The Silver Lining / A Guernsey Story

irl's Chan

fty. She kept a school for young country ladies at a place

a certain little girl whose name was Adèle Rougeant. She was the daughter of

ow been dead three years. Adèle

till she is seven years of age," were the instructio

dèle for ten years at a boarding-school in "the town," where she wo

w paid five pence. Soon, he would have to disburse from fifty to sixty pounds a year for Adèle's sake. "What extravagance," he muttered between his teeth. But he dared not go against his promises to his dying wife. Mr. Rougeant w

ed in the preceding chapter occurred. The pupils of Miss Rader were al

was standing in front of the row of young girls, surrounded by half-a-dozen sa

es have decided that as she is about to pursue her studies elsewhere, she will not receive the prize.

ched Adèle, and tapping her unkindly on the shoulder, she whispered to her in a whistling tone, her snaky eyes expres

he experienced an elevating, martyr-like

ned it?" sh

, bu

tracted her attention in one of the rare books which she had cast her childish eyes

finished. Her upper lip was slightly curled up, she w

he holidays and sent home. Adèle bore her little head up proudly. She had been

it, and prided herself upon being ever so much better than they were. When her father came in she c

-estimate your intellectual capacities. Carry t

his daughter a

bid, not daring to speak when s

a mile distant from "Les Marches," and

uncle. "You will have to

never said more than w

re is a chair for

ed chair, and her aunt

l," she said; and Adèle felt that the

e to," she mu

her (Adèle's aunt), as she turned towards her step-mother who was

han Adèle. He was mischievously occupied in knotting

her dead mother's memory, but she did not speak. Her

marked: "In my time, young girls like Adèle

sat at his desk, passing his fingers through his hair; a method with which he was familiar when

ng: too animated to be serious. "Ah! but what next, you wicked little rascal. Knotting my thread;

of sitting here doing nothing," he answered

boy; do you know where

the

; now, you w

hes," said Tommy. "How do they make people ill?" he que

es to Satan," answe

ow

writing it backwards

ry girl, she had never heard anything of

given books; did you no

er they have taken them, neither can anyone else do away with these bad bo

as, the chairs; and all the cups and saucers, bowls and plates o

e la

true," he said, "you can laugh

red to open it, yet everyone knew by its funny covers, its queer print and its yellow paper, tha

hat's that?" que

e in all sorts," immedia

took the book and threw it int

ejacula

It must be borne in mind that

my brother was going to seek for shell-fish at a place called La Banque au Mouton. He said that he would take the book an

hen, for we did not care to eat in the house of a witch), and place

ne was caught,"

" said his grandmother. "When we returne

N

e book laid u

to be in danger of dislocation, then h

ed scarce

oher, "we were determined to get r

process. He went to what had been my aunt's house, and summoned my brother and those who were there into the kitchen. Then one man

moments, piercing shrieks were heard issuing from the oven. The whole company were in a state of horripi

of the oven was opened. Th

ldren were

only as much as was absolutely necessary.

trange tales than his cousin, and, con

ok shriek," que

bed the proceedings. Adèle was very glad of it,

ather. He enjoined her not to lose it, but to hold it tightly all the way home.

t the missive in her pocket, because-there

ry which Mrs. Soher had re

t the writing on the paper. There was a brief struggle with

d handed him the paper. He ran his eyes over it and muttered a

visitor. As was their wont, they (especially the younger Mrs. Soher) cast upon Adèle all the slande

old duties. His wife was just saying: "When one thinks that if that little brat of a girl had not been born, we should inherit all my brother's pro

to bed," said Mrs. Soher to her

to go yet,"

go now; I'll not listen to your

stay a littl

e moment; c

te," pleaded t

o stay for?" said his mo

so did many other minute

nd commands, the weak-minded mother took her son by the

began

and kicked, but was finally placed in his cot. Mrs. Soher had

e bawled; "the fire-

r, "he'll go to sleep