Magnum Bonum

ou art quick

y blood.-Love'

hands of the Commissioners, had of late years passed into the rule of David Ogilvie, Esq., a spare, pale, nervous, sensitive-looking man of eight or nine and twenty, who s

What was Magna Charta? Th

t ingeniou

vented by Henry VIII.-a happy feminine, I suppose, to the Papal Bull. Here's a thir

me you have tried such an examinatio

town," was the answer, accompanie

id! The first d

nother lot coming! A set of duplicates. They haven't even the sense

unts for a

er you think you have rolled it a little way, down it comes, a regular dead weight again, down

lly nobody th

emy, and treat all my approaches with distrust

as if it we

c race before me, who have spoilt the relations between man

contrary to e

f boys themselves, who can join in the sports con amore; I should only make

to be oneself, and one's best

that. Some people mi

can turn to something else. You are getting the

oss of constant intercourse with congenial minds had perhaps contributed as much as the dulness of the Kenminster youth to bring him into a depressed state of health and spirits, which had made his elder sister contrive to spend her Easter at the seaside with him, and give

brightened face, that made his sister s

ial, and am come home sa

ws, that seemed yesterday to be t

I had to tell him what to call Brennus, and he proceeded to cast the sword into the scale, exclaiming, just as to a cart-horse, 'Woh! To the Worsted' (pronounced like yarn). After that you may suppose the feelings with which I called his ditto, another Joseph Armine Brownlow; and forth came the smallest sprite, with a white face and great black eyes, all eagerness, but much too wee for this place. 'Begun Latin?' 'Oh, yes;' and he rattled off a declension and a tense with as much ease as if he had been born speaking Latin. I gave him Phaedrus to see whether

were there to listen, or he will n

that he went out of his way to spell fish, p h y c h, and shy, s c h y; and at last, I could not resist the impulse to ask him what Magna Ch

he had

ed it. Whoever taught that child knew how to teach, and i

you would b

o bully him out of his superiority, and the more I do for him, the worse it will be for him, poo

he bro

low-about eleven and nine years old. The younger one is a sort of black spider mo

the old

as no boy of twelve can do here; and as to the elder one,

they been

ng widow and these boys, and they have just come down to live in Kenminster. But it can't be owing to the school. No school would give all thr

er it is their

spoke of her as a poor helpless little thing, w

s sloping down to the river; the Church, school, and other remnants of the old collegiate buildings lying in the flat at the bottom, and the rest of the town, one of the small decayed wool staples of Somerset, being in terraces on the hill-side, with steep streets divi

selves obnoxious to the keepers; and these, under an absentee proprietor, gave a free interpretation to rights of way. Thither were the Ogilvies bound, in search of primrose banks, but their way led them past two or three houses on the hill-top, one of which, being constructed on supposed Chinese principles of architecture, was known to its friends as

ose to their ears the wor

ome impertinent street boy, Mr.

are all Mother C

ch of a sumach, which stretched over the railings of the low wall of the

ream of laughing, spreading her grey wings, and showing intentions of fly

voices b

is she? That's you, J

ee why she should

en and lost he

ack Mr. Ogilvie. "I'll

e hedge, and the broth

an aside, a voice the master knew full well, and the

en standing at the door of the "Folly," and there appeared a

ch. Come, Polly," said the eldest

e younger ones, glad to see that two-i.e. the new Robert

and said, "Mother,

Mrs. Brownlow," she held out her hands to his sister, crying, "Mary, Mary Ogilvie," and there was an equally fervent response. "Is it? Is it really Caroline Allen?" and the two fr

nds with him. "The name sounded friendly, but I little thought yo

eping holiday with Davi

f you, in this frightful muddle," entreated Car

d Mary. "David, you must go o

eling rather shut out in the cold; "I

ther, do let that be finished off at least! Bobus, there

the shelves while she pegged them, while the two friends were still exchanging their first inq

t write, because nobody answered, a

ottish family, and wrote to you to the c

that they to

would find you. I wrote three times, and when you did not answer m

oing to London. I answered that. Yes, I did! D

scarried. Where di

, inside a letter

long after, and I suppose her people never troubled the

y fairly made me over to a Russian family whom we had met. Unluckily, as I see now, I wrote to Mrs. Mercer, and as I never

ess? I thought one was sure of a

aughter, I came to England and found a situation in London. I tried to look up our old set, but could not get on the track of anyone except Emily Co

e is older! And have

ul popinjay, who 'Up and spak' so mu

nly one you did not see in the

d half as well," said Mr. Ogilvie,

o on so steadily with them as before," she said eagerly, but faltering a little.

advice, I should say keep hi

s uncle? He insisted-he had some impression that they were very

rom you than he would in school among thos

go to school with Armie, having always gone on with him. And the other two

d develop a capacity for idleness, but even he has time to spare, and he is at

were a good set and gentlem

here is as much honour and kindliness among them as you would find anywhere. Besides, to boys

ience is an object. Or do you think that thorough classical trai

rn how to learn through langua

d Carey. "Of course when one begins to teach oneself, the world has become "min

ent they appeared, and stood amazed at the accession of volunteer auxiliaries. Mr. Ogilvie introduced his sister, while Caroline explained th

u were getting on," sa

you; he thinks Armine too-too-I mean he thinks he had better not go into scho

wn, under a verandah, with French windows. It was full of furniture in the most dire confusion. Mrs. Robert Brownlow wanted to clear off

rse's sitting-ro

e can be of no

ear grandmamma married, and has no home, and no rel

her on. But as to this room! It is such a pity not to k

o do it. I can't bear fusty, shut-up smart rooms, and I think the family room o

"it is your affair, my dear, but my boys would not thank me for shutting them in with my pretty things, and I

ory of the tower. We have put the boy's tools there, and I can do my modelling there, and mak

and bas-reliefs, thereby much increasing the litter on the floor, and delighting Mary

upboards and sh

is answer. She said nothing but "Oh," and was perfectly unruffled in a sort of sublime

approval, chafed and reasoned: "I don't think anything so important as a happ

ly irrelevant, and observed, "When I hav

better than nice t

he hoped she was not an unnatur

from the hall, the Colonel saying, "Mr. Ogilvie tells me h

ely observed, "Poor little fellow, he is very small, but country air and food will soon make

oline, with a dangerous smile

heir growth stunted," said Ellen. "Joe is only two months older than A

aid Mr. Ogilvie politely; "but I wish they

always agree on those points," s

oor boys with study and all that. I had rather see them strong and

at me in that aspect

can't help it,

re," said Carey, in a low voice, giving the

l, where, through a perfect cloud of white powder, loomed certain figures, and a scandalised

useful and open p

in ecstasy. "It's just like Paris in the clou

s voice. "All getting into the carpet, and in your clothes, I

oing," replied Jo

th an oval face and brown eyes, had retreated, and was with infinite disgust bru

ces of Armine and Barbara had powdered themselves and everything around, while the draught th

Mrs. Brownlow. "Janet, shut that window. Children, out

g round to give a sly puff to the white heap, diffusi

indignation in her voice, "that is not the way

d she had laid on him, and muttered something lik

boy," and his aunt said, with dignity,

et running in from the kitchen with a maid, a soup tureen, and sundry spoons, everyone

ain!" qu

'd get the feather-brush to sweep it up with, and the oth

ock, I suspect," said Mr. Ogilvie. "Suppose you were to come with me, and

artily, if they will not be a trouble," and Babie put her h

he had disappeared in the cloud!

uld have been with their c

"but Johnnie and Joe ran away w

t as possible brushed out of her frock; Carey warned the schoolmaster not to l

g with her at present, replied that she would take the walk now, and return to her friend in a c

the garden gate. "You are to go down to my uncle's, child

wers, of which their hands and arms were full; but

she won't be able to do anything. Run away, Babie, they'll be

ey those dear white flower

r. They want you down t

urdily declared Barbara. "They say it is tellin

"Do let us stay, Janet, we'll not make one smal

othing for you to eat, and nurse and Su

anet's arms, gave their hands to Miss Ogilvie, and Babie between her two b

d Janet; "indeed, I think it will do h

of fatigue,"

e rest of it," s

bject to h

" Janet broke off, for they h

here Carey, shaking off the handkerchief steeped in vinegar and water on her brow,

orry for her headache, she said, "Oh! it's only with knocking one's head against a mattress like mad peopl

d wetted the kerchief afresh

sh you were goi

wish I coul

here!" she sighed. "Oh, Mary, why do

ght," sa

ke me wicked!" and she hid her fac

y!" said the

ppy!" and what a wail there was in the tone. "But I can't talk," s

"We know where to find each oth

n write much better than tell.

et a holiday, my de

the promise, and though she was unwilling to

in the family, that domestic remedies had not become well-known. Janet instantly rushed down to ord

vie," said Janet, putting on her

the patient. "It will go off of

ave it," ret

e was able to bear, they walked off together; but the

Carey's troubles, and she could not guess the girl's sense of banishment from all that she had enjoyed, society, classes, everything, or her feeling that the Magnum Bonum itself was i