Milly and Olly

n The

Table of

tepping-stone and watching the others. But perhaps you don't quite known what stepping-stones are? They are large high stones, with flat tops, which people put in, a little way apart from each other, right across a river, so that by stepping from one to the other you can cross to the opposite side. Of course they only do for little rivers, where the water isn't very deep. And they don't always do even there. Sometimes in the river Thora, where Milly and Olly's stepping-stones were, when it rained very much, the water rose so high that it dashed right over the stepping-stones and nobody could go across. Milly and Olly saw the stepping-stones covered with water once or twice while they were at Ravensnest; but the first evening they saw them the river was very low, and the stones stood up high and dry out of the water. Milly thought that stepping-stones were much nicer than bridges, and that it was the most amusing and interesting way of getting across a river th

illy gathered

m yet, for there were so few red ones you could scarcely get enough to taste what they were like. But in a week or two, she and Olly planned that they would take up a basket with some green leaves in it, and gather a lot for father and mother-enough for regular dessert-and some wild raspberries too, for these also grew in the wood, to the great delight of the children, who had never seen any before. They began to feel presently as if it would be nothing very extraordinary to find trees covered with barley sugar or jam tarts in this wonderful wood. And as for

y were to go straight over the mountain instead of walking round by the road, which would have taken much longer. So off they set-Olly skipping, and chattering as he always did; while Milly stuck close to her mother, telling her every now and then, when Olly left off talking, about their morning

," said Milly, running up to them. "

r pinafore in her mouth, and never said more

o you do all the

, gravely looking up at her;

too? Dear, dear! And

sie again. "He only

go to sch

eyes grew round and frightened at the idea, as if it was a

ays. Here she is. Good-bye, Bessie; good-bye, Charli

kiss him. On the other side of the gate they had to begin to climb up a steep bit of soft green grass; and ver

't you think, Olly?" said Milly, sitting dow

aking his head; for Olly always liked contradicting Mil

oth the children started up and looked about them. It wa

re you,

ton from behind it with a great shout, and began to run after her. Away ran Milly and Olly as fast as their small feet could carry them, up and down, up and down, till at last there came a steep place-one of Milly's feet tripped u

Mr. Norton, scrambling down after them and lif

y arm," said Milly, t

atch on my nose," s

ike that," said Mr. Norton, "you wou

rrily skipping along beside

omorrow, if you like, we'll come up here and have a capital gam

bogs?" a

k down and down into a bog till the mud comes right over their head and face and chokes them; but we haven't got any bogs as bad as that here.

where the little mountain sheep were nibbling, and where a beautiful creeping moss grew all over the ground, whi

their father to them from be

the mountain. There, all round them, were numbers of other mountains; and below, at their feet, were houses and trees and

e coming from the station. Look at that steamer, with all the people on board! What funny little black peopl

When father and I take you and Olly on the lake, we shall go in a boat just like that. And

ome smoke, ever so far down," shouted

hen I was a little girl, and when your dear great-grandfather and great-

ughty?" asked Milly, slipping her little hand into her mot

a great deal of pains to cure me of going into rages. Besides, it always did naughty children good to live in the same house with great-grandmamma, and so after a while

the path, in the middle of some bright yellow-green moss. And without thinking of anything but getting it, off he rushed

was father close beside him, standing on a round little hump of dry grass which was sticking up out of the bog, and with one grip he got ho

Was there ever such a little object! All his nice clean holland frock

capering about, and pointing to his legs

nner," said Mrs. Norton. "I think we'll leave yo

ing Olly fast by the hand. "We can

at's quite certain. But there's nothing to wash him with here, so he must just go as he is for a bit. Now, Olly, run along and your feet will soon dry.

wer," said Olly, holding it up t

terwort, and it always grows in boggy places; I wouldn't ad

into a road, and a little village of white houses in front of them. They walked up the road a little way, and then father opened a big gate and let them into a beautiful gar

on, running up to her and taking

me), "it is nice to see you all here. And there's dear little Milly, I remember her. But where's Olly? I've n

ying to hide his mud-stockings behind his mother. "There's a clean tidy boy to bring to dinner, isn

her spectacles

erquake, who lives in the bogs? Oh, I can tell you splendid stories about her some day. But now catch hold

t to the house. But I must start another chapter before I begin to tell you wha