A Terrible Tomboy

ight but the w

day but the

bird's scre

time to creep round and peep in through the little window before Father sprang up from his bed of heather, and exclai

ly refreshing, and they sat about like mermaids on the rocks, basking in the sunshine, and watching a ring-ousel teaching her three big ba

ly sat upon the teapot, which he had put to keep warm among the peats. I am afraid poor Father had rather a distracting meal, but he cheerf

of the room, and calling the old dog from the fireside. 'You youngsters had better play about near the cottage

d to be cleared away, and carried down to the stream, but, to Peggy's dismay, the greasy bacon plates utterly refused to wash

y like this,' she exclaimed, feeling as anxious for the c

our a kettleful of boiling water over them,' said prac

asy water drained away into the grass, and the fresh breeze dried the plates without any need of a towel, and Peggy even managed

he heather up with the rest of the peat in the chimney corner, and it will do to light

bs neatly out at the front-door; they hung up the frying-pan, the kettle, and the bellows in the

bring lots of things from home, and paint pictures for the walls, and put them in cork frames, and I really believe, if I tried, I could make u

red of domestic duties. 'Let's go out and look for whinberri

p the milk-can as a handy receptacle, followed him out into the sunshine, to search among the

he can, especially as a good deal of the fruit found its way into the children's mouths, leav

e more closely the grassy bank where he was sitting, 'there's

at excitement, tripping as us

full of honey. Oh, wouldn't it be fun to dig

for us when we start

aw hives. We'll bring some dry heather and light a fire, so that the smoke will send them to s

y who had much confidence in her own powers, and Bobby was so accustomed to follow her lead that he offered no further objecti

ow!" strike a light. Then, as the smoke goes up, I shall poke a stick i

tood at attentio

ed Peggy b

gry swarm; but something had gone wrong in the calculations, for instead of falling stupefied on to the

were both capital runners, having had plenty of practice at cricket and rounders, but

d her up, and over she went, rolling into a prickly gorse-bush, while Bobby, who was so close behind that he could not stop himself

the mud off his coat with her pocket-handkerchief,

great place on my cheek, and just look at my hands

Peggy. 'I expect it'll hurt ever so when it begins to

of biscuits in her pockets, pulled them out and suggested some lunch, for Bobby was looki

pair had a competition as to which could finish them the quickest. Dry biscuits are choky

ly swallowing the last morsel, and scooping up

ilkins here to teach you manners. What a dear little f

lot of boxes, and Mrs. Price at the post-office said she had heard Sir Somebody Wilkins was a very

he Royal

ut I thought an acad

ecause Maud Middleton told me she had her portrait there last year. Talking of Maud, we hav

l better than the captain of our eleven. Why d

him at all. I can't imagine why. Oh, Bobby, look what I've found! A clump of real white heather! Is

g to bother with marrying when I grow up; I mean to be a pirate, and live in a ship with a black flag, and a lot of jolly fellows with pistols and cutlasses, and we'll overhaul every merchantman we s

the adventures in 'Treasure Island' as the beau-ideal of earthly bliss. 'There are no such things as pir

larger stream, which emptied itself into the lake about half a mile lower down. Luckily Bobby's ill-humours were of a short-lived nature, and after a few minutes of

h round stones between. There were foaming cataracts here and there among the rocks, just like Niagara on a small scale, and there were dear little quiet pools at the edges, wher

gy tied her boots together by the laces, and putting her stockings inside, slung them over her back in true fisher-bo

er my hat!' shouted the enthusiastic collector

other, in the struggle, her bootlace broke, and away went the boots, sailing gaily down the stream, over the waterfall and into the depths of the lake, before their astonished owner had even realized their loss. Naturally, to secure the dragon-fly and pin

few hundred years hence, and put them into a museum as great treasures. Well, it can't be helped. I suppose I shall have to walk home without them,' pretending to

think it did not hurt to walk on the scrubby heather-stems, and privately wonde

k, having counted the sheep to his

on't do to carry anything back in our baskets. Is the kettle boiling? Come, Peggy, chil

her foot-gear was at the bottom of the lake, but, to her great relief, Father t

you. We must manage to make you a pair of sandals of some kind. I suppose I shall have to sacrifice my shooting-gaiters;' and he divested himself of his leather leggings with rueful reluctan

dly elegant, and it did not comfort her much to be told that she would be taken for a wounded soldier limping back from the wars; indeed, Father mad

piky fingers to scratch her bare legs; she was tired after her morning's adventures on the moors, and the eight miles seemed to lengthen out to an interminable vista, in spite of the wa

them almost to the skin. Mr. Vaughan was in such haste to get home before post-time that he hurried them on, quite forgetting how much shorter their legs

tween. As for Peggy, a young gipsy tramp would have looked more respectable, for the brown holland dress, which had started out stiff and clean yesterday morning, was smeared with whinberry juice, black smudges from the kettle, and green stains from the mossy stones in the stream, and clung around her bare legs in damp, clammy folds, while the drenching rain had reduced the poppies in her hat to a scarlet pulp, which dri

boys are sure to see me, and call names next time, when Father's not there, and Mrs. Price will come fussing o

hile Mrs. Price was taking tea in her back-parlour, and indulging in such spicy gossip with her particular friend Miss

e Abbey, when the sound of wheels was heard behind them, and, in the smart carriage which rolled by, whom should Peggy recognis

, and Phyllis laughed in that horrid, sneering way she has. I know she'll tell the Middletons, and they'll t