Melbourne House, Volume 1

n their return to the house he was at once taken up with some of

ke a gentlemanly boy as he was, he had carried out there where the litter of it would be in nobody's way. Preston Gary was a very fine fellow; about sixteen, a handsome fellow, very spirited, very clever, and very gentle and kind

are you go

I have a goo

he

morr

going w

n. Unless you wa

go with you? Whe

Crum Elbow-they say there are first-rate trout st

! with Loupe, you know. You'r

oupe? You see, I shall be gone the whole

ld take care of him. And I should like to go, Pre

on. "You frighten the fish, Daisy! I don't believe you can d

r some time she and Preston discussed the plan, the fish, an

where is t

ea!" said

and the French were figh

ou know where it is? You'll fin

hesi

on't know where t

t has become of

d looking serious;-"and lately mamma hasn

map of Europe, and se

ou'll find yourself in

hat, Daisy,

verything! There could not be a reasonable doubt of it. What would Preston be,-what would Mr. Dinwiddie or Capt. Drummond be,-if they knew nothing? And by the same reasoning, what would Daisy Randolph be? What could she do with her talents, if she let them lie rusty with ignorance? Now this was a very serious though

began slowly,

ork,-"it is a little ticklish to stroke this into order-but i

mean flies-I m

e at the Crimea yet, are you? I'll s

of geography only to

reston. "Daisy, just look for that bunch

ell me what is

isy-thank you!-you'd be

d!" exclai

ow can you? Suppose I shew you my pictures of the North American India

ilent, feel

ll not know whether the English came from the east or the west, nor wheth

n set Preston off into a burst of laughter, for which he atoned

said; "I think you are b

ike everybody els

nd, coming upon the scene,

Daisy answered, looking a little troubled, but in her slow,

I will make him ask pardon in another manner. Bu

ld take it," said Daisy. The

are not half a score of years wiser. What were you ta

ew it to me on the map

o it. You shouldn't ask

im

drew up another chair and pointed out the Crimea and Sebastopol, and shewed the course by which the English ships had come, for Daisy took care to ask that. Then, finding so earnest a listener, he went on to describe to her the situation of other places on

nteresting!" she remarked with a si

ave something to

Daisy, lookin

about soldiers-don't you

me on the instant thoughtful and still. Yet changed, as the Captai

l, D

tell you, I do not w

and watched her while she got down from her

on the table for me?" sh

ravings, which were the sole cause and explanation of its finding a place in Mr. Randolph's library. He put it on the table and watched Daisy curiously, who disregarding all the pictures

hardness, as a good s

d feeling. He stopped and rea

isy!"-h

Capt. D

do with what we we

shut this up and p

out of the house and through the shrubbery. He let her alone till she had brought him to a shady spot, where und

?" he said, as she let go

r question, C

hat have those words you shewed me,-what have

d Daisy slowly, "what it me

hy

ave told you

city. The Captain could not imagine what

re. Through shade and through sun, down grassy steeps and up again, flying among the trees as if some one were after them, the Captain ran; and Daisy was pulled a

n the bank and throwing himself beside h

uld think so," said Dai

tell me-do you call

here can be such little

e can be

g do you expect t

" said Daisy.

s are you go

ther hard at the Captain

harge of the Light Brigade, in

id not quite understand him, but

t if I do it will not be because the

isy," said he, "are you the

p over the sunny slopes of

s, highly kept; stately and fair; and Daisy could not help remembering that in all that domain, so far as she knew, there was n

s at the same time perfectly childish too,-"I have told

are not an

si

rmit other people to as

's w

mischief in the Captain's face than might be manageable, she pulled away her h

ion: MELBO

e bank, hoping to get if they could a taste of the river breeze. Lying there stretched out under the trees,

pardon for naming anything warm just now, Drummond-but s

a tiny bend in the shore made a spot of shade, Daisy was crouching on the gro

What a nice thing it is to be

soft, but its utterances were distinct; the words could be heard quite plainly. And Daisy sat back from her sand-work, and June began to sing something. What, it would have been difficult to tell at the top of the

hat's pretty!" s

aptain, let's get nearer the performers. Lo

ore they should be seen. They succeeded. Daisy was intent upon her sand-work again, and June's back was towar

he field

e field o

e field o

in you

!" whispe

wedish war song," said th

-said June-"t

space of very fine sand, left wetted and adhesive by the last tide. Here the battle of Inkermann had been fought, and here Daisy's geography was going on. Capt. Drummond, who alone had the clue to all this, sat down on a convenient stone to exami

r, Daisy?" he said. "You wan

t. Drummond, I could let it flow i

me and tide wait for no man;' and we won't wait for the tide. Here Gary-make yourself us

bring it in, i

or your hat, man. Do im

see you are

" said Gary-"if that's your idea of military duty. Wha

ains. Daisy, suppose we lay in a supply of the

the river. Capt. Drummond carefully poured out the water into the Mediterranean, and opened a channel through the Bosphorus and D

r, Capt. Drummon

as they should be, for th

so cold

are always cold, but flowers grow down in the v

ose black ones,

great too, and beautiful. And here go the Carpathians-and her

y beauti

ry; I have not thrips enough. There is St. Petersburg-here is Constantinople-here is Rome-now here is Paris. Hallo! we've no England! can't leave London out. Give me that spoon, Da

never knew geography before. I

," said the Captain.

aisy, touching the little spot of w

" said Gary.

glish and French f

See, there was one,-and there was another-tremendous;-and there,-and there,-and there,-and there,-and all over! This little strip here that is getting swallowed up in th

ed at Capt

," he said; "all over the s

south and no

for," said Gary. "Nobody wants a possession o

id Capt. Drummond, taking t

row in the north. Daisy, I want to know which

of Europe and looked at Gary

id Gary. "

know what

hat I may throw myself after you, as Douglas did after the Bruce's locket; s

e singing a battle-song as we came

anging from its amazed look. B

t wa

Daisy. "O tha

ot a collection of Swedish war-songs? They used to sing and fight together, I am told. They are

it from

ne is a fine month, I know-for

aughing,-"I mean my June-the

ere, my good woman-Powers of

the woman said, in her low

'll say that for you. Where did you get that song your little m

ly was uni

my friend. Wh

ir, I can't sing," she was understood

think so! What's that! You see I have

ke, and so fast that she soon got out of their neighbourhood. The shrinking, glidin

sn't that a character now? But,

what that is

y;-generally takes the form of-I declare I don't know!-fever,

stop her singing?"

e house. Daisy, sing that gipsy song from 'The Camp in

said Capt. Drummond. "D

a gipsy herself," said

other best,"

ng could make her sing again,