Abbeychurch

followed in a few moments by Anne, who found her putting on her bonnet

d Elizabet

t with my f

in it raineth

unes which oblige you

d Elizabeth, 'and the fortunes of various young school-children, who mu

Helen, instead of murdering y

eth, 'and it will not be out of her head these three days, at least not till she has made Mamma's ol

aid Anne; 'she does not cat

they were so many Esquimaux; besides, anyone with any experience of Helen's ways, had rather walk ninety m

think Helen does wish

umbles at every individual thing you propose for her to do, just as she says she wishes to be a companion to Dora and Winifred, yet whenever they wish her to play with them or tell them a story, which is all the companio

' said Anne; 'what a pity

vents her mother from being able to spoil

o see you going out in

for old Mrs. Clayton must be dying to hear all about our Consecration, luncheon, dinner, &c., and as she is the widow of the last Vicar, we are in duty bound to be civil to her, and I must go and call upon her. Oh! you poor t

onger, and ran down-stairs, and might soon be heard putti

dmired the day before. Helen and Lucy were sitting at work very comfortably in the corner of the sofa in the inner drawing-room; Harriet and Katherine very busy contriving the spencer in the front drawing-room, keeping up a whispering accompanime

y, and Fido was trying to settle his disputes with Meg Merrilies, who, with arching back, tail er

eturned. Coming straight to the drawing-room, Elizabeth exclaimed, 'M

terday when you were not near, and I told her you would

her she should not, a month ago, unless she sent the children to school re

. Woodbourne; 'you know I am always very s

with a more gentle and sensible rebuke than could have been expected from the vehemence of her manner towards Mrs.

Anne, taking up her work, while Elizabeth

mmed the children, and given old Mrs. Clayton a catalogue raisonnee of all the company and all

to hold gossip in abo

Abbeychurch gentility are too fine to visit her, so that a little quiet chat with her is by no means of the common-place kind. Besides, she knows and loves

y,' said Anne, 'I suppose I must forgive h

said Elizabeth. 'Have you read Here

to know whether he is not the

ther,' said Elizabeth; 'Cedric

orquilstone before the N

een told what it had been before Front

when Front-de-Boeuf's fa

, 'but she could not have been less than a hundred and

uil Wolfganger could not have been dispossessed immediately after the Conq

Sir Walter Scott made as great an anachronism as when he made that same Ulrica compare Reb

makes us take in the Saxo

hat works of fiction give a dista

said Anne; 'no one loves stories so w

anhoe were what taught me to

nisms in them?' said Anne; 'I thi

d now, I believe that Coeur de Lion feasted with Robin Hood and his merry men, although history tells me that he disliked and despised the English, and the only sentence of their language history records of his uttering was, "He speaks lik

such stories have taught yo

nderstand the people whom we fi

th if it was not for Quentin Durward? and Shakespeare mak

t, and tippet of chain-mail, his clustering white plume, his surcoat with England's leopards and France's lilies? Cannot you make a story of his long constant attachment to his beautiful cousin, the Fair Maid of Kent? Cannot you imagine his courteous conference with Bertrand du Guesclin, the brave ug

of the credit of your

comparison very amusing. There was much of Coriolanus' indomitable pride and horror of mob popularity when he offended Beaufort and his kingdom in the halles, when, though as 'Louis de Bourbon' he refused to do anything to shake the power of the throne, he would not submit to be patronized by the mean fawning Mazarin. Not that the hard-hearted Conde would have listened to his

sake of comparing the charact

arles the Fifth beat Francis the First, at Pavia, in a war for the duchy of Milan, and nothing more told about them. I am always ready to say, as t

up to my notion of perfect chivalry, or rather of Christian perfection. I am making a book of true knights. I copy their portraits when I can find them, and write the na

as covered with wreaths of it last year, and I thought it was a beautiful emblem of a pure-hearted hero. The glaring sun, which withers the fair white spotless flower

round the simplest and most despised of plants. And woul

tainless. But then innocence, from not seeing or knowing what is wrong,

they gained the knowledge

ow that what is tried and not found wanting is superior to what has failed only because it

evil was,' said Anne; 'y

had some fault to find with

with you; it was only your speaking of knowledge

ave wandered far away from my white convolvulus, and I have not done with it yet

Anne; 'the laurel ought to vanish awa

old saint-like hero, and remember that when he dies, the immortality the world pri

our comparison, for the beginning

long. Then bindweed only reminds me of smothered and fettered raspberry bushes, and a great hoe. Lily, as the country people call it, is not distinguishing enough, besides that no

Anne; 'I am sure he

leaders, I suppos

where to find their pictures, and I want a Prussian patriot. I think the Baron de la Motte Fouque

o one but a true knight could have written Sintram. I am afraid there was no

of my getting his portrait. I am in great want of Cameron of Lochiel, or Lord Nithsdale, or Derwentwater; for Claverhouse is the only Jacob

d stupidity of England, and the wickedness of France, good people are scarce from Charles the Martyr to Geo

his adversity,' said Anne: 'but I do not like peopl

said Elizabeth, 'however, I do not know enough a

o not like the little I know of him;

s,' said Elizabeth; 'it was the custom of

hook h

Black Prince,' continued Elizabeth piteously;

very much exasperated at the time, and I choose to bel

rder of Louis Quatorze,' said Elizabeth; 'you cannot be hard on a man who gave all

t when I go home, and if we have a print of him, and if he i

you are well off for Cavaliers; do you mean to t

n Lodge, with a buff coat and worked ruffles; but though I used to think him the greatest of heroes, I have given him up, and

Winchester,' said Elizabeth; 'you

'I could not leave them out. The only diffic

es next?' sa

phus and Sir P

no pair,' said Elizabeth. 'What a pity

g, in consideration of his s

eyed and commonplace,' said E

not common-pla

y was of Turenne's,' said Elizabeth; 'Sir Walter Raleigh was wors

as cruelty,' said Anne, 'little

nd telling me all the names, only say who is the first o

n de Bordeau

id Elizabeth, 'unless he is to

in consideration of his noble conduct to the King w

' vengeance

t, is trea

blood is h

ndeserv

imself of having any share in his brother's death, e

-love,' said Elizabeth; 'not bearing the

id Anne; 'I begin with our own Alfred,

ed Elizabeth, 'do you

than for the etiquette of the accolade and golden spurs; we know that Alfred

Cid's beloved king Don Sancho was killed, that Rodrigo could not overtake the traitor Bellido Dolfos, because he had no spurs on, whereupon he curse

d to the Danish wedding-party at Hoxne, by the glitter of his golden spurs, and cursing every new married pair who should ever pass over the bridge wh

s much too useful a person ever to be able to pursue her own peculiar diversions for many minutes together. She had to listen to some directions, and undertake some messages, so that she could not return to her own room

a. Helen, however, remained in the outer drawing-room, practising her music, regardless of the

hat shunnest th

al, most m

a, so please

said Helen; 'I am sur

n the noise of fol

our merriment as folly,' sa

no more folly than a kitten's play, and qui

l course of things,' said Anne, 'I should t

Elizabeth; 'so were we, I

what she considered as a heroic piece of self-denial, and so it was, though perhaps not so great

ought Elizabeth; 'I had better let her

rd thing I ever did; I only roused the spirit of contradiction, and di

ked Harriet Hazleby whether s

'and a duller place I

up the word, and exclaimed, 'Handsome, indeed! I do not think there is one tolerable new lo

ed, 'The Cathedral and College and the old gateways are very beautifu

ither old houses nor new; but I wanted to know whether Willi

re are the heads of some of the old kings most beautifully painted, put away in a da

s of the Stuart kin

William Rufus was not a Stuart, h

ank goodness; I only know that seeing the Cathedral was good fun; I did not like going into the crypts,

Elizabeth said, 'There could certain

ad not been silent. No one spoke for a few moments, but presently A

'I remember reading that he was buried

Winchester, called H

rriet, 'where the Brid

said about Alfred and Athelstane. I do not think that Alfred did more than present him with his sword, which

senting him with his weapons is mentioned,' said Anne, 'I cannot

rn champion, the devoted warrior of noble birth, which it now expresses. You know Canute'

nity of a knight to row Canute,' said Anne, 'consi

Knight meant a servant, i

Anne; 'but the question is, when it acquired a mean

horseman,' said Elizabeth; 'we ought to h

to its perfection,' said Anne; 'but still you have not proved that King Al

rseback, nor did I ever know h

,' said Anne; 'besides, I suppose, you never hea

ephew, Mr. Augustus Mills, is going to give a lecture this evening, at seven o'clock, upon c

he the little red-haired wretch who used

e to be clerk to an attorney somewhere. This is Mr. Augustus, a very fine young

, 'and the sky is most beautifully clear, at last

I must go and seal and send some letters for Mamma, so I must

Anne closed the door, 'where

Institute, of cours

not go,' s

ster?' said Elizabeth; 'what obj

ou had heard all that I have heard, at

, 'I wish you would learn that

n, clasping her hands, 'do but listen to me;

abeth impatiently, 'no dog shall bark, only

elen, 'that Socialists often hold

s use,' said Elizabeth, 'and I do not su

'that all sorts of people ought not to m

goes to church,'

t that he says that it is wrong for Church people to put themselves on a level w

Socialist; but as I do not believe there are specimens of either kind in Abbeychurch, I see no harm in taking our c

ter not go without asking l

d hundreds of times to take us there, and I suppose Papa would have refused once for all, if he had been so

emper, which indeed she had preserved longer than could have been expected. 'I might have

en you give me Dykelands opinions instead of your own, and talk of what you do not un

ed by some of the favourers of these institutions. Unfortunately, however, her temper had prevented her from reasoning calmly, and Elizabeth had wilfully blinded herself, and shut her ears to conviction, being determined to follow her own course. Anne, who had always lived at Merton Hall, excepting two months of each year, which she spent in London, knew nothing of country town cabals, and thinking the l

ight to go anywhere without leave from Papa or Mamma, but that I

m, and Socialism, and all that is horrible. I

ill not go,

o particular if Anne and Lizzie and the Hazlebys go, and we do

en; 'besides, if our eldest sister thinks proper to do

as not wrong, and she is th

that she might have her own way

tion, and she and Willie would think it so odd to see the others without me; and Mr. Mills too, he said so very politely that h

elen, 'how could you listen

ou know; I am sure I wish people would not be so silly, it is very disagreeable to hear it; but

odd than what is

gossip with Katherine, and thus escape from Lucy, who had been quietly suggesting that in a doubtful case, such as the present seemed to be, it was always best to keep to the safe side. Harriet had laughed at Lucy for not being able to give any reasons, told her that it was plain that Helen knew nothing about t

he house, Anne asked where the lecture was to be given, Elizabeth replied, 'At the Mechanics' Institute;' and no further observation was made, Anne's silence confirming Elizabeth in her idea that Helen had been talking nonsense. Still,

ull of her own feelings to make any attempt to persuade Katherine to fol

sister's arm, and looked u

e ribbon by which she was leading Fido: 'g

said,' ans

said Harriet; 'that

d Anne, who had been rathe

t is the reason she has gone off like a tragedy queen. I did not thi

said Harriet; 'come alon

ed the door, and answered th

an affair for you; we shall not be at home till aft

'Lucy, you nonsensical girl, come back; everyone can see you out of the window; it is very rude, now; if Mrs.

iends would be irrecoverably offended if she turned away from their house, thinking that she had gone

as Lucy and Dora overtook her; and

ad better come h

uld be the safest th

is not right to go, but when Lizzie has once set

will be displeased?' said Dora;

len; 'but I do not think Lizzie c

would not approve of your going. What are your reasons for thinking so? I did not clearly under

rofess to lay aside all such distinctions, and to banish religion in order to avoid raising disputes.

ou mean?'

logists, without faith, question the possibility of the first chapter of Genesis; and some people fancy that the world was peopled with a great tribe of wild savages, instead of belie

say about those things before, but I neve

ptain Atherly and another gentleman, one day at Dykelands,' said Helen. 'But, Lucy, did you

ly know what to think right and what wrong, but I tho

easons for doing it, too, 'I do not see that it is so very hard to know what is right from what is wrong. It is t

lied Lucy; 'at least I am not, and it is not always possible t

esides, it was as easy to think what would please Papa there as it is

. I liked being by the sea, and having a garden, and being out of the way of the officers. Papa and Grandmamma talked of my always living there, and I hoped I

ish to have a h

er your father and mother and brother

id Helen, quickly; 'but

e, and do not mind it as much as you would, perhaps. We scarcely stay long enough in one place

that Mrs. Hazleby was talki

walk with Papa every day, or ride when Harriet did not want the horse. It was rather uncomfortable, for we were very much

, 'I cannot think how you

o be discontented with,' said Lucy,

ay just now you dis

ry day, and the boys have nothing to amuse them. And it is worst of all to go to a place where Papa and Mamma have been before, and know all the people; we go out to te

of the party at Mr. Turner's door; so dismissing him from their minds, they went to finish their walk in the garden, where Helen gave Lucy a full description of all the beauties of Dykelands, and the perfections of its inhabitants; and finding her an attentive and obliging listener, talked herself into a state of m