Melbourne House, Volume 1

ouch of her hand on the rail guided her. The very thoughtful little face seemed to be intent on something out of the house, and when she reach

p a wide, deep hall, floored with marble, and opening at the other end on trees and flowers, which shewed the sunlight busy there too. The child lingered wistfully. Then crossed the hall, and went into a matted, breezy, elegant room, where a lady lay luxuriously on a couch, playing with a book and a leaf-cutter. She could not be busy

nt anythin

ant to know

what

d on a very puzzling question-"wh

ousing herself up for the

Christian

to church, and all that," said th

that isn't

ou mean. What has pu

Mr. Dinwi

nsense! Who is

He lives at M

did he ta

n the woods. In his Sun

going there. You have nothing to d

s attending, came from a gentleman who had l

ods. Just tell her she is not to do it, will you? She is getting her head f

red, Daisy silently withdrew again, making no effort to change the resolution of either of her parents. She knew it would be of no use; for excessively indulgent as they both were in general, whenever they t

n her face, a little cast down now. Still she did not shed tears about the matter, unless one time when Daisy's hand went up to her brow rather quick, it was to get rid of some improper sugg

come along; he

ver, a boy somewha

are you

hurch, if you'll be qui

s if knowing that impatience was behind him. The smooth, wide, gravelled road was as good and much better than a plank flooring; the chaise rolled daintily on under the great trees;

him so!" said Daisy, "he's

" was the retort from the small pi

" said Dai

hey know about h

what slow and deliberate, and in the choice of words, li

ful trees overshadowed the ground on either side with their long arms; and underneath, the turf was mown short, fresh and green. Sometimes a flowering bush of some sort broke the general green with a huge spot of white or red flowers;

driver, displaying and surveying it as he spo

it as you do," said

guess you'd see papa use

e along too fast

the church, and we hadn't time to

r some diversion," s

a splendid li

I thi

? there is no fun in you t

t something. There i

d about L

out Loupe. O Ransom!

I want to

THE CHURCH BY T

s. A little church, with a little quaint bell-tower and arched doorway, built after some old, old model; it stood as quietly in the green solitude of trees and rocks, as if it and they had grown up together. It was almost so. The walls were of native greystone in its natural roughness; all over the front and one angle the American ivy climbed and waved, mounting to the tower; while at the back, the closer clinging Irish ivy covered the little "apse," and creeping round the corner, was advancing to the windows, and promising to case t

ou," cried her brothe

s, delicious straying from rock to rock, and whithersoever the bank or the course of the thicket might lead them. The wintergreens sweet under foot, sweet in the hands of the children, the whole air full of sweetness. Naturally their quest led them to the thicker and wilder grown part of the wood; prettier there, they declared it to be, where the ground became broken, and there were ups and downs, and rocky dells and heights, and to turn a corner was to come

!" cried Nora, "at

herself witho

he example, "it is the very prettiest plac

other Sunday-sch

, in

ere the

some sort of a room. I like bein

as the school just like

o always asked us what we thought ab

t about everythi

, 'What do you think about it?' and I didn't

little companion could enlighten her. Nora was a bright, lively, spirited child, with black eyes and wave

g its way up above the level of their platform; a head that looked strong and spirited as the voice had sounded; a head set with dark hair, and eyes t

hey get together? I should like to know,"

sir," sa

eens," said the o

her, like your answers," said he, helping himself out of Nora'

sn't full, sir

gain into his sister's, "that basket ne

ra, laughing. "You sha'n't do it, Marmad

other; "as long as the baskets

for a new basket. And such joyous, lively, rambling talk as they had all three, too; it was twice as good as they had before; or as Daisy, who was quiet in her epithets, phrased it, "it was nic

school place again. They were glad to sit down and rest. It was just sundown, and the light was glistening, crisp and clear, on the leaves of the trees and on the dist

he sun?" said

-and "No,

do you l

but Daisy said: "Because it is

was nothing but grass and weeds, and one or two monuments that had been under shelter of the roof. One of them was a large square tomb in the middle of the place. It had been very handsome. The top of it had held two statues, lying there with hands upraised in prayer, in memory of those who slept beneath. But it was so very old-

the stone so?

and the cold, and th

have taken a

re forgotten-nobody knew whose monu

hundred years

een many

Duk

you believe that people di

s;

them, and wondering what sort of people they were in their lifetime,-the sun, which had been behind a tree, got lower, and the beams came striking across the stone and brightening up those poor old worn

e?" said Daisy, aft

ime when he will put away out of his kingdom all things that offend him. You may read ab

be that had called an additional sparkle into those bright eyes the moment before, and brought to the mouth, which was always in happy play, a

"that you must go home?

a taking care of Daisy quite to the hou

mother asked, as Daisy

w how late it

have yo

intergreens with

ght me some," sa

ly I have not put

did you and

the door

she a

in the wood, and he took her hom

nd unexpected character of danger or disagreeableness in the eyes of her mother; neither could Daisy get hold of any chain of reasoning by which she might know beforehand what would meet her mother's favour and what would not. The unconscious conclusion was, that reason had little to do with it; and the consequence, that without being untrue, Daisy had learned to be very uncommunicative

on the pleasant, handsome, mild face. "You are not to go an

though," said Mr. Randolph a little

w her dismay on such occasions, and she shewed none. But when she went up an hour later to be undressed for bed, instea

oking, went patiently round the room, doing or seeming to do some trifles of

she at last, "wouldn't

k of habitual endurance upon her face. It was a singular face, so set in its lines of enforced patience, so unbending. The black eyes were bright enough, but

it's gettin

er read the parab

at, Mis

d the tares in the Bible-in the

lingly from June's lips, and she moved th

rememb

I suppose I d

do you think

l what, M

niquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine fort

Miss D

ll it be

know, Mis

ody alive that is al

er came: "Yes, ma'am. Miss

you know

in the Bible-it will b

e to think

e woman half laughed, half answered, and tur

e give way to anything but its habitual formal smile. But the woman recovered herself almost immediately, and answer

sy tenderly, "why do

ely, answering because she was obliged to answer

ne? that is what I want t

th, wrought up to great excitement, and unable to bear the look of the child's

h any second question on this subject. And now she must not ask Mr. Dinwidd