Gritli's Children

blossomed in all the garden-beds, and glistened in the sunshine, and sent their sweet perfume far and near on every breeze. On the pebbly pat

d by a bed of flowers, watching with delight the airy butterflies flitting from

Rosemount because there are so many rose-bushes

days, and it isn't right, for I'm sure there's no reason for it. And Mrs. Stanhope notices it, too, and she doesn't like it very well; she must think that

Fani," she added, after a pause, "Aunt Clarissa has often told me that when we are well off ourselves, and have everything we need, and more, too, we ought to think all the more

lefolk. Have you never noticed that Lina, the chambermaid, wears a hat when she goes out, and a red and yellow shawl, just lik

den and amuse ourselves, and I can't help thinking that I might be doing something useful. I might knit some s

d you know how many clothes and things Mrs. Stanhope is always sending to

do something myself, and not go on taking my own comfor

but to keep you a great deal in the open air. Come, let's run all round the big rose-bed, and draw in long breaths of that delicious per

heavily; "I would rather go down to the stone sea

e how soon you get tired. It is a good thing for you that you have this garden to stay in. And how l

whose head was crowned with flowers that diffused a sweet perfume through the air. The fresh

you good to shout as loud as you can, Elsl

sunset from here. And then I think of the evening when she went away, how the whole sky was golden, as if the heavens were open, and you could look right into them and see the crystal river flowin

his feet in g

o talk in this way to Mrs. Stanhope just once, what do you suppose would happen? I can tell you-she'd just send us straight home, I know; and how would you like that? And I'm certain that she means to have us stay here always; for several times

I can never be what Mrs. Stanhope wants me to be. I am afraid she will be more and more vexed about it, and will li

side, but at these words he sprang agai

sant in you to talk so. Why don't you think of all the nice things there are,

of something very pleasant, then sad thoughts come into my mind, and I keep wondering whether there isn't something that I can do for those in troubl

ings?" asked the

ng with Mrs. Stanhope. The man looked down on the ground, just as father does when he comes home at night all tired out and says, 'We shall hardly pull through, if I work ever so hard; I'm afra

that we must never go into any house where we didn't know the people? and that we mustn't speak first to people we don't kn

k to a poor man who is in trouble, as this man is. She only meant that we mustn't talk with people who ask us qu

is to mind what we are told, and not speak to strange people or go to their houses. Now let's

ther, and Fani took something out of his pocket which they both examined carefully. It w

what it is?"

the linden trees. How beautifully you have done it, Fani! Won't Emma be delighted when

"There is no one that I can talk with about being a painter as I can with her.

nt on being an ar

of it, from a great many things that she has said. We can stay here just as long as we don't do anything to displease her, and of course we sha'n't do that. Several times when I've said that I should like to be a painter, Mrs. Stanhope has said that it was a very good profession for persons who had no ho

hook he

beautiful house. Don't you feel so too, Fani? Somehow as if we were

ory," said Fani, rather vexed, for t

they passed back up the white pebbly path, and by the sweet-scented rose-bed