The Two Sides of the Shield

head and tail roughly carved. The shouts of the others were audible in the distance beyond the belt of trees. Aunt Lily

she had made answer that she hated romping, and on being assured that no romping was necessary, she replied that she only wanted to read in peace. She had ref

n her ugly, over-dressed cousin. But then Aunt Lily would not allow her to walk down alone to the Casement Villas to see dear Co

he had been cruelly pulled about between Mrs. Halfpenny and the Silverton dressmaker with a mouthful of pins;

rom Constance in her apron pocket, arrived that very afternoon, asking her to come down with Gillian on the Sundays, that the friends might enjoy themse

ice the whisperings in

old Croat, smoking hi

a Black B

lack Brunswickers weren'

s anything black an

ieve he is only a vivandiere

ying a train to blow

it up, unheeding that it had no point to speak of, rushed headlong in pursuit, while, with a tremendous

shot a

lack Bru

e enemy! Into the fortress

dashing into an outhouse, and the door slammed. She pushed against i

cried in great anger; 'come

, till she walked off, swelling with grief and indignation. Mysie, after all her professions of frie

an, looking at two and forty much the same as she might have done at five and twenty; and Aunt Adeline, pretty and delicately fair, with somewhat of the same grace as Lady Merrifi

statue of Diana, dart in h

nt Lilias, if Wilfred and Valetta are to

you mean,

such horrid names I can't repeat them, and ran away. Then the others, Gillian and Harry a

e mistake, Dolores,' said

res, pointing in the directio

th her, and the other two

would not do,'

are so rough,' ad

eirs,' was the reply. 'She is a priggi

g a little, as the entire population, summoned by Fe

Have you been shooting

t at her; he only pretended, and shot the old crocod

idden to shoot in the d

hot the crocodile. I never tried to hit

'We were scouts out of the Thorn Fortress, Willie and I, a

ld have w

ve been a surprise,'

ot at play

t. I say,' pausing in consternation, 'Dolores, was it yo

to show Gillian how W

Fergus come home

w her voice?' a

her frightened, so that Hal was attending to her. Indeed, Dolores, I am very sorry. If we had guessed that it was you, we would

a knew,' said Dolor

was such fun

not to have kept it up without warning to her. And what do I hear about name

letta, indignantly, 'an

at it,

d, disconcerted by a l

Wilfred and Valetta, remember that is not right to force a person into play against her will. And as to the shooting near, but not at her, y

t, but as she look round, she met glances that made her think it prudent

Years' War,' all the people of a village took refuge from the soldiers in a field in the middle of a forest guarded

ular stage in these children's lives. Every voyage we have taken, someb

hen we crossed from

, to keep up the tradi

to gouter in the dining-room. As Dolores entered, she beheld a row of all her five younger cous

tit!' beg

' cried

her Croat!'

! Bashi Bazouk!'

Crow!' chime

How could yo

Willie punish

was time to speak when it ca

ells of anybody when it is only being tiresome and they don't mean it, or there never

es,' put in Wilfred; but

p without a fuss

ays knows,

oner or later.' Then resuming the thread of her discourse: 'So you see, Dolly, we have made up our minds that we will forgive you this time, bec

nst her was overpowering, though still she hesitated. 'But if I pro

s,' cried Mysie, w

at if you do tell, it will be ever so mu

ybody except Mysie joined in the outcry. '

ldn't do you much good-and if all these three are set against you, and are horrid to you, and I couldn't do you much good-horrid to you, you'll have no peace in your life; and, a

fates were again

y we

pro

es

late things Aunt Ada brought. We'll have a cigar

that her spirit did quail at the thought of the tortures which the two boys might inflict on her if Mysie abandoned her to their me

asking in the drawing-r

rrifield's answer. 'We sha

?' asked the aunt,

ll, not even poor Mysie, who works steadily on at her, get

ool,' said Aunt Adeline. 'I knew she would be

hose who have least to be

he crust and kept up the alie

lue the holidays, and learn that blood

n reserve,' add

, as he said,' replied Lady Merrifield, 'but of course I

illian remained wi

said A

ones, and you said Dolores might do as she pleased, so she stayed at home. The children were looking at the book of Bible Pictures, and it came out that Dolly knew nothing at all about Joshua and the walls

that her mother had rather have had this communication re

hould expect!'

n defence of her ignorance,' said Lady Merrifield. 'She

bout this kind of ta

it sooner or la

er, 'but I suppose Fergus and Pri

were squabbling because Primrose wanted to

e or Val I will talk to them, and I mean to take this poor child al

to go down with me always to Casement Cottage

arn?' ironically e

I believe Constance has written a note to her to ask her today! Fancy, that goose told me my sweet cousin was a dear, and t

aid Aunt Jane. 'I hope you rec

I said we were as kind as she w

er when they had reached hers, and had left Adeline to rest on her sofa. The two, though very u

of a note. Did Maurice give you any dire

much disappointed. I would give anyt

ed much. I doubt whether he knows much

Professor Sefton's family, and he thought t

nders? He ought to

Who i

d of creature; writes theatrical criticisms for third-rate papers, or something of that kind, when he is at his best. I believe Mary was really fond of him, and helped him more than Ma

rything Jenny. Now h

hen he was really very much provoked, and had it all out; ad since her death-well, I saw him get a beggin

here the child is. He is no

e was very angry that she should have been allowed to call him Uncle Alfred; and Mary

hurt us. The man probably knows nothing about us, and even if he c

quite capable of asking for the poor child's half

he said of the Seftons is quite sufficient to imply t

likely person to do some good with her, though I don't

e forbearance. In spite of all our knocking about the world, our family

ere out only outsiders and the West

'It seems to me that the system, or no system, on which

said Jane. 'What do

themselves, and let the actual technical teaching depend upon opportunities

s you call it, with all her powers; but public opinion would never have suffered us to get merely the odd sort of teaching that she could give us. It wa

geography;

some sense in them. It seems to me that we had more the spirit of working for ourselve

what did

have done more now. What becomes of all the German that is crammed down girl's throats, whether they have a turn for languages or

ings better than Gillian, but she has absolutely no interest in general knowledge, not even in the glaciers which she has seen; she does not know whether Homer wrote in Greek or Latin, considers "Marmion" a lesson, cannot tell a planet from a star, and neither knows nor c

n lived among us, and knew what we were doing, instead of shutting us up in a schoolroom with some one, with only knowledge, n

ny, when I look back, I cannot say I think ours was a model brin

I was an ingredient in your troubles. Yes, we brought ourselves up; but I maintain that it was better al

lay, is one of the professor's maxims t

have been all your grand heraldic

ook at them again and show them the Gillian and Mysie. Do you reme

his name? For my part, I much prefer a cavalier dead two hundred years ago as the object of

th individual interest and romance squeezed out of it. You see w

r than falls to the lot of most peop

' with a start, 'there's the first bell, and here have I been dawdling here instead of minding my business! But it is so nice to have you! I day, Jenn

hing of their mother and aunts, who played with all their might, even Aunt Adeline lighting up into droll, quiet humour. Only Dolores