Hildegarde's Home

or two short walks along the road near which their house stood, and had seen the brand-new towers of Mrs. Loftus's house, "pricking a cockney ear" on the other side of the

"one would as soon sing in a churchyard," she thought, "as in the Ladies' Garden." So she passed silently along between the box hedges, her footsteps making no sound on the mossy path, only the branches rustling softly as she put them aside. The afternoon sun sent faint gleams of pallid gold down through the branches of the great elm; they were like the ghosts of sunbeams. Her ear caught the sound of falling water, which she had not noticed before; she turned a corner, and lo! there was a dusky ravine, and a little dark stream falling over the rocks, and flowing along with a sullen murmur between banks of fer

e did not, which made her laugh in a foolish, happy way, since she knew better. Now she came to a huge sycamore-tree, a veritable giant, all scarred with white patches where the bark had dropped off. Beside it lay another, prostrate. The branches had been cut off, but the vast trunk showed that it had been even taller than the one which was now stand

dead on the N

he Headl

t him lying

moor an

s very full of ballads and scraps of old songs, and she was apt to break into them on any or no pretext. She we

bier of the

and the

e him to the

him ther

e to that l

w her ro

r ling-long

at Barth

him in the

s sae dee

ed a garland

land for

d him in a

him to

iars sung the d

ssed the C

him at the

w fell cold

pen grey fo

st clung t

grave but a

of the Nin

him o'er with t

and the l

ar stayed u

rough the m

all sing for B

ess Cross s

feet; and she said again, "Oh, pleasant place!" Presently, in one of the upward glances, she stopped short. Her look, from carelessly wandering, became keen and intent. On one of the branches of the tree under which she stood was a small, round object. "A nest!" said Hildegarde. "The question is, What nest?" She walked round and round the tree, like a pointer who has "treed" a partridge; but no bird rose from the nest, nor could she see at all what manner of nest it was. Finding this to be the case, she transferred her scrutiny from the nest to the tree. It was a sturdy pine, with strong, broad branches jutting out, the

e five eggs in it, and she gazed with delight at the perfect little things. But when she touched them gently, she found them quite cold. The nest was deserted. "Bad little mother!" said Hildegarde. "How could you leave the lovely things? Such a perfect place to bring up a family in, too!" She looked around her. It was very pleasant up in this airy bower. Great level branches stretched above and below her, roof and floor of soft, dusky plumes. The keen, exquisite fragrance seemed to fold round

ince, with

-footed tha

easant up in t

ath the green tower

al, come down! How dare you r

ot speak for the moment, but she looked down, and saw a fierce-looking old gentleman, clad in a black velvet coat

sternly. "I'll teach you to ro

ally not to

de, indignation overcoming her alarm. "I never d

e old gentleman. "I beg ten th

stant place she could think of), and was on her way thither; but fortunately the secon

this was the name of the new home), "and have wandered off our own grounds without knowing it.

somewhere about her, and that she would die rather than le

am delighted to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Grahame's daughter, under-a-any circumstances." (Here he evidentl

my walk, merely remarking that I beg you to consider yourself entirely free of my grounds, in any and every part. I shall do myself the honour of calling on your mother very shortly. Good-morning, my dea

ads off. "So we have a fair tomboy for a neighbour. Well, it may

one now, if there were a thousand of them. She ran down the long sunny slope of the meadow, her cheeks glowing, her heart still beating angrily. She was going straight home, to tell her mother all about it, and how horrid Colonel Ferrers had been, and how she should never come downstairs when he came to the house-never! "under any circumstances!" How dared he make fun of her? She sat do

was a modified version of the tragedy that Mrs. Grahame heard. She found this quite fu

rahame's own invention, and a favourite resource with her and Hildegarde in darkling hours like this. Perhaps some of my reader

" and had already been playing

oddess of Lov

B.C. something or other, a

t, unsuccessful

f Troy did on his back the old A

ias,

on, Gre

e, minstrel

he, wife

, son of

t's time to go on to

more A's," rep

U.,'" said the girl, "but perha

.

le, of course, dear. Artax

f Geier

lla St

Ap Hugh, Ap Tudor, Ap R

of my reserves. Azrael

on, king

to, F

ame walking

, Joseph

oman general, lo

t, Pri

tainly high time to go on to B, if you are going t

o'clock yet, I know. Buccleugh, Bold, Duke of, Warden here

m, pro

'Much Ado ab

rix E

ert, King o

t, King of Sc

ly. "But Sir Walter makes an admirable viceroy. I think-w

forms emerged from the darkness. "I am delighted

"I am very glad to see you. Colonel Ferrers,-though I hardly do see you!" she a

ildegarde, thinking th

he added, "May I be allowed to present my nephew? M

thing which might have been a greeting in English, Choct

a little judicious groping. Oh! I trust you are not hurt, Mr. Ferrers?" For Mr. Ferrers had tumbled over his chair, and

just got his growth, you see, and hasn't learned what to do with it. Well, many t

eed!" said Mrs. G

g world, my dear Madame! Poor Aytoun, too! I miss him sadly. My only neighbour. We have been together a great deal since his sister

e way?" asked Mrs. Grahame. "I know the nam

n farmer. As much idea of farming as my stick has. Wife and daughters look like a parcel o' fools. Don't know 'em! don't want to know 'em!" Mrs.

r's allusion to the morning's adventure to speak, though she was able to see afterwards how much better it was to bring up the matter

el Ferrers had forgotten the presence of either of them, apparently. The silence became more and more awkward. What could she say to this gawky youth, whose face she

Ferrers, "it has

never do! "Do you play t

he reply. "Doesn't p

fairly roused by this time, and had no idea

s silent, as i

I only came a few days ago. I am to spend the summer with my uncle." Apparently this effort was too much for him, for he relapse

on of yours, a Scotch cousin at least. His mother was a Grahame, daught

band's first cousin. Their fathers were brothers. Hugh often spoke of his cousin Robert, and regretted that they never met, as they were great friends i

ly delighted with his discovery of a relationship. "Just eig

shake hands with your cousin John, and

, but found a hanging-basket instead, and knocked it over, send

this morning. I am generally regarded as such. Fact is, you frightened me more than I frightened you. We are not used to seeing young ladies here who know how to climb trees. Harry Monmo

eing neighbourly, in the good old country sense; and as for John, he must do

at it sounded like; on which his uncle seized

degarde, when the visitor

at a pleasant visit! The poor lad is very shy,

ildegarde, warmly. "I don't think it was a pleasan

t pretty-behaved, as auntie would say. And in the second place-your dear father was just eighteen when I first met him, Hildegarde; and he pu

r mamma!" said H

et that barn-door rent in your corduroy