would Dot saih. Bhe almost died then, poor dear iVrsm. sin' ..aid she made Bure of getting a letter." • From whom '. " asked Paulina, breathlessly. " She didn't say, answered Aline. " 1 said, ■ Who y^x^z^^ TAI'LINA AND ALINE IN Till-: GAKDEt p. mi. chap, x POOR PERSIS 107 from ? ' and she didn't seem to hoar ; then I said 'Who from?' again, and she just gave my hand a squeeze and said, ' Never mind, my little Ali Baba ; you know nothing about it.' " " Of course not," said Paulina. " Why, Paula, do you ? " And as Paulina nodded her head knowingly, "Oh, tell me! Do! there's a good sister ! " " No, no ; a baby like you can't understand ; I shan't tell you." " Did Persis tell you for a secret ? " asked Aline, a little awed. " Nonsense ! I'm not going to tell you anything about it." " Then it is very cross of you, and I sha'n't tell you a bit more," whined Aline. " I've heard it all," said Paulina, contemptuously. " No, you haven't," said Aline, feeling her power for a moment. " Yes, I have," said Paulina, turning away witli the instinct that to make light of the intelligence was the way to draw it from her younger sister. " You've not ! you haven't heard how Persie cried at church." 108 ST. PAUL'S chap. " At church ! " '• Yes, at St. Paul's. Slir asked me if I should mind, and T didn't ; and we went in, and oh, Paula '. it was such pretty singing, only Pcrsis cried all the time we were kneeling down." "Wdl, Aline," said Paulina severely, '"I can't think how you could do such a thing." "But indeed I couldn't help seeing, Paula; and T was so sorry ! " " Nonsense ! that wasn't what I meant - it was going to St. Paul's." " Going to St. Paul's ! " said the astonished Aline ; "why, it was going to church." "What a little silly you arc, Aline, not to know that Papa hates St. Paul's." Aline's brown eyes opened with wonder, for she was a much more simple child than Paulina, and had no notion of differences of opinion about churches. "But it is a church, Paula," Bhe repeated; "and Persis t . .< »lv mo there. "That's all y.>u know." said Paulina. "Paula, wlial can ymi moan '. Papa won't he angry with me \ x POOR PERSIS 109 " Oh no, I don't suppose lie will, with a baby like you." " But with Persis ? " entreated Aline, who was learning to love Persis better than all the world besides. " Oh, as to that, I don't know," returned Paulina, a little spitefully ; " most likely he will never know." " Persie would tell him if she thought he would not like it," reiterated Aline ; and as Paulina laughed as if knowing better, she added : " She says, and so does Elspeth, if you doubt about a thing, always tell of it." " I dare say," said Paulina, " that's what she tells you ; but wait a little while, and you will see Mrs. Persis knows how to have contrivances of her own." " For shame, Paula ! I won't have you say such things of Persis ! I'm sure she's good, whoever else isn't," — and Aline began to cry. " Paula ! " came Elspeth's voice across the lawn. " You aren't teasing your sister ? Aline, what's the matter ? " "She said — she said," sobbed Aline, all the louder 110 QUITE OPEN chap. for Paulina's fierce pinch on the arm to stop her mouth — " that Persis wasn't good I and that she bad con — con — contrivances of her own, and thai Papa would he angry because we bad been t<> St. Pauls. " Paulina/' said Elspeth, " you do not Beem to be in a kind or charitable mood to-day; I wonder what is the matter with you ?" " Never mind now. Elsie/' said Persis, coming up ; " I mean to tell Papa where I have been ; Paula need not think I should do anything without.* Persis looked so open and candid that Paulina felt ashamed, and quite forgot for the time that she had suspected her sister of anything besides this expedition to St. Paul's. And when Mr. Quintall came home and said, in a pleasant, good-humoured voice, " Well, girls, and what have- you been doing to-day ] " Persis answered : " Elsie has been gardening, and I walked into Peterskirk with Aline. I went t<. the post-office, and then to St. Paul's. Papa, do yen think letters for the house ever go by mistake t«» the hank '. "Certainly not, Persis; I desire the postmaster to be careful to keep the bags separate. "P.. yon think anything is w rong I x POOB PERSIS 111 " There is a London letter that I am rather uneasy about, but I dare say it will all come right/' said Persis. Artful being ! So she had used her anxiety about her lost letter to divert her father's mind from her disobedient church-going, while she seemed to con- fess it. How people were deceived in her, and how innocent she looked all the time ! CHAPTER XI QUARRELS ON THE QUADRANGLE 1 Horace ! come and speak to me — out here, where nobody can hear," called Paulina in a hasty whisper, as Horace came into the house on the Saturday. "Eh! Nothing the matter with the Pernil } I hope," as he followed her up stair.;. " Oli, two of them have died, but that can't b i helped, — and that's nut it," said Paulina, climbing out on the roof. '• Died — the brutes I What made them go and do tli.it \ Holloa! and here are some more that look uncommonly like it. What have you been doing to them ? " " Nothing — un!' Pei is hurt them when Bhe was changing them." Pei is, ind 1! She holds them a pretty sight ch. xi QUARRELS ON THE QUADRANGLE 113 more tenderly than you do ! More likely you did, with your great clumsy fingers." " Persis ! It is always Persis ! " said Paulina petulantly. " To be sure ! It was as dull as ditch-water before she came and made it jolly. What ! jealous, Polly ? Polly peevish ! " " For shame, Horace ! " sobbed Paulina. " I'm sure it's very unkind of you to like a stranger better than your own sister." " Persis is my sister." " No, she isn't — not like me." " No, not like you, for she isn't a plague." " Horace ! " stamping her foot and crying passion- ately and pitifully ; " that's a shame, a cruel, horrid shame, after all I've done for you." " Much you've done — with Persie and Alie helping you too ! " " I declare," cried Paulina in her vexation, " I hate the very name of Persis ! You always used to like me best before she came." "Yes, I didn't know what was jolly," said Horace, enjoying, like a teasing boy, her anger and vexation. I 114 PADDOCKSFIELD chap. "Horace! I say," she sobbed, "when you know all, you'll know who IS your fric.nl and who is good to you." "Not you ! Why, you've made all the glasses ring, and the woolly bear curl himself up ! You're enough to spoil their spinning. Get away, do — you've upset the hawkmoth's flower-pot." "But, Horace," said Paulina, recovering her- self, "have you had a card from Uncle Proud- foot ? " " No ! " " Then that horrid old Becky has failed me ! " " How ? — what do you mean ? " " Why, I wrote to ask her to send one of Uncle Proudfoot's cards for the 20th." "But I don't want to go to Paddocksfield ; I've got all the butterflies there." " No, but I didn't mean you to go there. Uncle Proudfoot wasn't to know." Horace gave a Long whistle. "You know," said Paulina eagerly, " Elspeth is so nasty about tin- Regatta, thai 1 thought it was the only chance for yon, It' you Bhowed Papa the rani, be would never ask any questions, but lei you have xi QUARRELS ON THE QUADRANGLE 1 15 the day, and you could join Percy Grafton and his party." " A }3retty sneaking business, I declare," cried Horace. " Just like a girl, to think I'd do such a dirty thing as that." " Horace, you're very cross! — as if I had wanted you to say one word that wasn't true." " There's not much odds between doing what isn't true and saying what isn't true. One is as dirty as the other, or rather dirtier. Besides I would as soon go to Jericho as to Prince's Quay." " Oh, Horace ! But there is to be a race between the Quagga and the Petrel!' " I don't care." " And Percy Grafton is going." "An overbearing perfumer's prig — I'd rather go a dozen miles than anywhere with him ! Besides, there's something jolly getting up about going to Quack Common." " A picnic with the Airlie babies," said Paulina scornfully. "Ay, but there are silver-washed fritillaries, and meadow ringlets ; and I know Elsie has got a jolly pigeon-pie for it." " And so," cried Paulina, " after all the trouble [ 2 116 PROVOCATION chap. I have taken for you, you like f like a baby, with a lot of girls and littl ■ ones, to drink tea and run after butterflies, when you might be going like a man to a boat-race with the other boys! T wonder you haven't more spirit — I d<>!" " How can you talk such rubbish'?" said Horace, but in a tone as if she had stuns him. " I do what o I like : " "What Elspeth likes, you mean/' said Paulina. " All the boys will see you, and laugh, and know how we are all put upon. I won't bear it ; and you wouldn't if you had the spirit of a mouse." " But I don't know what you are at, with your talk of being put upon," said Horace. " I'm Bure the house is much nicer than ever it was before." " There — there! that's just what I say! Nobody cares for poor dear Mamma but me!" And Paulina began to cry again, while Horace grew angry in his turn, and demanded : " Paula, what on earth do you mean ? / n<>t car.- ! " '■ You said tin- house was nicer without her." ■■ Nqw, can any one guess what women wiU be at?" exclaimed Horace. "As it' all a poor fellow -aid had no1 been thai it was nicer now than when poor Mamma was always shut up in her XI QUARRELS ON" TITE QUADRANGLE 117 room, and there was no one to do or say a tiling for a fellow." "Ay, you're all very much delighted now," said Paulina. " You think it all very fine ; but when you come home for the holidays, see if they don't put upon you." "I don't care if they do, if this is the way of it. I tell you what, Polly, I believe it is just this : you have had your own way, and now they are come, and are twice as good as you, you don't like it ; and that's the long and short of the putting upon." " Twice as good ! We shall see," muttered Paulina. " I know what I know." " Good ! " — Horace opened his eyes — " good ! to be sure they are good — only too good for you." " So you think," she said, triumphantly. " Think ! I know : I see." " See, indeed ! As if they hadn't their secrets, like other people." " Well, and they have a right to their secrets ! I tell you what, Paula, if you say another such word, I'll serve you just as I would a fellow at Quick's. So hold your tongue, and be off with you. Elspeth and Persis not good, indeed ! As if I did not know better than that ! " 118 QUACK co.MMoX chap. Be was so really angry, and ready to proceed to violent measures, that Paulina really durst not tell him of her discovery and the means of it. Perhaps the perceiving how he would look at it was the first thing that made her see she had done something that might be thought very shocking ; but the immediate effect was to make her extremely angry, injured, and vexed, that when she had ventured so much for him, he should have -one over to the side of the enemy. Poor injured, put-upon Horace, playing at croquet with Papa in high glee, and talking everybody to death about silver-washed fritillaries, while Persis made his cages of paper and gauze for his cater- pillars — was not he a wretched victim to step- sisters ! Paulina was doomed to hear of nothing but the Quack Common picnic all the rest of the day, and to find every one surprised that she was so silent and Bullen about what would naturally have been such a treat. She was chiefly sustained by the certainty that there was something amiss with Persis, who struggled to !>■ bright with her father and the children, but drooped whenever sin- thought she was Dot watched, and was pale and red-eyed when XI QUARRELS ON THE QUADRANGLE 110 she came clown to breakfast on Sunday morning. Her father looked sharply at her, but said nothing, though they all knew by his ways that he was vexed. Again, at church, Pcrsis pulled down her veil, and once or twice seemed to be fighting to keep back tears, and each time Mr. Quintall per- ceived it he made a little impatient movement as if he were vexed. It seems — nay, it is — shocking, but Paulina really felt an odd sort of spiteful pleasure in seeing that it was true that Persis had some secret grief, and that it was no mere fancy of her own; and, likewise, she had a sort of sense of retaliation in having on her side caused a considerable vexa- tion to one of the Sisters who were always " putting upon her." And Paulina had come to believe that everything she was requested to do — yes, even to the putting on her gloves, or tidying up the school- room — was " putting upon " : moreover, that her sisters never let her alone, and scolded her day and night. There are moods in which people think the whole world set against them, and Paulina wag in one of these. CHAPTER XIT POST-OFFICE REVELATIONS Putting upon had really come to such a pass that Elspeth went with the children again to the dancing on Monday, and actually made the engagement for Paulina to dance with Millicent Airlie, so that she could only look at Percy Grafton, inhale his mille- fleurs essence from a distance, and admire his pale lavender gloves sewn with green. Paulina had no satisfaction but dancing as badly as possible, with stiff arms, and feet with n<> bend in them; and when she very decidedly got the worst of that, she believed and she muttered that Millicenl Airlie put her "ut. She did Bhake hands with Percy Grafton daring the break-up, and thai was only disappointment, for be did ii"t ask aboul Horace's going on tin- 20th, chai\ xti POST-OFFICE REVELATIONS 121 and, when she told him, did not even seem to care about his defection half so mnch as about a slit in his own new gloves. Milliccnt's high spirits and schemes about the picnic were insupportable too, and she was all the less at rest that Persis had come into town with the dancing party, and gone off her own way. It was, however, the next afternoon that Mr. Quintall came out upon the lawn where the four elder sisters were at croquet together, and said — " Persis, what's this about a letter that you've been inquiring about ? " " I have lost a letter, Papa," said Persis, colouring a little. " When ? " " I expected to have had it on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning." " This is very strange," said Mr. Quintall. " I went into the post-office just now, and the clerk desired me to tell you that he had been inquiring after your letter, and found that there had come one on Thursday afternoon which he gave to Bakewell, and Bakewell says he gave it to one of the children who was at the office asking for letters." loo THE POST chap. " Paulina I" exclaimed Elspeth, " don't go-H3tand still. Thursday wag the day you went t<> Peterskirk with in'.' "You did not send her to the post-office alone!" " Certainly n<>t ; but T gave her leave t<> go mil gel something, as I thought, at a shop three doors off, and she was gone much too long a time," said Elspeth, looking a good deal startled. " Did you go to the post-office, Paula ? " " I won't answer you," cried Paulina, startled into ;i state of passionate distress and despair. "You have no business to question me, and — and — turn Papa against me " " Hush, Paulina !'' said her father sternly ; " that is not the way to speak to your sister. Did you go to the post-office ? " It had Hashed through Paulina's mind that denial was useless, since the post-office elerks and Mr. Bakewell could both bring it home t<> her. \, • having the contrary temptation, she sulkily answered — • There was no harm in it." " Did \'<»u go \ " repeated her father. 7es." xii POST-OFFICE REVELATIONS 123 " Did you have a letter for Persia given to you?" " It had ' Miss P. Quintall ' on it, and of course I thought it was for me," said Paulina in a much injured tone. " Oh, Paula ! " cried Persis, starting forward, " how could you forget to give it to me ! Where is it ? Do let me have it." Paulina stood stock still, very angry with every- body. " Why don't you answer your sister ? " said Mr. Quintall. " Why did you not give it to her at once ? Speak ! Don't you know how disgraceful a thing it is to tamper with other people's letters?" He was so angry now that Paulina could think of nothing but turning his displeasure into a different channel. " It wasn't a proper letter for Persis to have," she muttered. " Paulina, do you know what you are saying ? " thundered her father. " Paulina, are you gone out of your senses '. " asked Elspeth. Persis looked on in blank amazement, too much thunderstruck for a word. lii PAULINA'S PROPRIETY chap. "What do you mean? 11 repeated Mr. Quintall. " Not a proper letter ! What do y<»u mean by that \ "A love-letter," came out from between Paulina's lips, as she hung her head, frightened at the wrath she had provoked. She was surprised that Elspeth and Persia both burst out laughing. " Papa," cried Elspeth, " the child does not know what she is talking about ! " " I never had a love-letter in my life; there- ao one to write one to me," asseverated Persis, looking up in his face with her innocent eyes. " Paulina must have made some ridiculous mistake." " Upon my word, that's more likely, child," said Mr. Quintall ; " that is, if it be the letter you expected." " Please look at it — whatever it is. Read every word of it," entreated IVrsis. ' Fetch it, Paulina," said her lather. '" I can't," she growled. " I an'l : Have you tern it up '. " Y • Bui the piee.s, Paulina, where are they?' 1 en- treated Persia; "thrown away — when xii POST-OFFICE REVELATIONS 125 " I remember," exclaimed Elspetli, " I saw Paulina poking something into the hole in the rocking- horse. It was on Friday morning. Depend upon it that is what she did with it." " The hole in the rocking-horse ! " said the as- tonished Mr. Quintall. "Yes," said Elspeth ; "they always put things there they wish to lose." " I'll have it looked into. I don't know what to believe. I thought I had got to the end of all double dealing. I can't understand a bit of it," said Mr. Quintall, sadly ; and Elspeth at least understood something of the tone of pain, for she had suspected more than once that he had been grieved by a little want of straightforwardness in his second wife. "Here is Paulina running off underhand to the post, and opening other people's letters ! " " That might be an accident," said kind Persis. "Her going off to the post-office unknown to Elspeth was not," said Mr. Quintall. "Paulina, T insist on knowing what you were about. You have accused other people, but that docs not clear you. If it be as I believe, you have invented a 126 QUI EST Q? chap. Blander against your sister, of which you acquit Paulina of such exceeding unkindness ; "I can quite fancy that. Please don'1 be angry with her." "Stay, Persia, I have not got t.» the bottom of xi] POST-OFFICE REVELATIONS 127 it yet. If Paulina did make so absurd a mistake in good faith, she ought either to have brought the letter to me or to you, instead of suppress- ing it." " I suppose she thought that would be kind to me," said Persis. Paulina really began to think that the storm was after all diverted from herself to curiosity about the letter, and perhaps her sisters would have let it be so, but Mr. Quintall came back to the charge. "How came she to meddle with the letter at all ? What made you go inquiring for one, Paulina ? " "I thought I should get one." f - From whom ? " Mr. Quintall had to repeat the question several times before he elicited — •' From Uncle Proudfoot's Becky." And then she took refuge in a great burst of tears. Mr. Quintall began to walk backwards and forwards and say there was some mystery in all this, and he could not make out girls; daughters were enough to drive one mad. Elspeth, who had more command of herself than 12R QUESTIONING chap. any one else just then, went up to him. and touching his arm, said gently, "Dear Papa, don't you think that Paulina might speak out Letter if she were alone with you ?" "You take her, Elspeth ; I don't know what to make of her." "I think/' said Elspeth, in a low, persuasive voice, "it may be better for you to speak to herj I am beginning to think she has made some great mistake about us, that she cannot speak out freely before us." Paulina, who could not hear this, fancied of course that Elspeth was inciting her father to punish her, and was very much startled when he, speaking roughly, out of his vexation and dislike to the business, called her into his study. "Paulina, what is the meaning of all this?" he gravely asked, when he had seated himself, and she stood before him, Bobbing. "The lrtt.-r was directed to me," she said, laying hold of the mosl defensible point. •'That is nothing to the purpose. What I desire to understand is, what are the extraordinary machi- nal ion thai I find going "n in my familj XI[ POST-OFFICE REVELATIONS 129 She made no answer, and he changed the form of the question — "You say you expected a letter from Becky Saunders. Had you written to her ? " Paulina did not quite say Yes, but, it came to the same thing. '• What could you write to her about '. I desire to know. Speak ! T shall go over to find out from her." So conjured, Paulina did speak : " I wanted a card for Horace." "What do you mean by a card?" " One of Uncle Proudfoot's cards." " Why couldn't you ask for one openly ? Am I to understand that you and Horace are in the habit of intriguing with your uncle's servants to obtain invitations ? " "Oh no, no — not Horace! He had nothing to do with it — nothing ! " cried Paulina, wakened from her sulky trance to defend him. "How do I know? I can't trust your word for anything ! I shall go over to Paddocksfield and find out what has been going on." " Oh, please, Papa, don't let Horace get into the K 130 PUT UPON ghap. scrape, and III tell you all about it ; and you'll Bee he knew nothing about it, and didn't want it either," said Paulina, quite changed now she had her innocent brother instead of her guilty Belf to defend. " It, was all my Bister's fault,"' she began, however, to liis amazement. "Elspeth would not l.t Horace go t<» tli«' Regatta on Thursday, and lie lias always been, and it was too bad of her! l><;o Mamma always let him go." "But," said Mr. Quintall, interrupting tin: tones of wrath in which she spoke, " I thought Elspeth had arranged some safer and more becoming party of pleasure as compensation." "A stupid thing! I thought Horace would not like it," said Paulina. " Or 1 [orace did not like it . ■• Yes, hut he did ; lie did really? protested Paulina, getting more and more dismayed as she saw her own shuffling made her father disbelieve what she said of her brother. "It was T ! — I could not bear for him t«. be pu1 upon." I'm upon, by being kindly guarded from temp- tation He always had gone, ami it never hurt him, xii POST-OFFICE REVELATIONS 131 and the boys would have laughed al him," said Paulina. "Passing that by, I do not see now how youi Uncle Proudfoot's invitation to Paddocksfield was to take him to this Reeatta." Paulina did begin now to feel very much ashamed as she said, " Uncle Proudfoot wasn't to know." "You mean, then, that his servant was to take one of his cards without his knowledge, and send it here, that Horace might, on a false pretext, join this expedition." Paulina could only mutter, " Because Elspeth was so cross." " Poor child ! " and her father's deep sigh startled her: "she does not seem to understand the shame and disgrace of such conduct. Then it was in the expectation of this card that you stole away from your sister and opened Persis' letter?" "I would have given it back if I had not torn it," said Paulina; "and when I began to read it, I thought it was to me." "How was that possible?" "It began with ' My dear Child,' and I thought, K 2 132 QUELLE I » chap, mi perhaps, Qncle Proudfoot had found out. But, Papa, indeed it was a love-letter, "Nonsense, child; you don't know what a love- letter is. Well, I can't say lmw much truth there is in what von say,"' he Bighed; " it is bad enough, any way. Go u]> to your room now; I can't have you about this evening." "Only, Papa," said Paulina, lingering, "it wasn't II. -lace's doing." "Did he kimw of it ' " And then Paulina told her first direct falsehood in the matter, for she said "No;" and as shi her father look really pleased, she went up to her room, thinking that at any rate Horace had not known of her manoeuvres before, only after; bu1 she was too miserable to sleep properly, and tossed about amid unhappy dreams and waking tears throughout the night and the weary long Light morning. CHAPTER XIII QUARTERING THE ROCKING-HORSE Mr. Quintalj, could not rest till he had come to some understanding of the affair. Instead of going to the bank the first thing after breakfast, he sent for a carpenter, and desired him to open the rocking- horse. All the family stood round with as much curiosity as wonder, except poor little Clare, who ran away to Susan in an agony of crying, as if it had been a live horse that was to be cut in two ; and not half be- lieving the assurances that dear old Gee-gee would be as well as ever in the evening. The first thing that came to light when the upper part of the poor dappled grey was severed from the lower was a mouse's nest, explaining the wonderful mousey smell that had for some little time been 134 PIECING TOGETHEB i hap. remarked in the passage. Olive's plan of feeding ree upon crusts must have been appreciated by the mouse family. Amongst dust and crumbs and ■ Bloven's fur " almost enough to make a tippet, came forth five slate-pencils, two lead-pencils, one knife, one piece of india-rubber, one female member of Noah's family and one of his beetles, besides a number of Bcraps of paper, upon which Elspeth and Persis immediately threw themselves, picking- out those which bore Mr. Urquhart's handwriting, and piecing them together. It turned out that Paulina's hurried midnight tearing had not been into srery minute pieces ; it had done little more than quarter them, s<> that it was not difficult to put them together again. Mr. Quintal] had not said a word to Persis about the letter; he had even said he only caused the search to he made to satisfy himself about Paulina's truth, and for the same reason he had ordered his horse, to ride to Paddocksfield and examine Becky. He did not attempt to look at the fragments, <>r ask any questions aboul them; but Persis, s<» soon as she 1 1 ■ * ■ 1 arranged them legibly, came up to liim, and Baid, \\ it h hot ly glov ing cheek ni QUARTERING THE ROCKING-HORSE 135 " Father, please read this." "Do you really wish it, Persia?" he said, and Paulina felt half jealous of the manner. "You understand that at your age your correspondence is perfectly free, and that I should never think again of that child's accusation — only not scandalous because it is so foolish and impossible." "Please read it, Papa," repeated Persis; and Paulina, for all her troubles, raised her head with eagerness and suspense ; so amazed was she that the letter could be even supposed to be anything but what she had thought it. "From Mr. Urquhart?" asked her father. " Yes, Papa," said Persis, " and perhaps I had better tell you first ; for I am not sure now whether I ought not to have done so before ; you know Mr. Urquhart prepared us for Confirmation, and he told us, whenever we could, to go to the Holy Com- munion early. 80 when you forbade us"— (Mr. Quintall was looking displeased now, and the tears stood in Persis' eyes, and her voice quivered)- '■ we were very much puzzled what was right to do ; for indeed we — at least I — don't know how to be any way good without strength and help, always. So I 136 PERSIS' CONFESSIOK chap. wrote- perhaps I ought to have told you first — to ask Mr. Urquharl what was the right thins to do. and this is liis answer." So this was what Paulina had taken for love- making! Tlic colour rushed into her faro at her own exceeding foolishness, and she would have been ready to run out of the room with Bhame and dismay if she had not perceived that her father was not much pleased. " Hin ! I think young ladies might put their fathers before strangers." "But he could not be a stranger to us. Papa," said Persis: "lie taught us long ago." " Well, ha! that's some excuse; Let us sol " Paulina wished he would have read aloud, so that she might have had her difficulties cleared up: hut instead of this, he only said, ,- Must I read it ? A horrid had hand he writes, this adviser <>f* yours. — Good and sensible, that! — Why, Persie, girl, did it go so very deep with you? You might have told me. child, though, after all. — Hml ha! he seems a good, right-minded man, QOl at all disposed t«» stir up strife between father and child. Patience, influent [nfluence; thai must have been Paulina's " fleece" xnr QUARTERING THE RCCKING-HORSE 137 her "Golden Fleece") — " There, my dear, I am glad you showed it to me ; it puts your friend in a fresh light to me, and I suppose you must do as you please." " Oh, Tapa I" and the colour came into Persie's face, and she clasped her hands — " thank you ! " And Elspeth fervently echoed, " Thank you, Father ! " " Well, say no more about it now ; anyhow, I see you gave up something to come home and help me, my girls, and I don't want to make it harder to you ; only have it all out with me next time, if I cross you again." " I will, Papa; I will not be afraid again." And Persis ventured to bend down and kiss him. Paulina had never thought of such a thing as that, and was amazed to see him jmt up his arm and hold her down and return the kiss, saying, as he did so, " You are very like your mother. Persie." Then Paulina felt a fierce pang of jealousy. " Stay a moment," said her father, as Persis was going ; " when does Horace come home ? " '• To breakfast, to-morrow." " I shall leave speaking to him till then. T am going over to Paddocksfield now." A kind of despair seized Paulina at the thought 138 PUNISHMENT chap. of what (Jncle Proudfoot would say to the use Bhe had intended to make of his Bervant and his cards. Elspeth spoke, however: '-Don't you think you could speak to this old housekeeper apart ; I don'1 Imagine Mr. Proudfool knows anything aboul it." "Most likely not. I should be ashamed that he should. Shall I drive you there, Elsie '. " "N<», thank you, Papa; I think you will get on better without me," said Elspeth, feeling that other- wise Paulina might never think his judgment im- partial. "Very well; only mind, you need not get ready for this picnic business. I can't have pleasurings while an affair Like this is going on.' Aline gave a start of horror and dismay, and Elspeth said — " Is not that rather hard on the innocent I " "How do 1 know who is innocent \ I believe Horace is at the bottom of it all the while." ■ [ndeed, Papa."' said Elspeth, eagerly, " 1 do not think so. I don't think Horace cares about any- thing but butterflies, and his head is full of the Bilver-washed fritillaries on Quack Common. lb' really prefers it." xiii QUARTERING THE ROCKING-HORSE 139 "So you think, Elsie— you are a good girl, and never were used to slippery ways; but nothing shall ever make me believe that the girl there go1 up such a plot without being egged on by her brother." "I did! I did, Papa!" cried Paulina, darting forward again. " Horace knew nothing about it. Oh, punish me as much as you please, but don't believe horrid things about Horace. He didn't want to go. He was angry with me for it." " There now r , Paulina, last night you told me he knew nothing about it ! That's the way with you all — anything to shield your brother. I only hope I may get the truth out of him, anyway." And Mr. Quintall went off, leaving Paulina crying now as she had never cried before. "Oh, Elsie, Elsie, what shall I do! Indeed, indeed, Horace had nothing to do with it." "No, Paula, I cannot believe he had," said Elspeth ; " but if you have not spoken the perfect truth, it will be very hard to convince Papa." " I did speak truth. He did not ask me to do it," sobbed Paula; "he did not want me to do it; he knew r nothing till it was all done and then 1 j i PITY cn.vr. I thought Becky might have been stupid an 1 sent liim the card, so I told him, and he was very angry with me." " But you told Papa he did not know !' "Oh, Elsie, don't you Bee, in that Bense; and 1 didn't tell one other fih in the whole." " I do see, Paula, 4 in that Bense/ as you call it; but it was a great pity you did not explain to Papa." "I was so frightened! and I only thought how to get Horace out of the scrape ! And now I have made it w r orse than ever!" Poor Paulina was crying so bitterly and sobbed so violently, that Persia looked at Elspeth quite frightened; and Elspeth said — ' Poor child! she is quite worn out. Lie down here, Paula,"— making a place on the sofa. •• 1 dare say you did not sloop all night." Paula Bobbed out " No," while Persia Laid her down, ami presently Elspeth brought her some sal- volatile. She was dimly conscious that they were both a great <\^'^\ kinder to her than she in the expected or deserved; but Bhe was tired out with her misery, and could qoI think about it, and xin QUARTERING THE ROCKING BORSE 141 so she fell asleep. When she awoke partially, it was to hear their voices. "I can't help hoping that after all this is the beginning of better things." " I can't help hoping everything in the joy your letter has won us," said Elspeth. "Did people really care about Church and Holy Communion as much as all that ? " thought Paulina. " How very kind Papa was ! " added Persis. "And oh, what a helpful letter it was! I wonder what put the fancy into her head, poor child ! " And then both sisters indulged in a hearty, noiseless laugh. If Paulina had been as honour- able as they were, she would have shown herself to be awake, but she had not learnt as yet all the lessons she ought to learn, — and she lay still. "lam sure we are both very much indebted to her," said Elspeth. " I only trust good may come out of the present trouble." "If Papa can only acquit poor Horace!" said Persis. " I have great hopes that the dear boy's own open-faced manner will convince him." , is I'AST I'KlMl'DK'i: - HAP. mii "I am smv it ought," Baid Elspeth. "Dear Eorace ! 1 do think the most hopeful pari about all this terrible affair is thai sfu is more distressed for his sake than her own." "There was uothing selfish iii it from first t<> last," said Persis, warmly. " I am not bo Bure of that. There was some self- deceit. It was the spirit of opposition to me." " How did Elspeth know so well," thought Paulina "I am sun; no one could have been kinder! cried Persis. "No one could have meant to be kinder, but I never knew Low difficult it would be to do right and yet seem kind. Poor children ! I have often been Borry for them, and have feared things Beemed to be done for the sake of change and tyranny, when they really could not be helped." There Paulina dropped off to Bleep again, but with a very different feeling in her mind as to being " put upon," CHAPTER XIV POISONING A HOLIDAY Mr. Quintall did nut come home till quite late. Mr. Proudfoot had insisted on his staying to dinner, and Elspeth was obliged to send Paulina to bed before he came home, promising to come and tell her what he said about Becky. The girl was so tired out, however, that she was fast asleep when her sisters looked in at her, and it was not till the morning that she knew the fate of her letter. Becky Saunders was no great reader, and she had kept the letter for her young niece to read to her after church on Sunday. And the niece had, after spelling it out with difficulty, brought her to the conclusion that "the young gentleman wanted to go out a pleasuring unknownst to his Pa," which 144 PASSIVENESS THE BEST POLICY chai Becky rightly held to 1"' very dangerous; besides, how was she ever to go for to do such a thing as to take one of her master's cards without his know- li dge : So Becky had made up her mind to take do notice; it was just a fancy of the young Ladies and gentlemen thai they would boob forget, it' she lei n blow over, and be glad she had done so. Sensible old servants often do pul a stop to follies in that way, by taking no notice. Becky was much afraid of bringing the dear children into trouble, but when questioned she had told all that she knew. She had in Iter real good- nature destroyed the letter; and as the kitchen fire had dene so more effectually than the rocking-horse, she could not produce it ; and this was unlucky, as it would have done something towards clearing Horace. Tool- Horace; it was a different holiday from what he expected when he came home with his sunny face and his butterfly net on that summer morning, expecting his picnic and butterflies innumerable, He was at once met and called by a Btern voice into his father's study; and what passed there no one knew, —while, his sisters waited outside in rn*eat distress. I'LL THA r T<> MKDDI.F. IN MY AFFA is." r 147 xiv POISONING A HOLIDAV 147 At last Horace came out, looking glum and fierce, and turning to Paulina, said — " I'll thank you not to meddle in my affairs again ! A pretty mess you've got me into this time." " Horace, dear, you " " None of your dears — making my father not believe a word I say." And as his father's step was heard following, he flung out of the room by the windows, unable to meet him. Paulina durst not go after him — she who had comforted him in all his scrapes before. "As I thought, Elspeth," said Mr. Quintall, coming in, "the boy was cognizant of this scheme. I was sure the girl would never have got it up unless it was instigated." "Papa! Papa!" Paulina almost screamed, in her dismay and despair. "Silence, Paulina!— it is of no use to listen to you." Elspeth rose up now. "Papa, I believe she tells the truth." " What : " interrupted Mr. Quintall, -when (me 148 PRESENT PHK.IUDICE CHAP minute Bhe tells me he did not know, and he tella me himself thai he did ! " "She lias explained ■" began Elspeth. "Explained! — explained! — that's the way with women! You do the boy no good by letting him hoodwink you, Elspeth. You are not weak to your sisters, why should you be so to him ?" " I am trying not to be weak, but to stand up for what I believe to be the right," said Elspeth. " I believe what Paulina tells me, that Horace never wanted to go to Prince's Quay, but thai she, fancying I was unkind in preventing him, concocted this plan without his knowledge. Yes — she only told him of n lasl Saturday, when all her measures had been taken, and then he was wry properly angry with h»r; but I am quite sun- you would not have thought better of him for betraying her. Has he said anything inconsistent with thai '. " Why, no — not if! can believe anything." "Then do believe this. Papa dear, tor I am sure it is 1 ho truth. No One Can look at Horace a moment and think he would wilfully deceive," " Little you know about hoys, Elspeth. However nothing, as you Bay, is proved against him, so I am xiv POISONING A HOLIDAY 149 content t<> leave it as it is. I shall say n<> more about it, and you may toll him so." With which Persis stole out to seek Horace in the garden in vain, and continue her search upstairs to his own room, and Palmer Worm Park, where she found him squatted down among his flower- pots, dull and gloomy, resisting all the caresses that little Aline tried to lavish on him, — driving her back, sometimes with a growl, sometimes, it may be feared, with a kick ; but she was a loving little thing, and returned, after every rebuff, to fawn on him like a faithful dog. It was the first time his father had ever doubted his word, and it was very sore to him. When Persis came he only turned the more away, and tried to shake off her soft hand as Paulina had once done. "Dear Horace, I came to tell you Papa does not mean to be angry any more." " Does he believe me ? " The boy looked up eagerly, and as Persis hesitated — " There, you see how it is ! What an abominable thing it is to have a sister ! " " Oh, Horace, don't," entreated Aline. 150 PERSUASION chap. " Get away, do: you arc all one as bad as the other." P< i iia Laughed her little sweet laugh. • Not quite, Horace," Bhe said. " ( We, I do 1 1 . . t wonder that you are exceedingly vexed and g] ieved." " Such an abominable trick to have played me!" he wnit tin. " Slif meant it for kindm "As if that did me any good. All those silver- washed running to destruction for want of some one to catch them — and my new net and all. And my tath.r thinking me no end of a brute ! Oh, Persie ! isn't it enough to drive a fellow out of his senses ? " "I really think it is, almost," said Persis. " Paula almost cried herself ill about it yesterday." "I should hope so! You standing up for her, Persie, of all people in the world, when she went and hogged your letters, and told all manner of spiteful fibs about them." " 1 "hat was all her mistake." " Nice mistake ! 1 declare 1 would as soon have a Deal of vipers in tin; house" Xiv POISONING A HOLIDAY L51 "I think nothing will be so likely to cure hei as all this." "Knot, there will be no living iii the house with her. I shan't speak to her, nor let her touch any- thing of mine, I can tell her. I shouldn't wonder if her meddling made the Pcrnii die." "Hardly that; she lias been very careful. And. Horace, I think the best sign of all is, that she grieves for having brought you into trouble more than for herself." " Well, she may," quoth Horace, " I never asked her; and now she has been and poisoned my holi- day, and, what's worse, my father's mind." " Papa will soon get over that," said Persis. "Nobody can suspect a really true and upright boy long." "But I shall never now be able to say he never suspected me at all. Oh, Persie, that he should think I could plot against him and tell him lies, and be a horrid mean sham ! " The boy burst into a flood of tears, feeling it a great deal more deeply than Persis had thought was in his light gay nature. There, on that queer quadrangle between the roofs, among the cater- 152 QUEER PETS chap. pillars, he Leant against her as Bhe Ba1 on a Low stool, and cried bitterly ; and Paulina, Lingering ali, »ut tlic bedroom door, heard, and was cut to the heart. But Horace was all the better for the crying; and when he did look up again, he had relieved him- self, bo thai he could bear it; and when he had Looked about a Little, he saw that two silkworms of the real old kind had actually spun, and must 1).' w»Ts, bul ho called her Polly just as usual, or more kindly as he saw her unhappy; and was so bright and good-natured, that Elspeth feared she would lose the impression that had heen made. Bui Paulina's disposition was very different from xiv POISONING A HOLIDAY L53 her brother's. Tilings went deeper with her, and his kindness, after the injury she had done him, only made hoi- pain the greater. She felt there was some- thing she could never forget in the way both he and Persis treated her. fHAITKK XV THE QUAY ELSPETH thought the kindest tiling to do would be to take Horace out for a lung walk that afternoon; and though it looked much hotter than was pleasant, she offered t<> go with him to a down where some <.ii. was reported once to have seen a painted lady of the woods. It was too tar for Aline, and Paulina was no1 well enough, s<> Persia stayed at home with them, and only Olive, whose sturdy logs nothing over seemed to i ire, went off \\ ith the walkers. .Inst as they were coming home with a poor painted lady waiting in a pill-box for tin- Laurel ea that were to end her pretty fluttering life, they Baw ;i cab driving at full Bpeed towards the station, and Olive declared thai she saw Kirs. Grafton CHAP.xv THE QUAY 155 in it, -Mrs. Grafton, who never was known to leave her own fireside. They all Laughed a1 the little girl's mistake But as they reached their own gates, footsore and dusty, but with their hands full of flowers and their hearts full of cheerfulness, they saw Mr. Quintall coming quickly up from the end of the road. Urn ace, remembering the morning in one sudden thrill of shame, would hardly have waited for his coining but for a sign he made to them. The first thing he did was to lay his hand on Horace's shoulder, and exclaim, in a husky, agitated voice— " My boy 1 my boy " Horace fancied it was displeasure at first, and started ; but Elspeth knew better. "What is it? Is anything the matter?" she asked. ' Matter —yes, Elsie ; those unhappy boys. Too much wine, it is believed. Took a boat —mis- managed — ran foul of the quay " " Drowned ! who ? " " Poor young Davies ; not sure of the others when they telegraphed. Percy Grafton alive, but an arm broken. They came into the bank to tell Die, fancy- 156 THE PLEASURE PARTY i hat. ing my boy must have been among them, and it ■ I me whether he had really g -, after I had stun- him with suspicion. I scarcely durst come home 1" look :" and he wiped his brow and gasped, as i,, held Horace Bafe by the shoulder. The boy was pale enough. "I was very uear going," he said, in a Low awe J struck voire; "I was iii such a rage I should, if Persie hadn't come up and but there again Horace broke down in tears as he strove to ask, "Charlie -Charlie Hill — was he there?" "Charlie Hill— the Hills never go." "Ah, but he said he wouldn't be badgered any more. It's all their fault, they bored him bo at home "Poor things!" said Mr. Quintall. "Horace, we do both owe unspeakably much to these sisters ol yours. I am sorry I spoke hastily to you this morning, my boy ; I heard afterwards that you had steadily refused to .join the party this year. 1 will never doubl your word again, Horace, unless you give me cause to do so. 1 beg your pardon qow." Horace looked up in WOnder as his father held out his hand and clasped his tight, Q01 SO much in xv THE QUAY L57 reconciliation as in the joy <>f feeling it warm, strong, and healthful. But the boy's heart was very sore for his schoolfellows, and he counted over the names in great anxiety, for it was pretty well known in the school who were going to the regatta, avIio had free leave, and who had extorted it. It was Paulina, however, who felt it the most. When they came into the house, they found her as white as a sheet waiting for tidings. Nobody said to her, " Suppose your plan had succeeded ? " But perhaps she felt it the more because no one did. How would she have felt at that moment ? She began to understand the real kindness of the sisters in not roughly forbidding, as Mrs. Hill did, but striving to give a pleasure in lieu of that they wished to prevent, — the sisters she had thought so cruel. Horace could not stay at home ; he must go up to the station to hear what tidings came in, and his father somehow could not bear to have him out of sight, so they went together while Paulina lay on the sofa with her hand in that of Persia, too anxious to speak, but listening for every sound. How much more terrible that listening might have been, 158 PREVENTED IN TIME chap. It was not for more than an hour thai the father unci son came back. Then it was with better Dews. Nobody had beeo actually drowned. All had been restored, with diligent care, though Percy Grafton's arm was broken, and he, and one or two more, were not in a tit state to be brought home. The accident seemed to have been caused by the boys' own carelessness and Percy Grafton's conceit. They had lunched at a hotel by the waterside, and had taken enough liquor of various kinds to make them all the more boastful and unsteady. They refused all advice and caution from the boatmen, and no wonder that the consequence was that even in pushing off from the quay the boat had been upset It was true that all had been rescued, but it had been the nearest and narrowest of escapes, and such revelations had been made of the perils the boys underwent, and, far worse, the company they ran int.. at these regatta parties, thai every one in the town resolved more firmly than ever that the boys should nevei- again be allowed to go without Borne il> person to look after them. And Paulina herself began t.» understand that 'putting upon another" might sometimes mean xv THE QUAY 159 keeping out of temptation. When she heard the particulars, she did not think of temptation as a merely long word used by cross people to prevent one from enjoying one's self. " I am sure, if that is all, I hope my sisters will 4 put upon us ' all their lives," she said to herself after she had kissed Horace once more that night and folt him safe. " Persie, my girl," said Mr. Quintall, " this has been a great mercy. I think I must come to church with you next Sunday morning. One feels as if one must do something by way of thanksgiving, and as much for such a girl as Elsie as for the boy's safety." It would be exaggerating to say that Paulina Quintall never came to a squabble again about the P's and Q's, but at any rate the sisters had a foundation of good understanding; Paulina trusted the others entirely, never again tried to circumvent them, and therefore came in time to be trusted herself, long before Horace had Pcrnii silk enough to make her a dress. mttk fury's SStonticiful ffilotr M Utttle CHAPTER I M OTH E R BUNC H There was once a wonderful fortnight in little Lucy's life. One evening she went to bed very tired and cross and hot, and in the morning when she looked at her arms and legs they were all covered with red spots, rather pretty to look at, only they were dry and prickly. Nurse was frightened when she looked at them. She turned all the little sisters out of the niehl nursery, covered Lucy up close, and ordered her not to stir, certainly not to go into her bath. u 2 164 LITTLE LUCY'S chap. Then there was a whispering and a running about, and Lucy was half alarmed, bul more pleased at being so important, for she did not feel at all ill, and quite enjoyed the tea and toast thai Nurse brought up to her. Just as Bhe was beginning to think it rather tiresome to lie there with nothing, to do, except to watch the Hies buzzing about, there \vas a step on the stairs and up came the doctor. He was an old friend, very good-natured, and he made fun with Lucy about having turned into a spotted leopard, just like the cowry shell on Mrs. Bunker's mantelpiece. Indeed, he said he thought she was such a curiosity that Mrs. Bunker would come for her and set her up in the inns, inn, and then lie went away. Suppose, oh, suppose Bhe did! Mis. Hunker, <»r M<>t lo r Hunch, as Lucy and her brothers and sisters called her, was housekeeper to their Uncle Joseph, He was really their great uncle, and they thoughl him any age you can imagine. They would not have been much surprised to hear thai he had sailed with ( Shristopher ( lolumbus, though he was a strong, hale, active man, much less . asily tired I ban thoir own papa. 1 Ee had been a i WONDERFUL GLOBE 165 ship's surgeon in his younger days, and had sailed all over the world, and collected all soils of* curious things, besides which he was a very wise and Learned man, and had made some great discovery. It was not America. Lucy knew that her elder brother under- stood what it was, but it was not worth troubling her head about, only somehow it made ships go safer; and so he had had a pension given him as a reward, and had come home and bought a house about a mile out of the town, and built up a high room to look at the stars from with his telescope, and another to try his experiments in, and a long one besides for his museum; yet, after all, he was not much there, for wdiencver there was anything wonderful to be seen, he always went off to look at it; and whenever there was a meeting of learned men — scientific men was the right word — they always wanted him to help them to make speeches and show wonders. He was away now : he had gone away to wear a red cross on his arm, and help to take care of the wounded in the sad war between the French and Germans. But he had left Mother Bunch behind him. Nobody knew exactly what was Mrs. Bunker's 166 LITTLE LUCY'S chap. nation, indeed she could hardly be Baid to have had any, for Bhe had been born a1 Bea, and had been a sailor's wife ; bu1 whether Bhe was mostly English, Dutch, or Danish, nobody knew and nobody cared Ber husband had 1) $en Lost at sea, and Uncle Joseph had taken her to look after his house, and always said Bhe was the <»nly woman who had sens.- and discretion enough ever to go into his laboratory or dust his museum. She was very kind and good-natured, and there was nothing that the children liked better than a walk to Uncle Joseph's, and, after a game at play in the garden, a tea-drinking with her — such quantities of sugar', such curious cakes made in the fashion of different countries! such funny preserves from all parts of the world ! and more delightful to people who considered that looking and hearing was better sport than eating, and thai the tongue is not only meant to taste with, Such cupboards and drawers full of wonderful things. such stoii.s about them ! The lesser ones liked Mrs. Bunker's room better than Uncle Joseph's museum, where there were some big Btuffed beasts with glaring eyes thai Brightened them, and they r WONDERFUL GLOBE 16? had to walk round with hands behind, that they might not touch anything, or else their uncle's voice was sure to call out gruffly, "Paws off! " Mrs. Bunker was not a bit like the smart house- keepers at other houses. To be sure, on Sundays she came out in a black silk gown with a little flounce at the bottom, a scarlet China crape shawl with a blue dragon upon it — his wings over her back, and a claw over each shoulder, so that whoever sat behind her in church was terribly distracted by trying to see the rest of him — and a very big yellow Tuscan bonnet, trimmed with sailor's blue ribbon ; but in the week and about the house she wore a green stuff, with a brown holland apron and bib over it, epiite straight all the way down, for she had no particular waist, and her hair, which was of a funny kind of flaxen grey, she bundled up and tied round, without any cap or anything else on her head. One of the little boys had once called her Mother Bunch, because of her stories ; and the name fitted her so well that the whole family, and even her master, took it up. Lucy was very fond of her; but when about an hour after the doctor's visit she was waked by a 168 LITTLE LUCY'S chap. rustling and a Lumbering on the stairs, and presently the door opened, and the second besl big bonnet the go-to-market bonnet with the turned ribbons — came into the room with Mother Bunch's face under it, and the good-natured voice told her Bhe was to be carried to Uncle Joseph's and have oranges and tamarinds, she did begin to feel like the spott< d cowry, to think about being set on the chimney- • •, to cry, and say she wanted Man una. The Nurse and Mother Bunch began to comfort her, and explain that the doc-tor thought she had the Bcarlatinaj not at all badly; but that if any of the others caught it, nobody could guess how bad they would be; especially Mamma, who had just been ill ; and so she was to be rolled up in her blankets, and put into a carriage, and taken to her uncles, and there she would stay till she was not only well, but could safely come home without carrying infection about with her. Lucy was a good little girl, and knew that she must bear it ; so, though she could not help crying a Little when Bhe found she must no! kiss any one, nay, no1 even see them, and that nobody might go with her but Lonicera, her own washing i WONDERFUL GLOBE 169 doll, she made up her mind bravely; and she was a good deal cheered when Clare, the biggesl and best of all the dolls, was suit in to her, with all her clothes, by Maude, her eldest sister, to be her com- panions—it was such an honour and so very kind of Maude that it quite warmed the sad little heart. So Lucy had her little scarlet flannel dressing gown on, and her shoes and stockings, and a wonder- ful old knitted hood with a tippet to it, and then she was rolled round and round in all her bed-clothes, and Mrs. Bunker took her up like a very big baby, not letting any one else touch her. How Mrs. Bunker £ot safe down all the stairs no one can tell, but she did, and into the fly, and there poor little Lucy looked back and saw at the windows Mamma's face, and Papa's, and Maude's, and all the rest, all nodding and smiling to her, but Maude was crying all the time, and perhaps Mamma was too. The journey seemed very long ; and Lucy was r.ally tired when she was put down at last in a big bed, nicely warmed for her, and with a bright fire in the room. As soon as she had had some beef-tea, she went off soundly to sleep, and 170 LITTLE LrCVS .hap. only woke to drink tea, and administer supper to the dolls, and put them to Bleep. The nexl evening she was sitting up by the fire, and on the fourth day Bhe was running about the house as if nothing had ever been the matter with her, but she was not to go home for a fortnight; and being wet, cold, dull weather, it was not always easy to amuse herself. She had her dulls, to be sun-, and the little dog Don, to play with, and sometimes Mrs. Bunker would lot her make funny things with the dough, or stone the raisins, or even help make a pudding ; but still there was a good deal of time be more civil and conformable." "Toll me all about it," said Lucy, loll,, wing the LUCY HAD A GREAT SNEEZING FIT, AND WHEN S1IK LOOKED AGAIN INTO THE SMOKE, WHAT DID SHE SEE BUT TWO LITTLE BLACK FIGURES ! F. 167. '■ I AM BU i.i.ui TO I ii. yoi . in BH. DON ! I chap, n LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 187 old woman hither and thither as she bustled about, talking all the time, and stirring her pan of ginger over the hot plate. How it happened, it is not easy to say ; the room was very warm, and Mother Bunch went on talking as she stirred, and a steam rose up, and by and by it seemed to Lucy that she had a great sneezing fit, and when she looked again into the smoke what did she see but two little black figures, faces, heads, and feet all black, but with an odd sort of white garment round their waists, and some fine red and green feathers sticking out of their woolly heads. " Mrs. Bunker, Mrs. Bunker," she cried, " what's this ? who are these ugly figures ? " " Ugly ! " said the foremost ; and though it must have been some strange language, it sounded like English to Lucy. " Is that the way little white girl speaks to boy and girl that have come all the way from Ysabel to see her ? " "Oh, indeed ! little Ysabel boy, I beg your pardon. I didn't know you were real, nor that you could understand me! I am so glad to see you. Hush, Don ! don't bark so ! " 188 LITTLE LUCY'S chap. " Pig, pig, I never heard a pig Bqueak like that," said the black stranger. "Pig! It is a little dog. Have you do dogs in your country ? " " Pigs go on lour logs. That must be pig." * What, you have nothing that goes on four legs but a pig ! What do you eat, then, besides pig ? " "Yarns, cocoa-nut, fish— oh, so good, and put pig into hole among hot stones, make a fire over, bake so nice ! " "You shall have some of my tea and see if that is as nice," said Lucy. " What a funny dress you have ; what is it made of ? " " Tapa cloth," said the little girl. "We get the bark off the tree, and then we go hammer, hammer, thump, thump, till all the hard thick stuff comes off;" and Lucy, looking near, saw that the substance was really all a Lacework of fibre, about as close ; ,s tli.' nei of Nurse's caps. '• Is thai all your clothes '. " she asked. "Yes, till I .-nil ;i warrior,*' said the boy ; M then they will tattoo my forehead, and arms, and breast, and Legs. ' "Tattoo! what's thai \ " ■ M;,kr little llnl-'S, alld Illh'S all n\vr till' skill n WONDERFUL GLOBE 189 with a sharp shell, and rub in juice that turns it all to blue and purple lines." " But doesn't it hurt dreadfully ? " asked Lucy. "Hurt! to be sure it does, but that will show that I am brave. When Father comes home from the war, he paints himself white." " White ! " " With lime made by burning coral, and he jumps and dances and shouts : I shall go to the war one of these days." " Oh no, don't ! " said Lucy, " it is horrid." The boy laughed, but the little girl whispered, " Good white men say so. Some day Lavo will go and learn, and leave off fighting." Lavo shook his head. " No, not yet ; I will be brave chief and warrior first, — bring home many heads of enemies." " I — I think it nice to be quiet," said Lucy ; " and — and — won't you have some dinner ? " " Have you baked a pig ? " asked Lavo. "I think this is mutton," said Lucy, when the dish came up, — " it is sheep's flesh." Lavo and his sister had no notion what sheep were. They wanted to sit cross-legged on the 190 LITTLE LUCYS WONDERFUL GLOBE chap.h floor, but Lucy made each of them sit in a chair properly; but then they shocked her by picking up the mutton-chops and stuffing- them into their mouths with their fingers. " Look here ! " and she showed the knives and forks. "Oh!" cried Lavo, "what good spikes to catch Ash with ! and knife — knife — I'll kill foes 1 much better than shell knife." - " And I'll dig yams," said the sister. " Oh no ! " entreated Lucy, " Ave have spades to dig with, soldiers have swords to fight with : these are to eat with." " I can eat much better without," said Lavo, but to please Lucy his sister did try; slashing hard away with her knife, and digging her fork straight into a bit of meat. Then she very nearly ran it into her eye, and Lucy, who knew it was not good manners to laugh, was very near choking herself. And at last, saying the knife and fork were "great good — great good ; but none for eating," they stuck them through the in vat tortoiseshell rinys thev had in their cars and noses. Lucy was distressed about Uncle Joseph's knives and forks, which she know she ought not to give away; but while she was Looking I can RAT Mien BKTTRR WITHOOT," SAID LAVO, P, 190. ii mi ri.iMiiKii ii- mi mi in i ii ''■I' wa -nun.; tSTRTOI OM i in TOP 09 IT. P. 18 CHAP.n LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 105 about for Mrs. Bunker to interfere, Don seemed to think it his business, and began to growl and fly at the little black legs. " A tree, a tree ! " cried the Ysabelites, " whore's a tree?" and while they spoke, Lavo had climbed up the side of the door, and was sitting astride on the top of it, grinning down at the dog, and his sister had her feet on the lock, going up after him. " Tree houses," they cried ; " there Ave are safe from our enemies." And Lucy found rising before her, instead of her own nursery, a huge tree, on the top of a mound. 1 Basket-work had been woven between the branches to make floors, and on these were huts of bamboo cane ; there were ladders hanging down made of strong creepers twisted together, and above and •around the cries of cockatoos and parrots and the chirp of grasshoppers rang in her ears. She laid hold of the ladder of creeping plants and began to climb, but soon her head swam, she grew giddy, and called out to Lavo to help her. Then suddenly she found herself curled up in Mrs. Bunker's big beehive chair, and she wondered whether she had been asleep. 1 See Hi.' Net, June 1, 18G7. o 2 CHAPTER JIT ITALY "Suppose and suppose I could have such another funny dream," said Lucy. "Mother Bunch, have you ever been to Italy ' " and she put her finger on the long l«\u r and foot, kicking at three-corn Sicily. "Yes, Afissie, that T have; come out of this cold room and I'll tell you. " Lucy was soon curled in her chair; but no, she wasn'1 : slir was under such a blue, blue sky. as she bad never dreamt of: clear sharp purple hills rose up againsl it. There was a clear rippling little fountain, bursting out of a rock, carved with old, old carvings, broken now and defaced, but Bhadowed over l>v lovely maidenhair fern and trailing bind- weed ; and in a niche above a little roof, sheltering a figure of the Blessed Virgin. Some way off stood a chap, in LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 197 long low house propped up against the rich yellow stone walls and pillars of another old, old building, and with a great chestnut-tree shadowing over it. It had a balcony, and the gable end was open, and full of big yellow pumpkins and clusters of grapes hung up to dry, and some goats were feeding round. Then came a merry, merry voice singing some- thing about la vendemmia ; and though Lucy had never learnt Italian, her wonderful dream knowledge made her sure that this meant the vintage, the grape-gathering; and presently there came along a little girl dancing and beating a tambourine, with a basket fastened to her back, filled to overflowing with big, beautiful bunches of grapes : and a whole party of other children, all loaded with as many grapes as they could carry, came leaping and singing after her ; their black hair loose, or sometimes twisted with vine-leaves; their big black eyes dancing with merriment, and their bare brown legs with glee. "Ah ! Cecco, Cecco !" cried the little girl, pausing as she beat her tambourine, " here's a stranger who has no grapes ; give them here ! " His L1TTIJ-: LTCVS WONDKUFUL (JLOiiE CHAP, m "But," Baid Lucy, "aren't they your Mamma's grapes; may you give them away?" • Ah, ah! 'tis the vendemmia ! all may cat grapes; as much as they will. See, there's the \ in. -y: ml." Lucy saw on the Blope of the hill above the cottage long poles such as hops grow upon, and vines trained about hither and thither in long festoons, with leaves growing purple with autumn, and clusters hanging down. Men in shady battered hats, bright Bashes and braces, and white shirt sleeves, and women with handkerchiefs folded square over their heads, were cutting the grapes down, and piling them up in baskets ; and a low carl drawn by two mouse-coloured oxen, with enormous wide horns and gentle-looking eyes, was waiting to be loaded with the baskets. "To the wine-press! to the press!" shouted the children, who were politeness itself and wanted to show her everything. The wine-press was a great marble trough with pipes leading off into other vessels around. Into it w.nt the grapes, and in the midst were men and boi and Little children, all with bare feel and legs chap, in LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 201 up to the knees, dancing and leaping, and bounding and skipping upon the grapes, while the red juice covered their brown skins. "Come in, come in; you don't know how charming it is ! " cried Cecco. " It is the best time of all the year, the dear vintage ; come and tread the grapes." "But you must take off your shoes and stockings," said his sister, Nunziata; "we never wear them but on Sundays and holidays." Lucy was not sure that she might, but the children looked so joyous, and it seemed to be such fun, that she began fumbling with the buttons of her boots, and while she was doing it she opened her eyes, and found that her beautiful bunch of grapes was only the cushion in the bottom of Mother Bunch's chair. CHAPTKR IV GREENLAND • Suppose and suppose I tried what the very cold countries are like ! " And Lucy benl over the globe till she was nearly ready to cut her head off with the brass meridian, as she looked at the long jagged tongue, with no par- ticular t<>p to it, hanging down on the easl side of America. Perhaps it was the making herself so cold that did it, but she found herself in the midst of Bnow, snow, snow. All was snow except the sea, and th.it was a deep green, and in it were monstrous floating white things, pinnacled all over like the Cathedral, and as big, and with hollows in them of glorious deep blue and green, like jewels; Lucy I.ipw they wore icebergs. A Borl of fringe of these tlitis of ice hemmed in the Bhore. And on one of I II \ I I III. WAV \'T l.l I 11-11?' Ill A 1,11. 1". 90S. chap, iv LITTLE LUCV'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 205 them stood what she thoughl at first was a little brown bear, for the light was »><1<1, the sun was so very low down, and there was so much glare from the snow that it seemed unnatural. However, be- fore she had time to be afraid of the bear, she saw that it was really a little boy, with a hood and coat and leggings all of thick, thick fur, and a spear in his hand, with which he every now and then made a dash at a fish, — great cod fish, such as Mamma had, with oysters, when there was a dinner-party. Into them went his spear, up came the poor fish, and was strung with some others on a string the boy carried. Lucy crept up as well as she could on the slippery ice, and the little Esquimaux stared al her with a kind of stupid surprise. " Is that the way you get fish ? " she asked. " Yes, and seals. Father gets them," he said. " Oh, what's that, swimming out there ?" "That's a white bear," he said, coolly; " we bad better get home." Lucy thought SO indeed; only where was home? that puzzled her. However, she trotted along by the side of her companion, and presently came to what might have been an enormous snowball, but 206 LITTLE LUCY'S chap. there was a hole in it. Yes, it was hollow; and as her companion made for the opening, Bhe saw more little st«»ut figures rolled up in furs inside. Then she perceived thai it was a house built up of Mocks of snow, arranged so cis to make the Bhape of a bee- hive, all frozen together, and with a window of ice. It made her shiver to think of going in, but she thought the white bear might come after her, and in she went. Even her little head had to bend under the Low doorway, and behold it was the very closest, stuffiest, if not the hottest place she had ever been in ! There was a kind of lamp burning in the hut ; that is, a wick was floating in some oil, but there was no glass, such as Lucy had been apt to think the chief part of a lamp, and all round it squatted upon skins th.-sr queer little stumpy figures, dressed so much alike that there was uo knowing the men from the women, except that the women had much the biggest boots, and used them instead of pockets and they had their babies in bags of skin upon their backs. They seemed to be kind people, for they made room by their lamp for the little girl, and asked her where she bad been wrecked, and then one of the iv WONDERFUL GLOBE 207 women cut off a great lump of raw something — was it a walrus, with that round head and big tusks ?— and held it up to her ; and when Lucy shook her head and said, "No, thank you," as civilly as she could, the woman tore it in two, and handed a lump over her shoulder to her baby, who began to gnaw it. Then her first friend, the little boy, hoping to please her better, offered her some drink. Ah ! it was oil, just like the oil that was burning in the lamp ! — horrid train oil from the whales ! She could not help shaking her head, so much that she woke herself up ! CHAPTER V TTBOL "Suppose and suppose I could see where that dear little black chamois horn came from ! Bui Mother Bunch can't tell me about that, I'm afraid, for she always went by sea, and here's the Tyrol without one bit of sea near it. It's just one of the strings to the ereat knot of mountains that tie Europe up in the middle. ( >h ! what is a mountain like?" Then suddenly came on Lucy's ears a loud blast like a trumpet ; another answered it farther off, another fainter still, and as she started up she found she was standing on a little shelf of green graSfl with steep slopes of stones and rock above, below, and around ber ; and rising up all round buge, tall bills, their smooth slopes green and grassy, but in ' -^ 0*>> P Ml . I M M l: Ml'. Ml. I I . V. 0HAP.7 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 211 the steep places, all steep, stern cliff ;ui " We girls go up for the summer with the cows to v WONDERFUL GLOBE 213 the pastures, the grass is so rich and good on the mountains, and we make butter and cheese. Wait, and you shall taste. Sit down on that stone." Lucy was glad to hear this promise, for the fresh mountain air had made her hungry. Katherl skipped away towards a house with a projecting wooden balcony, and deep eaves, beautifully carved, and came back with a slice of bread and delicious butter, and a good piece of cheese, all on a wooden platter, and a little bowl of new milk. Lucy thought she had never tasted anything so nice. " And now the gracious little lady will rest a little while," said Katherl, "whilst I go and help Rosel to strain the milk." So Lucy waited, but she felt so tired with her scramble that she could not help nodding off to sleep, though she would have liked very much to have stayed longer with the dear little Tyrolese. But we know by this time where she always found herself when she awoke. CHAPTER VI AI'KICA Oh! oil 1 here is the little dried crocodile come alive, and opening a horrible great mouth lined with terrible teeth at her. No, he is no longer in the museum ; he is in a broad river, yellow, heavy, and thick with mud; the borders are crowded with enormous reeds and rushes ; there is no getting through ; no breaking away from him; here he comes; horrid, horrid beast ! Oh, how could Lucy have been so foolish as to want to travel n, Africa up to the higher parts of the Nile '. Horn will she ever get back again ' He will gobble her up, her and I Hare, who was trusted to her, and whatever w ill Mamma and sister do '. Hark ! There's a cry, a great shout, and out jumps a little black figure, with a Btoui club in Ids hand : i, M h it ■_"" down on the head of master crocodile ; HARK! THERE'S .V CRY, AND OUT JUMPS I LITTLE BLACB FIGURE, WITH - .mi r in Hi-; HAND, P. "I chap, vi LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 217 the ugly beast is turning over on its back and dying. Then Lucy has time to look at the little Negro, and he has time to look at her. What a droll figure he is, with his woolly head and thick lips, the whites of his eyes and his teeth gleaming so brightly, and his fat little black person shining all over, as well it may, for he is rubbed from head to foot with castor- oil. There it grows on that bush, with broad, beautiful, folded O i i ' leaves and red stems and the pretty grey and black nuts. Lucy only wishes the negroes would keep it all to polish themselves with, and not send any home. She wants to give the little black fellow some re- ward for saving her from the crocodile, and luckily Clare has on her long necklace of blue glass beads. She puts it into his hand, and he twists it round his black wool, and cuts such dances and capers for joy that Lucy can hardly stand for laughing ; but the sun shines scorching hot ujxm her, and she gets under the shade of a tall date palm, with big Leaves all shooting out together at the top, and fine bunches of dates below, all fresh and green, not dried like those Papa sometimes gives her at dessert. The little negro, Tojo, asks if she would like some; he takes her by the hand, and loads her into a whole cluster of little round mud huts, telling her 218 LITTLE lA'cy* WONDERFUL GLOBE chap.vi thai lir is Tojo, the king's boh ; she is his little Bister, and these are all bis mothers ! Which is his real mother Lucy cannot quite make out, for she an Immense party of black women, all shiny and polished, with a great many beads wound round their heads, necks, ankles, and wrists; and nothing besides the tiniest short petticoats: and all the tattest are the smartest ; indeed, they have gourds of milk beside them, and are drinking it all day long to keep themselves flit. No sooner however is Lucy led in anion-- them, than they all close round. some singing and dancing, and others laughingfor joy, and crying, " Welcome little daughter, from the land of spirits!" and then she finds out that they think she is really Tojo's little sister, who died ten moons ago, come hack again from the grave as a white spirit. Tojo's own mother, ;i very fat woman indeed, holds out her arms, as big as bed-posts mi 1 terribly greasy, gives her a dose of sour milk out of a gourd, makes her lie down with her head in hoi- lap, and begins to sing to her, till Lucy goes to sleep; and wakes, very glad to Bee the crocodile as brown and hard and immovable as ever; and that odd round gourd with a Little hole in it. hanging up from the ceiling. CHAPTER VII LAPLANDERS "It shall not be a hot country next time," said Lucy, "though, after all, the whale oil was not much worse than the castor oil. — Mother Bunch, did your whaler always go to Greenland, and never to any nicer place ? " "Well, Missie, once we were driven between foul winds and icebergs up into a fiord near North Cape, right at midsummer, and I'll never forget what we saw there." Lucy was not likely to forget, either, for she found herself standing by a narrow inlet of sea, as blur and smooth as a lake, and closely shut in, except on the west, with red rocky hills and precipices with pine- trees growing on them, except where the bare rock was too steep, or where on a somewhat smoother 220 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE chap, to slidf Btood a timbered house, with a farm-yard and barns .-ill round it. Bu1 the odd thing was that the sun was where she had uever Been him before,— quite in the north, making all the shadows come the wrong way. But how came the sun to be visible at all so very late ? Ah ! she knew it now ; this was Norway. and there was no night at all ! And here beside her was a little fellow with a bow and arrows, such as she had never seen before, except in the hands of the little Cupids in the pictures in the drawing-room. Mother Bunch had said that the little brown boys in India looked like the bronze Cupid who was on the mantelshelf, but this link- boy was white, or rather sallow-faced, and well dressed too, in a tight, round, leather cap, and a dark blue kind of shaggy gown with hairy Leggings; and what In' was shooting at was some kind of wild-duck ..I goose, that came tumbling down heavily with the arr<»w right across its neck. '• There," Said the boy, "I'll take that, and soil it to the Norse bonder's wife up in the house above there." Wlni are you, then ; " said Lucy. Tin a Lapp. We live on the hills, where the UBBmiroimwiiAiiminBotwinAiawKD ;; as SHE HAT» NOTES sirs Bl FORE. I . — . chap, vii LITTLE LUCY'S W< )N DKIM'l' L CLOliK 223 Norseman has not driven us away, and the reindeer find their grass in summer and their moss in winter." " Oh ! have you got reindeer ? I should so like to sec them and to drive in a sledge !" The boy, whose name was Peder, laughed, and said, " You can't go in a sledge except when it is winter, with snow and ice to go upon, but I'll soon show you a reindeer." Then he led the way, past the deliciously smelling, whispering pine-woods that sheltered the Norwegian homestead, starting a little aside when a great, tall, fair- faced, fair-haired Norse farmer came striding along, singing some old old song, as he carried a heavy log on his shoulder, past a scater or mountain meadow where the girls were pasturing their cows, much like Lucy's friends in the Tyrol, out upon the grey moorland, where there was an odd little cluster of tents covered with skins, and droll little, short, stumpy people running about them. Peder gave a curious long cry, put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out a lump of salt. Presently, a pair of long horns appeared, then another, thru a whole herd of the dorr with big heads and horns -24 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE i hap. mi growing a good deal forward. The Ball was held to ilitin. and a rope was fastened t<> all their horns thai they mighl Btand still in a line, while the little Lapp women milked them. Peder went up to one of the women, and brought back a little cupful for his visiter: it was all tli.it one deer gave, l>ul it was so rich as to be almost like drinking cream, lie led her into one of the tents, l>ut it was very smoky, and net much cleaner than the Esquimaux. It is a wonder how Lucy could ,u" to Bleep there, hut she did, heartily wishing herself somewhere else. CHAPTER VIII CHINA Was it the scent of the perfumed tea, a present from an old sailor friend, which Mrs. Bunker was putting away, or was it the sight of the red jar ornamented with little black-and-gold men, with round caps, long petticoats, and pigtails, that caused Lucy next to open her eyes upon a cane sofa, with cushions ornamented with figures in coloured silks ? The floor of the room was of shining inlaid wood; there were beautifully woven mats all round ; stands made of red lacquer work, and seats of cane and bamboo ; and there was around window, through which could be seen a beautiful garden, full of flowering shrubs and trees, a clear pond lined with coloured tiles in the middle, and over the wall the Q 220 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE chap, viii gilded roof of a pagoda, like an umbrella, only all in ridge and furrow, and with a little bell at every spoke. Beyond, were beautifully and fantastically shaped hills, and a lake below with pleasure boats on it. It was all wonderfully like being upon a how] come to life, and Lucy knew she was in China, even before there came into the room, toddling upon her poor little tiny feet, a young lady with a small yellow face, little slips of eyes sloping upwards from her Hat nose, and back hair combed up very tight from her face, and twisted up with flowers and ornaments. She had ever so many robes on, the edge of one peeping out below r the other, and at the top a sort of blue China-crape tunic, with very wide loose sleeves drooping an immense way from her hands. There was no gathering in at the waist, and it reached to her knees, where a still more splendid white silk, embroidered, trailed along. She had a big fan in her hand, hut when she saw the visitor sip- went up to a beautiful little low table, with an ivory frill round it, where stood some dainty, delicate tea-cups and saucers. Into one of these she put a lit t le hall about as big as an oak-apple of tea-leaves ; a maid dressed like herself poured bo1 Water on it, ii mm a .iiuiuui. uosti •,-. CHAP.Vm LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFtJL GLOBE *20 ami handed it on a lacquer-work tray. Lucy took it, said, "Thank you," and then waited. " Is it not good ? " said the little hostess. "It must be! You are the real tea people," said Lucy; "but I was waiting for sugar and milk." "That would spoil it," said the Chinese damsel; " only outer barbarians would think of such a thing. And, ah! I see you are one! See, Ki-hi, what monstrous feet ! " "They are not bigger than your maid's," said Lucy, rather disgusted. "Why are yours so small ? " " Because my mother and nurse took care of me when I was a baby, and bound them up that they might not grow big and ugly like the poor creatures who have to run about for their husbands, feed silkworms, and tend ducks ! " "But shouldn't you like to walk without almosi tumbling down ? " said Lucy. "No, indeed! Me, a daughter of a mandarin of the blue button! You are a mere barbarian to think a lady ought to want to walk. ])<> you nol Bee that I never do anything? Look at my lovely nails." ::: I LITTLE LUCY'S WOtfDERFtJL GLOBE chap, yiii "I think they are daws," said Lucy; "do you never break them '. " "No; when they are a Little longer, I shall wear silver shields for them, as my mother <1 And do you really never work ? " "I should think not/' said the young lady, scorn- fully fanning herself; " I leave that to the common folk, who are obliged. Come with me and let me lean on y<>u, and I will give you a peep through the lattice, that you may see that my lather is far above making his daughter work. See, there he sits, with his moustachios hanging down to his chin, and his tail to his la-els, and the blue dragon embroidered on his breast, watching while they prepare the hall loi- a grand dinner. There will be a stew of puppy dog, and another of kittens, and birds'-nest BOUp; and then the players will come and act a pari of the Iline-night tragedy and we will look through the lattice. All ! Father is Bmoking opium, that he may be serene and in good spirits! Does it make your head ache \ Ah ! that is because you are a mere outer barbarian. She is asleep, Ki-hi; lay her on the SOfa, and let her Bleep. How ugly her pale haii- is, almost as bad a- her big feet." • . Willi All. ill u M1..1; : \\|. MAIN, MMlllh UP IX CHAPTER IX KAMSC HATHA Lucy had been disappointed of a drive with the reindeer, and she had been telling Don how useful his relations were in other places. Behold, she awoke in a wide plain, where as far as her eye could reach there was nothing but snow. The few fir- trees that stood in the distance were heavily laden ; and Lucy herself, — where was she ? Going- very fast ? Yes, whisking over the snow with all her might and main, and muffled up in cloaks and furs, as indeed was necessary, for her breath froze upon the big muffler round her throat, so that it seemed to be standing up in a wall; and by her side was a little boy, muffled up quite as close, with a cap, or rather hood, casing his whole head, his hands gloved in fur up to the elbows, and long fur bouts. He had an •231 LITTLE LUCY'S CHAP. immense long whip in his hand, and was flourishing it. and striking with it — at what ? They were an enormous way off from him, but they really were very big dogs, rushing along like the win 1, and bearing along with them — what? Lucy's ambi- tion — a sledge, a thins without wheels, but eliding along mosi rapidly on the hard snow; flying, flying almost fast enough to take away her breath, and leaving birds, foxes, and any creature she saw for one instant, far behind. And — what Mas very odd — the young driver had no reins : he shouted at the and now and then threw a stick at them, and they quite seemed to understand, and turned when he wanted them. Lucy wondered how he or they knew the way, it all seemed Buch a waste of snow; and af't.r feeling at first as if the rapidity of their course made her unable to speak, she ventured on gasping nut, •■ Well, I've been in an express train, hut this heats it! Where are you going?" "To 1'etropawlowsky, t<» change these skins for whisky and coffee, and rice/' answered the boy, '• Wli.it skins are they ?" asked LuCV. 1 Bears' big brown bears thai Father killed in a cave and wolves' and those <>[' the little ermine and ix WONDERFUL GLOBE 235 sable that we trap. We get much, much for the white ermine and his black tail. Father's coming in another sledge with, oh ! such a big pile. Don'1 you hear his dogs yelp ? We'll win the race yet ! Ugh ! hoo ! hoo ! ho-o-o-o ! — On ! on ! lazy ones, on, I say ! don't let the old dogs catch the young !" Crack, crack, went the whip ; the dogs yelped with eagerness, — they don't bark, those Northern dogs ; the little Kamschatkadale bawled louder and louder, and never saw when Lucy rolled off behind, and was left in the middle of a huge snowdrift, while he flew on with his load. Here were his father's dogs overtaking her ; pick- ing her — some one jiicking her up. No, it was Don ! and here was Mrs. Bunker exclaiming, " Well, I never thought to find Miss Lucy in no better place than on Master's old bearskin ! " CHAPTER X THE TURK " What a beautiful long necklace, Mrs. Bunker. May I have it for Lonicera?" "You may play with it while you are here, Missie, if you'll take care not to break the string, but it is too curious for yon to take home and Lose. It is what they call a Turkish rosary; they say it is made of rose-leaves reduced to a paste and squeezed ever so hard together, and tli.it the poor ladies that are shut up in the harems have little or nothing to do but to run them through their fingers." "It has a very nice smell," said Lucy, examining the dark brown beads, which hung rather Loosely on their Btring, and Letting them fall one by one through her hands, till of course that happened which she was hoping for: she woke on a Long low chap, x LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 237 sofa, in the midst of a room all carpet and cushions, in bright colours and gorgeous patterns, curling about with no particular meaning ; and with a win- dow of rich brass lattice- work. And by her side there was an odd bubbling, that put her in mind of blowing the soap-suds into a honey-comb when preparing them for bubble blow- ing ; but when she looked round she saw something very unlike the long pipes her brother called " churchwardens/' or the basin of soap-suds. There was a beautifully shaped glass bottle, and into it went a long, long twisting tube, like a snake coiled on the floor, and the other end of the serpent, instead of a head, had an amber mouth-piece which went between a pair of lips. Lucy knew it for a hubble- bubble or narghilhe, and saw that the lips were in a brown face, with big black eyes, round which dark bluish circles were drawn. The jot-black hair was carefully braided with jewels, and over it was thrown a great rose-coloured gauze veil ; there was a loose purple satin sort of pelisse over a white silk embroi- dered vest, tied in witli a sash, striped with all man- ner of colours, also immense wide white muslin trousers, out of which peeped a pair of brown bare. 238 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE chap, x feet, which, however, had a splendid pair of slippers curled up at the toes. The owner seemed to be very little older than Lucy, and sat gravely looking at her for a little while, then clapped her hands. A black woman came, and the young Turkish maiden said, ' ; Bring coffee for the little Frank lady." So a tiny table of mother-of-pearl was brought, and on it some exquisite little striped porcelain cups, standing not in saucers, but in silver filigree cups, into which they exactly fitted. Lucy remembered her Chinese experience, and did not venture to ask for milk or sugar, but she found that the real Turkish coffee was so pure and delicate that she could bear to drink it without. " Where are your jewels ? " then asked the little hostess. "I'm not old enough to have any." " How old arc you ? " -Nino." u Nine ! I'm only ten, and 1 shall be married next week " '• Married I Oh, no, you are joking." " Yes, I shall. Selira Bey has paid my father the rARIUED! UII No, YOU AKi; JoKINti. chap, x LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 241 dowry for me, and I shall be taken to his house next week." " And I suppose you like him very much." " He looks big and tall," said the child with ex- ultation. " I saw him riding when I went with my mother to the Sweet Waters. 'Amina/ she said, 1 there is your lord, in the Frankish coat — with the white horse.' " " Have you not talked to him ? " " What should I do that for ? " " Aunt Bessie used to like to talk to nobody but Uncle Frank before they were married." " I shall talk enough when I am married. I shall make him give me plenty of sweetmeats, and a carriage with two handsome bullocks, and the biggest Nubian black slave in the market to drive me to Sweet Waters, in a thin blue veil with all my jewels on. Father says that Selim Bey will give me every- thing, and a Frank governess. What is a governess ? Is it anything like the little gold case you have round your neck ? " "My locket with Mamma's hair? Oh, no, no," said Lucy, laughing ; " a governess is a lady to teach you." R 242 LITTLE LUCY'S chap. I don't wan! to learn any more," said Auiiu;i, much disguste i ; ' I shall tell him I can make a pillau, and dry sweetmeats, and roll rose-leaves. Wha1 Bhould I learn for?" " Should you do! like to read and write '." "Teaching is only meant for men. They havegol to read the Koran, but it is all ugly Letters; [won't learn to read." "You don't know how nice it is to read stories, and all about different countries. All ! I wish I was in the schoolroom, at home, and \ would show you how pleasant it is." And Lucy seemed to have her wish all at one.-. for she and Amina stood in her own schoolroom, but with no one else there The first thing Amina did was to scream, "Oh, what shocking windows! even men can see in ; shut them up." She relied herself up in her veil, and Lucy could only satisfy her by pulling down all the blinds, after which she ventured to look about a little. "What have you to sit on?" she asked, with greal list. "('hairs and stools." said Lucy, laughing and sln.w in- t hem. x WONDERFUL GLOBE 243 " These little tables with four legs ! Bow can you sit on them ? " Lucy sat down and showed her. "That is not sitting," she said, and tried to curl herself up cross- legged. " I can't dangle down my legs." " Our governess always makes us write out a tense of a French verb if she sees us sitting with our legs crossed," said Lucy, laughing with much amusement at Amina's attempts to wriggle herself up on the stool whence she nearly fell. " Ah, I will never have a governess ! " cried Amina. "I will cry, and cry, and give Selim Bey no rest till he promises to let me alone. What a dreadful place this is ! Where can you sleep ? " " In bed, to be sure," said Lucy. " I see no cushions to lie on. " " No ; we have bedrooms, and beds there. We should not think of taking off our clothes here. " " What should you undress for ? " " To sleep, of course. " "How horrible! We sleep in all our clothes wherever we like to lie down. We never undress but for the bath. Do you go to the bath ? " r2 241 LITTLE LUCY'S WONBEKFUL GLOBE chap.x l, I have a bath every morning, when T gel up, in my OWIl ro 'in. " " Bathe at home ! Then you never see your friends X We meel at the hath, and talk and play and laugh." " Meet bathing ! No, indeed ! We meet at home, and out of doors, " said Lucy ; " my friend Annie and I walk together. " " Walk together ! what, in the street ? Shocking ! You caunot be a lady." " Indeed I am, " said Lucy, colouring up. " Mv Papa is a gentleman. And see how many books we have, and how much we have to learn ! French, and music, and sums, and grammar, and history, and graphy." " I will not be a Frank ! No, no ! I will not learn," said the alarmed Amina on hearing this e;tt;dogue poured forth. "Geography is very nice," said Lucy; "here are our maps. I will show you where you live. This is Constantino] >]<.' "I live at Stamboul," said Amina, Bcornfully. "There is Stamboul in little Letters below — look. "Thai Stamboul! The Frank girl is false: I WILL SHOW VOL' WHERE VOL' LIVE. THIS IS CoNsTANTINOl'Li:. P. 244. CHAP. X LITTLE LUCYS WONDERFUL GLOBE 247 Stamboul is a Large, large, beautiful place ; nota little black speck. T can see it from my lattice. White houses and mosques in the sun, and the blue Golden Horn, with the little caiques gliding." Before Lucy could explain, the door opened, and one of her brothers put in his head. At once Annua began to scream and roll herself in the window cur- tain. " A man in the harem ! Oh ! oh ! oh ! Were there no slippers at the door ? " And her screaming brought Lucy awake at Uncle Joe's again. CHAPTKI1 XI SWITZERLAND "I LIKED the mountain girl best of all," thought Lucy. "I wonder whether I shall ever gel among the mountains again. There's a great stick in the corner that Uncle Joe calls his alpenstock. I'll go and read the names upon it. They arc all the moun- tains where he has used it." She read Mount Blanc, Mount Cenis, the Wcngcrn, and so <>u; and of course as she read and sun-- them over to herself, they lulled her off into her wonderful dreams, and brought her this time into a meadow, steep and sloping, hut full of flowers, the loveliest flowers of all kinds, growing among the long grass thai waved over them. The fresh clear air was so delicious that she almost hoped she was gone haek to her dearTyrol; hut the hills were not the same. CHAP, xr LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 249 Slit- saw upon tin; slope quantities of cows, goats, and sheep, feeding just as on the Tyrolese Alps; hut beyond was a dark row of pines, and up above, in the sky as it were, rose all round great sharp points — like clouds for their whiteness, but not in their straight jagged outlines ; and here and there the deep grey clefts between seemed to spread into white rivers, or over the ruddy purple of the half-distance came sharp white lines darting downwards. As she sat up in the grass and looked about her, a bark startled her. A dog began to growl, bark, and dance round her, so that she would have been much frightened if the next moment a voice had not called him off — " Fie, Brilliant, clown ; let the little ( them my father was swallowed up." •■ Ah ! then how can you love them \ " said Lucy. ■• Because they are bo grand and bo beautiful/' said Maurice. "No other place has the like, and they I CUT IT OUT WITH MY KNIFE ; ALL KYSELF. chai\ xi LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 253 make one's heart swell with wonder, and joy in the God who made them. And it is only the bravo who dare to climb them ! " And Maurice's eyes sparkled, and Lucy looked at the clear, stern glory of the mountain points, and felt as if she understood him. CHAPTER XII THE COSSACK Caper, caper; dance, dance. What a wonderful dance it was, just as if the little fellow had been made of cork, so high did he bound the moment he touched the ground; while he jerked out his arms and legs as if they were pulled by strings, like the Marionettes that had once performed in front of the window. Only, his face was all fun and life, and he did look so proud and delighted to show what he could do ; and it was all in clear, fresh, open air, the wh( >le extent covered with short green grass, upon which were grazing herds «.f small lean horses, and flocks of sheep without tails, but with their wool puffed out behind into a s«nt of bustle "i" panier. There wis a cluster of clean, white-looking houses in the distance ; and Lucy know that she was in the great plains called the Steppes. WHILE HE JERKED Oil HIS ARMS AND LEGS A3 IF THEV WI.KK l'l'LLED DY BTRIHO& P. 254. chap, xir LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 1257 that lie between the rivers Volga and Don, and may be either in Europe or Asia, according as you look at an old map or a now. " Do you live there ? " she asked, by way of beginning the conversation. " Yes j my father is the hetman of the Stantitza, and these are my holidays. I go to school at Tcherkask most part of the year." " Tcherkask ! Oh, what a funny name ! " " And you would think it a funny town if you were there. It is built on a. great bog by the side of the river Volga ; all the houses stand on piles of timber, and in the spring the streets are full of water, and one has to sail about in boats." " Oh ! that must be delicious." " I don't like it as much as coming home and. rid- ing. See!" and as he whistled, one of the horses came whinnying ii}), and put his nose over the boy's shoulder. " Good fellow ! But your horses are thin ; they look little." " Little ! " cried the young Cossack. " Why, do you know what our little horses can do ? There are not many armies in Europe that they have not S 258 LITTLE LUCY'S - hap. ridden down, a1 one time or another. Why, the church at Tcherkask is hung all round with colours we have taken from our enemies. There's the Swede — didn'1 Charles XII. get the worst of it when ho came in his big boots after the Cossack ?■ — ay, and the Turk, and the Austrian, and the German, and the French ? Ah ! doesn't my grandfather tell how ho rode his good little horse all the way from the Volga to the Seine, and the good Czar Alexander himself gave him the medal with ' Not unto us, but unto Thy Name be the praise'? Our father the Czar does not think so little of us and our horses as you do, young lady." " I beg your pardon," said Lucy ; " I did not know what your horses could do." "Oli, you did not! That is some excuse for you. I'll show you." And in one moment he was on the hack of his little horse, Leaning down on its neck, and galloping off over the green plain Like the wind; but it seemed to Lucy as if she had only just watched him out of Bight on one side before he was close to her on the other, having whirled round and cantered close up to her while she was Looking the other wav. "Come xii WONDERFUL GLOBE 259 U P with me >" he said ; and in one moment she had been swept up before him on the tittle horse's Deck, and was flying so wildly over the Steppes that her breath and sense failed her, and she knew no more till she was safe by Mrs. Banker's fireside again. s2 CHAPTER XIII SPAIN " Suppose and suppose I go to sleep again ; what should I like to see next ? A sunny place, I think, where there is sea to look at. Shall it be Spain, and shall it be among the poor people ? Well, I think I should like to be where there is a little lady girl. I hope they are not all as lazy and conceited as the Chinese and the Turk." So Lucy awoke in a large cool room with a marble floor and heavy curtains, but with little furniture ex- cept one table, and ;i row of chairs ranged along the wall. It had two windows, one looking out into a garden,— such a garden! — orange-trees with shining Leaves and green and golden fruit and white fiowers,and jasmines, and greal Lilies standinground about amarble court, in the midst of which was a basin of red marble, where a fountain was playing, making a delicious chap, xiii LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 2G1 splashing; and out beyond these sparkled in the sun the loveliest and most delicious of blue seas — the same blue sea, indeed, that Lucy had seen in her Italian visit. That window was empty ; but the other, which looked out into the street, had cushions laid on. the sill, an open-work stone ledge beyond, and little look- ing-glasses on either side ; and leaning over this sill there was seated a little maiden in a white frock, but with a black lace veil fastened by a rose into her jet- black hair, and the daintiest, prettiest-shaped little feet imaginable in white satin shoes, which could ba plainly seen as she knelt on the window-seat. " What are you looking at ? " asked Lucy, coming to her side. " I'm watching for the procession. Then I shall go to church with Mamma. Look ! That way we shall sec it come; these two mirrors reflect every- thing up and down the street." " Arc you dressed for church ? " asked Lucy. "You have no hat on." "Where does your grace come from not t<> know thai a mantilla is what is lit, for church I Mamma is being dressed in her black silk and her black maul ilia. - ' " And your shoes \ " 262 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE < hap. mm "I could do! wear great, coarse, hard Bhoes," said the little Dona Ines ; "it would sjM.il my feet. Ah !' I shall have time to show the Senorita what I can do. Can your grace dance ? " "I danced with Uncle Joe at our last Christinas party, " said Lucy, with great dignity. See now," cried the Spaniard ; " stand there. Ah ! have you no castanets?" and she quickly took out two very small ivory shells or bowls, each pair fast- ened together by a loop, through which she passed her thumb so that the little spoons hung on her palm, and she could snap them together with her fingers. Then she began to dance round Lucy in the most graceful swimming way, now rising, now falling, and cracking her castanets together at intervals. Lucy tried to do the same, but her limbs Beemed like a wooden doll's compared with the Buppleness and ease of Ines'. She made sharp corners and angles, where the Spaniard floated so like a Bea-bird that it was Like Beeing her fly or float ratlin- than merely dance, till at last the very watching her rendered Lucy drowsy and dizzy, and .-is the church hells began to ring, and the chant of the procession to sound, Bhe lost all of being In sunny Malaga, the home of grapes. "SEE NOW," CRIED THE SPANIARD, "STANDTHERE. All ! HAVE VOU NO CASTANETS 1 P. 2'»'2. \\ ll \ r \l:l JfOU ABOI I, I 1 : I M CHAPTER XIV GERMANY There was a great murmur and buzz of learning lessons; rows upon rows of little boys were sitting before desks, studying ; very few heads looked up as Lucy found herself walking round the room — a large clean room, with maps hanging on the walls, but hot and weary-feeling, because there were no windows open and so little fresh air. " What are you about, little boy ? " she asked. "I am learning my verb," he said; " monco, mones, monct." Lucy waited no longer, but moved off to another desk. "And what arc you doing ? " " I am writing my analysis." Lucy did not know wli.it an analysis was, so she went a little further. " What are you doing here \ " 268 LITTLE LUCY'S chap. she said timidly, for these were somewhat bi boys. "We are drawing up an essay on the individuality of self." That was enough to frighten any one away, and Lucy betook herself to some quite little boys, with fat rosy faces and light hair. " Are you busy, too ? " she said. "Oh yes; we are learning the chief cities of the Fatherland.*' Lucy felt like the little boy in the fable, who could not get either the dog, or the bird, or the bee, t<> play with him. " When do you play ? " she asked. " We have an hour's interval after dinner, and another at supper time, but then we prepare our work forthe morrow," said one of the boys, look in- up well satisfied. "Work! work! Are you always at work?" ex- claimed Lucy; " I only learn from nine to half- pas! twelve, and half an hour to gel my lessons in the afternoon." " You are a maiden,' said the Little boy with civil Buperioril v ; " your brothers Irani more hours. ' xiv WONDERFUL GLOBE 269 "More; yes, but not so many as you do! They play from twelve till half past-two, and have two half-holidays in the week." " So, you are not industrious. We are. That is the reason why we can all act together, and think together, so much better than any others ; and- we all stand as one irresistible power, the United Germany." Lucy gave a little gasj) ! it was all so very wise. " May I see your sisters ? " she said. The little sisters, Gretchens and Kiitchens, were learning away almost as hard as the Hermanns and Fritzes, but the bigger sisters had what Lucy thought a better time of it. One of them was helping in the kitchen, and another in the ironing ; but then they had their books and their music, and in the evening all the families came out into the j)leasure gardens and had little tables with coffee before them, and the mammas knitted, and the papas smoked, and the young ladies listened to the band. On the whole, Lucy thought she should not mind living in Germany, if they would not do so many lessons. CHAPTER XV PARIS IN THE SIEGE "And Uncle Joe is in France, where the fathers and brothers of those little Prussian boys have been fighting. Suppose and suppose I could see it." There was a thunder and a whizzing in the air and a sharp rattling noise besides ; a strange, damp, unwholesome smell too, mixed with that of gun- powder ; and when Lucy looked up, sin- found herself down some steps in a dark, dull, vaulted-looking place, lined with stone, however, and open to the Btreel above. A Little lamp was burning in a corner, piles of straw and bits of furniture were lying about, and upon One of the bundles of straw sat a little rough-haired girl. Ah ! Mademoiselle, good morning." she said. II I M/ ' DMORNINQ. ai:i fOl fOMl RKRI TO TAKE SHELTER | MM?" P chap.xv LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 273 Are you come here to take shelter from the shells? The battery is firing now; T do not think Mamma will come home till it slackens a little. She is gone to the distribution of meat, to get a piece of horse for my brother, who is weak after his wounds. I wish I could offer you something, but we have noth- ing but water, and it is not even sugared." "Do you live down here?" asked Lucy, looking round at the dreary place with wonder. "Not always. We used to have a pretty little house up over, but the cruel shells came crashing in, and flew into pieces, tearing everything to splinters, and we are only safe from them down here. Ah, if I could only have shown you Mamma's pretty room ! but there is a great hole in the floor now, and the ceiling is all tumbling down, and the table broken." " But why do you stay here ? " " Mamma and Emily say it is all the same. We are as safe in our cellar as we could be anywhere, and we should have to pay elsewhere." " Then you cannot get out of Paris ? " " Oh no, while the Prussians are all round us, and shut us in. My brothers are all in the Garde Mobile, and, you see, so is my doll. Every one must bo a T 274 LITTLE LUCYS chap. Boldier now. My dear Adolphe, hold yourself straight " (and there the doll certainly showed himself perfectly drilled and disciplined). " March — right foot for- ward — left foot forward." But in this movement, as may be well supposed, little Coralie had to help her rocruit a good deal. Lucy was surprised. " So you can play even in this dreadful place ? " she said. " Oh yes ! What's the use of crying and wearying oneself? I do not mind as long as they leave me my kitten, my dear little Minette." " Oh ! what a pretty long-haired kitten ! but how small and thin ! " "Yes, truly, the poor Minette! The cruel people ate her mother, and there is no milk — no milk, and my poor Minette is almost starved, though I give her bits of my bread and soup; but the bread is only bran and sawdust, and she likes it no more than I." " Ate up her mother ! " "Yes. She was a superb Cyprus cat, all grey; hut, alas ! one day she took a walk in the Street, and they caught her, and then indeed it was all over with her. 1 only hope Minette will aol gel out, hut she is BO Kan that tlay would find little but bones and i'ur.*' xv WONDERFUL GLOBE 275 •■ Ali, how I wish I could take you and her home to Uncle Joe, and give you both good bread and milk ! Take my hand, and shut your eyes, and we will suppose and suppose very hard, and, perhaps, you will come there with me. Paris is not very far off. " T 2 CHAPTER XVI THE AMERICAN QUEST No; supposing very hard did not bring poor Little French Coralie home with Lucy ; but something almost as wonderful happened. Just at the time in the afternoon, blind man's holiday, when Lucy had been used to ride off on her dream to visit some wonderful place, there came a knock at the front door; a quite real substantial English knock and rinsr, that did not sound at all like any of the strange noises of the strange worlds that she had lately been hearing, but had the real tinkle of Uncle Joe's own bell. "Well," said Mrs. Bunker, "what can that be coming at this time of day? It can never be the doctor coming home without sending orders I Don't you be running out, Bliss Lucy; there'll be a draught of cold righl in." what CAM THAT BR, COMINQ AT Tills timi; OF DAY?" P. 276, HKR1 1 ...... i ( om ohap.xvi LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE 281 Lucy stood still ; very anxious, and wondering whether she should sec anything alive, or one of ber visitors from various countries. "There is a letter from Mr. Seaman/' said a brisk young voice, that would have been very pleasant if it had not gone a little through the nose ; and past Mrs. Bunker there walked into the full light a little boy, a year or two older than Lucy, holding out one hand as he saw her and taking off his hat with the other. " Good morning," he said, quite at his ease ; " is this where you live ? " " Good morning," returned Lucy, though it was not morning at all ; " where do you come from ? " " Well, I'm from Paris last ; but when I'm at home, I'm at Boston. I am Leonidas Saunders, of the great American Republic." " Oh, then you are not real, after all ? " " Heal ! I should hope I was a genuine article." " Well, I was in hopes that you were real, only you say you come from a strange country, like the rest of them, and yet you look just like an English boy." " Of course I do! my great grandfather came from England," said Leonidas; "we all speak English as well, or better, than you do in the old country." LITTLE LUCTS i hap. "I can't understand it!" said Lucy; "did you come like other people, by the train, doI like the children in my dreams '. " And then Leonidas explained all aboui it to her: how Lis father had brought him last year to Europe and had put him to school at Paris; but when the war broke out, and most of the stranger scholars were taken away, no orders came about him, because his father was a merchant and was away from home, so that no one ever knew whether the letters had reached him. So Leonidas had gone on at school without many tasks to learn, to be sure, but not very comfortable: it was so cold, and there was no wood to burn ; and he disliked eating horses and cats and rats, quite as much as Coralie did, though he was ]i«»t in a pari of the town where so many shells came in. At last, when Lucy's uncle and some other good gentlemen with the red cross on their Bleeves, ob- tained leave togo and take some relief t«> the poor gick people in the hospitals, the people Leonidas was with told them thai be was a little American left behind. Mr. Seaman, which was Uncle Joe's name, xvi W< >NDERFUL GLOBE 283 went to see about hi m, and found that he had once known his father. So, after a great deal of trouble, it had been managed that the boy should be allowed to leave the town. He had been driven in an omni- bus, he told Lucy, with some more Americans and English, and with flags with stars and stripes or else Union Jacks all over it ; and whenever they came to a French sentry, or afterwards to a Prussian, they were stopped till he called his corporal, who looked at their papers and let them go on. Mr. Seaman had taken charge of Leonidas, and given him the best dinner he had eaten for a long time, but as he was going to Blois to other hospitals, he could not keep the boy with him ; so he had put him in charge of a friend who was going to London, to send him down to Mrs. Bunker. Fear of Lucy's rash was pretty well over now, and she was to go home in a day or two ; so the children were allowed to be together, and they enjoyed it very much. Lucy told about her dreams, and Leoni- das had a good deal to tell of what he had really seen on bis travels. They wished very much that they could both see one of these wonderful dreams together, only — what should it be ? CHAPTER XVII THE DREAM OF ALL NATIONS What should it bo? She thought of Arabs with their tents and horses, and Leonidas told her of Rod Indians with their war-paint, and little Negroes dancing round the sugar-boiling, till her head began quite to swim and her oars to buzz; and all the children she had Been and she had nol seen seemed to come round her, and join hands and dance. Oh, such a din ! A little Eighlander in his tartans stood on a whisky-barrel in the middle, making his bagpipes BqueaJ away ; a Chinese with a bald head and long pigtail beat a gong, and capered with a solemn face; a Norwegian herd-boy blew a monstrous bark cow- horn; an [ndian juggler twisted snakes round his neck to the sound of the tom-tom; and Lucy found ^.uv,„ mi ! BUI U A DIM CHAP. WIl LITTLE LIST'S \V< >N I >KK I'l ' L CJLOBE 287 herself and Leonidas whirling round with a young Dutch planter between them, and an Indian with a crown of feathers upon the other side of her. "Oh!" she seemed to herself to cry, "what are you doing ? how do you all come here ? " "We are from all the nations who arc friends and brethren," said the voices ; " we all bring our stores : the sugar, rice, and cotton of the West ; the silk and coffee and spices of the East ; the tea of China ; the furs of the North : it all is exchanged from one to the other, and should teach us to be all brethren, since we cannot thrive one without the other." " It all comes to our country, because we arc clever to work it up, and send it out to be used in its own homes, " said the Highlander ; " it is English and Scotch machines that weave your cottons, ay, and make your tools." " No ; it is America that beats you all," cried Leonidas ; "what had you to do, but to sit down and starve, when we sent you no cotton ? " "If you send cotton, 'tis we that weave it," cried the S«ut. Lucy was almost afraid they would come to blows over which was the greatest and most skilful country, 288 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE chap, xvn •• 1 1 cannol be buying and Belling that make nations love one another, and be peaceful/' she thought. " Is it being learned and wise?" "But the Prussian boys arc studious and wis.', and the French arc clever and skilful, and yet they have that dreadful war: I wonder what it is that would make and keep all these countries friends ! " And then there came an echo back to little Lucy : "For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jesusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people ; and they shall beat their swords into plough- shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks : nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neithei shall they war any more." Yes; the more they learn and keep the law of the Lord, the less there will he of those wars. 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