Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls

no governess, and do

ex the birds that l

ntented S

and grandmother herself was glad to be again settled down at what to her now represented home. But yet, at the bottom of their hearts, the children were a little sorry that the travelling was over. True, Molly declared that, though their passage acros

ome over to see me sometimes and bring your children, and when I get very old, as I shall have no one to be kind to me you see, I daresay I shall get so

el quite sure about it. And the odd thing was that of them all Molly had most relished the travelling, and was most eager to set off again. She liked the fuss and

shall be out of one bustle into another all day, and nobody to say 'You wi

at kind of thing just now, Molly. We have far less les

nths the children should not have many lessons. They had been working pretty hard for a year or two with a very

ything, the different manners and customs, and the complete change of life, all that will be enoug

bout it all the same. "Running wild" in her experience had n

ork well and thoroughly," she said to aunty. "However, we must wait a little. If I am not much mis

pecially, in raptures with some new marvel. The bullocks who drew the carts, soft-eyed, clumsy creatures, looking, she declared, so "sweet and patient;" the endless varieties of "sisters," with the wonderful diversity of caps; the chatter, and bustle, and clat

one day. "It is quite difficult to remember just practising and French, and think

d of the day I never feel as if I had done anything nicely and settledly, and I think Ralp

putting anything like that into grandmother's head. There now, she is calling

lvia. "You ran down to the lodge to see the soldiers passing; d

pocket. Yes, here they are. There is grandmother calli

nd having known all the morning at what time she was

r room, "what have you been doing? And you don't look half dressed now. See, your collar is tum

ndmother dear," said Molly. "I'm s

grandmother. "This is not a day

en, where are your letters for your father? I told you I should take them to the

at Sylvia. Neither dared look at gran

rry, grandm

rry, dear g

quite forgot we were to

them both with a somew

o do, my dear little girls, that you haven't roo

at. I should have remembered,

d Molly, briskly. "My mind does seem ver

y neat. The different articles it contained were arranged in little heaps; there were a good many th

er is this?

DRAWER

" said

ery red as she saw grandmother's hand and eyes turning in th

ed; "I wish you wouldn't look at mine to-day.

s, scarfs, ribbons, collars; collars ribbons, scarfs, handkerchiefs, gloves, in a sort of pot-pourri all toge

your drawer, I suppose, Molly. How is

rather surprised at the turn of the conver

so many more things to

" said Molly. "We have just e

st degree-far too full-and in hers the

id Molly, opening wide her eyes

h you say seems always too full. Do you know I strongly suspect that if everything in it were very neatly arranged, y

id Molly, looking rather mystif

y must go now, or I shall be too late for what I wanted to do. There is that collar of yours loo

cendant this afternoon surely! She grew v

andmothe

rooch with the bit of coral in the middl

her dear, that on

take it to have it mended then. W

wo's fumbling extracted from its depths a little brooch

one Aunty sent you on your last birthda

urned q

he coral one. It mu

e brought fort

oise one has n

er dear. It br

d grandmother with decision. "See, here

his time, in the shape of a bird flying. But as she was handin

r. I broke it the da

the three brooc

s in all have you

ey are just the same as Sy

are the thr

x that stood on the top

c brooch set in silver, a mother-of-pearl with steel border, and a tort

in this box as I broke them, but I left the coral one, and

peated grandmother. "Ho

olly. "I mean

ooches-brooches indeed no longer-for no

erty of one careless little girl. Little girls are changed from the days when I was young! I shall take these si

en, and with it in her hand went quietly out of the room. Molly, by this

you think, Sylvia? I am so frightened

," said Sylvia, in rather a Job's comforter tone of voice. "Of course you must tell g

h air, sitting opposite grandmother in the carriage, bowling along so smoothly-grandmother having made no further allu

, my dear?" sa

andmother dear. I am always in such a hurry, and brooches are so provoking sometimes. T

what?" said

I won't say them if you'd rather not. I've got a plan in my head-it's just come there-of teaching myself to be more careful with

e carriage stopped at the jeweller's shop

t corner mending a pair of gloves. She was not once late for breakfast or dinner, and, notwithstanding the want of the brooches, her collars retained their position with unusual docility. Al

"They have cost just three francs. I th

aid Molly, radiant. "And do you know my drawers

take a look at them some day soon. Shall

being careless and untidy; it's so much nicer to be careful and neat. Good

But remember, my little Molly, t

n a day? Grandmother dear, what funny things y

y dear," said grandmother, in a

ke that, grandmother dear," she said in such a pit

g her towards her. "To speak plainly, my dear, what I want you to remember

a lot of plans for making myself remember about being careful," said

to bed s

time when they returned, and they were met in the hall by aunty, who told them to run upstairs and t

y dears," she said. "Miss Wr

n a corner by the window with a book. Miss Wren was very deaf, and her deafness had the effect, as she could not in the least hear her own voice, of making her shout o

is she not? Not so pretty! Dear me, what a pretty girl Mary was the first winter you were here, twelve, no, let

hape of Molly. Grandmother happened to be asked a question at this moment by a servant who just came into the room, and had therefore turned aside for an insta

as writing a note at the side-table and had not noticed Molly's entrance, "Laura, my dear, I wonder you

th-it took grandmother quite a little while to count them-one, two, three, yes, six brooches fastened on to the front of her dress! All the six invalid brooches, just restored to health, that is to say pins, were there in their glory. The turquoise one in the middle, the coral and the tortoise-shell

ty stared, Miss Wren lo

sper, to grandmother. "She is not so nice as the other, not so like poor Mary. But I wonder, m

to Miss Wren. She interrupted her reminiscences

t nonsense. What is the meaning of it? Do you intend to make a

in blank surpr

confusedly. "It was my plan

nnoyed, and Molly's sel

to make a joke of what I hoped would have been a lesson to you for all your life,

d at her "like that." She turned and ran out of the room and up

wanted to please grandmother. And I do believe she t

g, and they all seated themselve

down?" suggested Sylvia, but "no,"

ther's hear

iness or resentfulness in Molly," she said to her