The Children of the Castle

es but sel

wrong we

ill cost

h to prevent her missing very badly the home she had left "over the sea," and the troop of noisy merry brothers

nd took snuff, and called her aunt "Madame," bowing formally whenever he addressed her. He screwed Griselda up into such an unnatural attitude to write her copies, that she really felt as if she would never come straight and loose again; and the arithmetic part of his instructions was even worse. Oh! what sums in addition he gave h

o spoken of!-whole slatefuls of these terrible mountains of figures to climb wearily to the top of. And not to climb once up merely. The terrible thing was Mr. Kneebreeches' favourite method of what he called "proving." I can't explain it-it is far beyond my

I'm just as likely to do the proving wrong as the sum itself-more likely, for I'm always so tired when I get to the

y for a little girl to speak. Improve these golden

red Griselda, "if i

deaf; she did not hear this remark. Ju

ample he sets you. His life is spent in the faithful

It seemed to Griselda that the bird repeated her aunt's last wor

laimed Griselda in a passion; "wh

g his eleventh cuckoo. He disappeared with a snap, disappeared without flapping his wings, or,

one but for her throwing the book at him? She began to hope so, and tried to go on with her lessons. But it was no use. Though she really gave her best attention to the long addition sums, and found that by so doing she managed them much better than before, she could

lock," she said to hersel

isfy herself as to the cuckoo's condition. But there was no possibility of this. The clock was far, very far above her reach, and there was no hi

ast eleven, Miss Grizzel's voice was heard calling to her to put on her ha

a prospect of rain before long. You must leave your le

d them," said G

nquired

," replie

shall drive to Merrybrow Hall, and inquire for the health

e old yellow chariot, with all the windows up, and of course Griselda had to sit with her back to t

d wheezy too. Lady Lavander was, of course, old too-very old indeed, and rather grumpy and very deaf. Miss Grizzel and Miss Tabitha had the greatest respect for her; she always called them "My dear," as if they were quite girls, and they listened to all she said as if her words were of gold. Fo

, expressed her hopes about her, the little girl looked down modestly, feeling her cheeks grow scarlet. "I am not a good l

er patted her approvingly, said she loved to see young people modest and humble-minded, and g

ght again. It was late and dark when the chariot at last stopped at the door of the old house. Miss Grizzel got out

l. "Go up at once to your room, and Dorcas shall bring s

h a door led into the great saloon. She opened the door. All was quite dark. It was impossible to fly or run across the great saloon! Even in daylight this would have been a difficult matter. Griselda felt her way as best she could, past the Chinese cabinet and the pot-pourri jar, till she got

g Miss Grizzel's voice in the distance, she felt that she dared not stay any longer, and turned to feel her way out of the room again. Just as she

ightened, Griselda s

d, softly. But th

Grizzel's voice coming u

k, tumbling against any of the many breakable treasures with which it was filled, she flew d

ng with a start to find it was only fancy. She looked pale and heavy-eyed when she came down to breakfast the next morn

ster Grizzel must give you some medicine. I wonder what would be the

s Grizzel came hurriedly into the room-her cap awry, her shawl disarranged, her

, "what can be going to happen?

" repeated Miss Tabitha, holdi

o has stopped. The clock is going on, but the cuckoo has not told the hours, and Dorcas is o

iss Tabitha. "Should we

zel shook

ut it right. Fifty years and more, Tabitha, fifty years and more, it has never missed an ho

ve forgotten the presence of their niece, but Griselda could not bear to see thei

upstairs sh

happened, little missie

eplied G

emed inclined to be more communicative than usual, "and no

put right?" a

shook h

ollow its silence. It's my belief," she added solemnly, "that it's a fairy clock, neither more nor less, for good luck it has brought there's no denying. There are no cows like ours, missie-their milk is a proverb hereabouts; there are no hens like ours for laying all

be her doing that trouble was coming upon the old hou

that way, Dorcas," she sai

e old servant as she went on her way downstai

. She knew she had done wrong, but she had sorely repented it, and "I do think the cuckoo might have come

ss. They were more grave and silent than usual, but otherwise things went on in their ordinary way. Griselda spent the morning "a

hing was the matter; they set to work making such a chatter immediately

id to herself. "Perhaps they are fairies too.

aunts so pale and troubled; and though she tried to persuade herself that s

she did suddenly, and with a start, it was still perfectly dark, like the first morning that she had wakened in the old house. It seemed to her that she had not wakened of hers

e back again, I'll catch

rush of moonlight from the unshuttered passage window. In another moment her little bare

r one lesson-she was afraid of nothing. Or rather perhaps I should say s