A Flight with the Swallows; Or, Little Dorothy's Dream

kly strange things begin to grow familiar, and before

othy, and in a les

ated at the table in the schoolroom at Vi

sure, the thin foreign paper was rather a trial, as the pen was so apt to stick when a thin up-stroke followed a

was very forward for her age, having gone through the regular routine of school, and writing at ten

said; and Dorothy felt the importance of going to school when, every morning at ten o'clo

ng and arithmetic, and as she had never had any one to give

othy's patience sorely, and, indeed, he was

th aching fingers had written her name at the bottom of t

cause it is New Year's Day, a

ttle white one for Dorothy, the little grey one for Ella, and the old spotted one for Irene.

terrupted by a c

was administered to Baby Bob, who, I am sorry to say

u naughty child!" Crawley said.

in a sadly crumpled condition, and Irene smoothed th

EXPEDITION

to E

y Bob said. "Grannie lets me drop h

ob; then you won't get into trouble; but I don

herself up and said, "I shall go home to mother, I shall. I shan't stay here,

rl as much spoiled,

e," said Irene; "and let us go an

d Dorothy; "I don't wan

hy's apron, and she began to sob again at the sigh

t a cry-baby with us. Look at Bob; he has quite forg

urned a very unwilling chee

e your letter n

he had a particular aversion to that of "Dolly," and just touchi

eys, and Marietta and Francesco, and no

little blue serge skirt which they wore for their donkey expeditions. "Come, Dorothy," Ire

ry busy with business; and Constance h

it here till

he donkeys must not be kept waiting. Irene, finding it useless to say more, went to get ready, as Ella had already done

ttempt when she was

e baskets full of nice things to eat at

ye; I hope you'll enjoy jogging down ove

her on the sturdy old brown donkey; Willy and Jack Meredith riding off with Francesco running at their heels, with his bare brown feet and bright scarlet cap; then Ella

o punishment to her, and she fel

England with them. And as one perched for a moment on the big aloe which grew just outside th

urned their little heads from side to side, and then darted off in the warm sunshine. Glancing at the little ti

itation, and then Dorothy uncurled herself and put down her legs slowly, first one, then the other, and then, with something very like a yawn, w

t on the same line, and had to go beneath it. As to "Coldchester," it was so cramped up in the corner that it was hardly legible, but imitating a letter which she had seen Mr. Martyn address one day, she made up for it by a big "England" at the top. The en

post my own letter, and then come back, or go

ehind the schoolroom. They were put there when she came to the Villa Lucia every morning by Ingleby, who never failed to send her in to se

ron which was stained with the little crimson spot. A little rim of white showed under the jacket between the fur and the edge of her frock, but she pushed it up under the band, and then went softly down the hall to the glass door, and lifting the portière, or th

. It was rather nice to go to the post by herself, and she measured the dis

ear the post-office, and she had two shillings in h

d smiled, and said in a pleasant voice, "Buon gionno!" and one young woman,

piccol

to the post, that she missed the first turning which would have led her down to the English par

rer the shops and the post-office. Now the street of the English part of San Remo runs almost parallel with the sea, and there are several narrow lanes be

which was built on the steep sides of the hill, long, long before any

dges, of pavement, which are set at rather long intervals. These streets are very nar

hes or little bridges because they formed a support to th

missed the post-office, she caught sight of a little white fluffy dog, with

eed, it had been he. She did not stop to consider that he was old, and could never have run so fast uphill as this little dog coul

ll she found herself in the market square of the old town, where, out of breath and exhausted,

Dorothy, and talked and made signs to her; but she could not understand what they said, and they smiled at her and passed on. The streets leading up from the market square looked very dim and very steep, and Dorothy began to feel lonely and frightened, especially when an old woman,

, alas! her foot caught against the corner of a rough stone step before one of the tall houses,

ishment. While Ella and Willy and Baby Bob, with their two little friends, were enjoying the contents of t