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THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER
Vol. VIII.—No. 367.
Price One Penny.
JANUARY 8, 1887.
[Transcriber’s Note: This Table of Contents was not present in the original.]
MERLE’S CRUSADE.
THE HISTORY OF HOME.
THE SHEPHERD’S FAIRY.
OUR TOUR IN NORTH ITALY.
LITTLE KARIN.
THE INHERITANCE OF A GOOD NAME.
VARIETIES.
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
MERLE’S CRUSADE.
By ROSA NOUCHETTE CAREY, Author of “Aunt Diana,” “For Lilias,” etc.
“IN A MOMENT THERE WAS A FLUTTERING OF WINGS IN THE AIR.”
All rights reserved.]
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CHAPTER XIII.
THE LITTLE WORKERS IN BROWN.
ow delicious it iswhen one is youngto wake up in afresh place on asummer’s morning.It was my beliefthat the birds wokeme, there was such atwittering under theeaves where the house-martinshad built theirnests, such a warblingof thrushes breakfastingon the dewylawn, such a cawing ofrooks under the elm trees; such ajoyous bird-symphony altogether, whileI lay in my old-fashioned blue bed,looking round the quaint old room andtrying to decipher the meaning of thecurious prints in their black frames.When I was tired of this I rose andwent to the window. The kitchengarden, with its row of beehives, wasjust under the window, and beyond wereCherrytree-lane and Squire Hawtry’scornfield, and then a vague blue line,and a brown sail shimmering in the sunlight.The sweet peacefulness of thescene seemed to sink into my heart,and I could have sung my Te Deumwith the birds.
When the children were dressed andwe had finished our early breakfast, Iwent to the window with Reggie whileHannah was clearing the table. Joycehad already climbed up on the windowseat; she was wild to go into thegarden and see auntie’s pets, and Ithought it would be no harm to humourher fancy and defer our walk to theshore.
As we stood there Miss Cheriton cameout on the terrace. She wore a broadbrimmed hat, and long gardeninggloves, and carried a basket. She gavea