The Long Vacation

ath o

lock'

h of f

to call fro

of forgot

e heart was f

string in f

shed one le

USSELL

ay, and there was some diversion, as well as joy, when it proved that no one was to be entrusted with him but

h her hosts at the front door to greet her, and as Anna held out h

greeting with the hand, at sight of th

stiff, curly flaxen hair held aloft with an air of "I am monarch of all I survey," and there was a tone of eq

e family inquir

ie, where's

oot of th

see it" (im

have some

to come, Adrian?" s

ch a lot of women-folk," he replied, with his hands i

took him out, and then Mrs. Harewood had to explain his mother's urgent entreaties that the regime at V

son from it. Almost all her family had been water-drinkers from infancy, and though Major Harewood called teetotalism a superstitious contempt of Heaven's good gifts, and disapproved of supplementing the baptismal vow, his brother the Rector had found it expedient, for

all the consequent treatment. He believed in total abstinence as safer for his ward, but he thought that the time had come for training, in seeing without partaking. Wilmet agreed, and said she had tried to p

on practice at his early

not engage not to have the matter out w

how Gerald will take

en used to it at Vale

ard himself as at home. However, he is a good boy,

e so," said W

con affair going o

not think you h

mission, but I could not answer it

eacon and wash it in the Ewe till they could purchase a slice of the hill pertaining to the Vale Leston estate. Major Harewood had replied

aid Mrs. Grinstead. "Fancy E

be prevented; but that is not the worst," said Wilmet; "it would ch

tle new houses. Men like Walsh never see a beautif

but he talks to the girls of our having no right to keep

untry disports itself there. It i

put bread into so many mouths, and that fresh outlets would be good for the

fall on him open-mouthed," said Geraldine, with a laugh, though with a

then appeared that Major Harewood thought it would be wise to leave the young man to manage the property for himself without interference; an

e; "but this waiting time seems inte

disposed to be very miserable over her straitened means, and the future lot of her eight daughters, especially as the two of the most favourable age seemed to resign their immediate chances of marrying. More

India, not actually unsteady, but not what her own brothers had been, and Edward was a midshipman, too much of the careless, wild sailor. Easy-goin

od, "though Alda is very much disappointed

rs Uncle Clem to all the fine folk she might meet; and after all, p

ent on being a hospital nurse, or something like it, and only half

for a little while. We heard various outpourings, and I cannot quite think Miss Emil

l it, and no one can be more good and useful than Fernan and Marilda, so

t. It is the spirit of the times,

suffer in that way-

but I am very glad she has nice young companions in the M

azaar quite ou

rd Rotherwood and Mr. White, the chief owners of property, have done, and will do, much, there still remains greater need than a

" said Mrs. Harewood, in her orig

hun for that! I am going to take y

to see the mother

willing that, even in this brief stay, all the aid in their power should be given to the cause at Rockquay. Nay, as he afterwards added to Wilmet, he was very

id she had been importuned on such subjects wherever she had gone, and had learnt to be passive; but her sister Jane was all eagerness, and h

should always be somebody to whom all is new

ut point de zele,"

ermentation," sai

s thing," s

ut it, or at least deadne

rned to talk of the

ould be a responsible husband and father, whereas Lady Merrifield's

been made he informed his two youngest sisters, Valetta and Primrose, that it was the cheekiest little fellow he had ever

, doing her best to supply the place of the six devoted sisters

uliarly contemptuous twirl at the beginning

ught down her hat

her uncle, "he will know

es bothering after me at dinner-time I shall throw my books at he

has had a large dose of the feminine e

placed well for his years, but not too well for popularity, and in the playground he had found himself in his natural element. The boys were mostly of his own size, or a little bigger, and bullying

pt at his aunt's during the week, the long summer evenings afforded splendid opportunities for what Fergus called scientific researches in the quarries and cliffs. It was as well for Lady Vanderkist's peac

cates of Fergus's precious collection might be arranged as a sample of the sp