Miss Grantley's Girls / And the Stories She Told Them

mother, may see him yet before the eve of Christmas, and while the snow is on the ground. We will keep the tree here, near the window, and

ant, one of many going to fight against France, and ever since the beginning, till after Sedan, after Domremy, after Metz, had been with his men in the camp, and wherever there was much danger always in the front. It was wo

er brave husband, and I was sewing, or busy in the room, and heard all-as he would stay in the

writing! it was his son's, the writing of Franz. And I felt the blood rush up hot to my face, and the tears blind me as I placed in my

nursery, where our mistress had also made her bed, and I would steal into her room to pore over the map that the Herr postmaster had drawn with his pencil in the kitchen to show where our armies had been, and where the cruel battles were fought. In Alsa

-lieutenant, was with the army of the Crown Prince; and we grieved and waited, for he had had a wound, we heard, though now he was healed. And the fighting went on, though hundreds of our brave men of the troops-the landwehr, the reserve-were hurt, or maimed, or kil

with him his best friend, his dutz brüder, Hofer, from Esmansdorff, whither Franz had gone three years before to follow his trade of cask-coo

d best to play the fiddle when he was not at work in his tan-yard. Yet now, he too was gone to the war, and was in the midst of the slaying and burning. When first he came home with Franz to Saueichenwald, I was afraid, for though I loved him not, but loved Franz only, his eyes were ever fixed on me, and he came often to the homestead; even when Franz came not he would be there in the yellow sunshine of the autumn evening by the gate that

ought us, and one red evening when we were crossing the orchard, and Hofer walked between us with an arm about each, Franz came in by the old path from the wood on the other side, and stood there looking still and g

Lisba?" said Frank sternly;

with thee, for she is thine and I am thine too, as thou art mine, or what means the dagger scar in our arms that we both know of?" Then taking me by the hand he leads me to Franz and kisses me gently on the forehead, and even while I am putting the face of Franz from mine I see that Hofer ha

me the tidings of a levy for the army-men were wanted. Not one by one, but altogether, the young and then the middle-aged were called out to fight in France or to guard the frontier, and we-we were left (the dear mistress said "we")-to wait and weep, and with only the Herr postmaster, the father of Franz, to bring us news, and read to us the stories of the

ish avarice and cruelty, and to reward honesty and help the poor. Among the poor went our dear mistress now, or they came to her for sympathy; she who, like themselves, like all of us, except brotherless young ones such as Bertha, grieved for a lover, or a husband, or a brother, gone to the war. It was not likely to be a merry Christmastide in Germanland, except that the news of victory, or of fortresses taken, came and stirred the slow blood of the people who were left. But we longed and prayed for peace-we women did at all events-and with some there was scarcely heart to trim and deck the Christmas-tree; to tell the children to prepare for th

ur dear mistress of this, for was it not for Franz and the dear master that the child kept watch?-but I went not myself to that outlook, though my heart stood still every time Bertha returned, with her head bent down, and had seen no one coming. She had a presentiment or fancy, she said, that the wanderer would return after nightfall. I knew not,-I began to tell lies to myself th

white, and then laughs and turns red. The dear master is wounded, but is at the frontier, whither he had been sent, staying till he is strong eno

l-Heinrich, thy dear father may yet be here before the tree is light

the hospitals; but is it not possible, dear lady, that it

r of the big kitchen, where we were listening to such pa

with the army of the Loire, as the French call it, and are who knows where. I have a lett

his horn spectacles and o

n the half-ruined dairy of the inn, and, having on hand a few bottles of very good red wine, we made a fine bowl of grog-au-vin, with the aid of a wood fire and an old saucepan. In came Hofer and gave us a toast and a song, and then they called on me, and I gave them the old Lied, that thou hast so often played, and for a toast, 'Fifine.' If Fifine had been there she would have bee

ll in a moment, and I have to lean

Fifine?" I ask,

but there it is, no sooner does a young honest fellow go out of Germany than he is thrown into the compan

s and I look in each other's face,

ear master home. The child, we say, is gone silly with sitting on the wall in the cold, for someti

andles on the Christmas-tree are lighted, and shine on the pretty gifts that hang upon the branches. The dear mother hugs the children to her heart; outside the twinkle and beaming of the candles makes a short track of light upon the snow; the signal is all a-glow. Will the wanderer return to-night? Where is Bertha? What is this white-armed, loose-haired figure, flying up

s; "the bone has not grown too strong just yet, and I doubt if ever I shall bend the knee again. As to Franz here, he, as you see, has his arm in a sling yet. He caught me up

nd there stands Franz staring at me, with

fine?" say I, bu

he deep pocket of his military coat and pulls out a creature which climbs

s he comes behind me and lifts me within reach of F

gain, and we have scarcely lost the sound of his rapid step before he is back among us, bearing the poor child in his arms. We chafe her hands and feet, and warm and comfort her. Dear Bertha, she had been so faithful watching there by the wall, and Hofer had stopped behind to help up a fallen hors

postmaster as he looks at her. The colour comes again rose

it. One has second sight when one thinks

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work, in lace, wool, crewel, applique, and on linen, satin, velvet, silk, and cloth. There were handscreens, water-colour sketches, embroidery, bead-work, and all kinds of dainty knick-knacks, and we still had the

holiday, so there had been no school in the morning, and we ha

ssed us one by one there was more than the usual impressiveness, or what the French would call effusion in her manner. Annie Bowers looked at her with a quick inquiring glance, but said nothing. Marian Cooper, who had grown as tall as Miss Grantley was herself, held her h

y that some of you will be married before I am, for I shall remain here for some time, and until I find a successor to take the school, and then I intend to go to the other side of the world. Whether Mrs. Parmigan will go with me I don't know. What I do know, and the only thing I can think about at this moment, is the real sorrow I shall have in parting with you all. But we should have to part in any case. The world of new duties and of new interests would be opening to you even if I remained here and grew old as the governess of Barton Vale. I should always rejoice to hear of your happiness and sympathize with you in t

keep from crying. It was not till we had discussed Miss Grantley's intended voyage and made out quite a romantic