The Oriel Window

s inquiries, which most likely would have taken some t

ay was quite excited when

e said as soon as she and Chrissie came into the oriel room for the par

e Piggot," and then he told Miss Lilly about having seen

he was watching in the hopes of seeing some

ed up with

what, Miss Li

erness

you a little surprise. And I scarcely think he would have sent in a message by any one but me

Lilly?" the little boy asked. Hi

im to come in and see you for a few minutes,"

mind," said Ferdy. "I do so

"That's what I do. I put things quite out of my mind if I

illy s

mes. I think the best way to put something out of your mind is to pu

ust show you the beautiful things mamma and Chr

, and the talent she believed he had shown in his carving. She turned over the leaves of the little book of animal outlines till she came to one of

illy, I didn't know you were so fond of pigs. I'm sure

ery interested in pigs, especially their heads. I wish you would draw

lly reminded both children that they must give their attention t

if he had dared he would have run off with it to the Watch House. But what he had gone through lately had been of use to the boy. He was becoming really an

n her grandfather that morning and heard from him about the lessons in wood-carving which the old doctor thought might be so good for Ferd

t very nicely, a

her mother's leave to walk a little bit of her way home with Miss Li

d Master Ferdy? Mrs. Ross would come up presently, but th

Miss Lilly. I wish horrid, stupid gentlemen wouldn't come to call and interrupt mam

ned in the shape of Dr. Lilly, who put his kind old face in at the door half an hour or so later, no one welcomed him more heartily th

the children. And never had Ferdy bee

er and whiter than his old friend would have liked to see it. "Miss Lilly

illy

r boy," he replied. "I can't say I know much about it myself, but I have a young fr

ew her grandfather too well to think that he would have sp

r. Ross and got his consent f

a little magpie to Dr. Lilly about all the lovely things he would make if

his window so well. I do believe I know each one of them sep'rately. And sometimes in the morning ear

e them at their best they should be on the wing. Th

ny way. "Their foreheads and necks are such a pretty browny colour, and then their top feathers are a soft sort

of his feathered neighbours. "I love swallows as much as you do, but it takes a master hand to ca

which he would have found it difficult to describe, carvings such as none but a fairy hand could fashion, of birds and flowers of beauty only to be seen in dreams-it was a delight just to think of th

is fancy aloud, "I feel as i

wards, though still out of d

s Lilly, dear, do look. Isn't t

which the other would have been, no doubt, if it had not been holding an inconvenient shape of parcel-a long narrow parcel done up in a bit of newspaper, which had seen better days; not the sort of parcel you could

grandfather, don't you think I may run down and ask

ff sh

ed of waiting and go away before Miss Lilly could stop him, saw their governess hurry up the drive. And Jesse, as he

grew rosy w

g in," he said

other side of the room with the newspaper, so that the

his newspaper the old gentleman kept a loo

ch a charming room before, and though he would not have understood it if it had been said to him, underneath his rough outside Jesse had one of those natures that are much a

help of its pink and scarlet fingers; clematis, the dear old "traveller's joy," was there too, though kept in proper restraint. The oriel window looked a perfect bower, for inside, on the little table by Ferdy's couch, were flowers too-on

cate face of the little invalid, and pretty Christine with her fluffy golden hair, and Miss Lilly, s

d there longer-the feelings that came over him were so new and so fascinating. He did not see old Dr. Lilly behind his newspaper in

id, "I do want Master Fe

ed it from his right arm to his left, as he caught sight of the small white hand stretched out to

y in his clear, rather weak tones. "You didn't c

boy. "I'm glad to be back again, though I'd be st

saying something to him about it, if it would be any good. I'll

redd

't tell you?" he said, ha

you remember, Jesse, I said you sho

eyes, watching with keen interest, caught sight of the ears and the eyes and then the sno

ough the word was not quite exactly what one would have chosen, it sounded qu

le invalid's hands. "I thought it'd make you laugh, Master Ferdy. I took it off

the pigs. Isn't it capital? Do you really mean that you cut it out yourself, Jesse? Why, I'd never be able to cut out

raising her voice a little, "Grandfather," she said, "wou

tell, the newspaper had not been getting very m

f Jesse's skill, so that he was really surprised when he took the stick in his own hands

s the spirit of it that was so good, though I daresay you will think that a curious word to apply to the rude carving of so

urse-that is all right, that is always how they begin. But we must be car

etter amusement for your idle hours than trying to copy what you see in the world about you. It is the seei

en laughed at him when they've been up at the farm. And that's how I come to think of doing him on a stick. And many a time," he

hand at this sort of thing after your other work is done. I hope you may learn to carve much better. A li

reat interest, but then

re's nothing like that about here-not like in big towns, where they say th

And he can tell you some stories of the poor country boys in Switzerland and some parts of Germany-how they work away all by th

ace lighted up, and F

histles, sir, though there's some sense in

ter-to my house at Bollins. You know it, of course? And we'll have a look over them t

ome of them for me to see too, Jesse," said Ferdy.

lly con

get off for half an hour on

fear but I can,"

eat many times, for old Jerry," said Ferdy as

med with

something better for you

n one of his worst misdeeds in the village not many months before, when he and some other boys had hidden their so-called "cigars" of rolled-up leaves, still smouldering, in

e been could he have overheard

I don't believe I could ever do any