Milly and Olly

Table of

ing sad to tell you. They cried sometimes, of course-you remember Milly cried when Olly stickied her doll-but generally, by the time they had dried up their tears they had quite forgotten what they were crying

ver the mountains, or walking over to Aunt Emma's or tramping along the well-known roads to Wanwick on one side, and the little village of Rydal and Rydal Lake on the other. They had another row on Windermere; and one fine evening Mr. Norton borrowed a friend's boat,

yma

y, Becky, Tiza, Bessie, and Charlie-followed John Backhouse and his men about in the hayfields from early morning t

tle Olly would remember to bring her stool, and carry her shawl, and change her plate at dinner; and Milly, who

ightful to Milly and Olly, and the top of everything was reached when one evening John Backhouse mounted b

k before the 15th, Milly's little head could think of nothing else. Olly too was very much excited about it, for though Milly of course was the queen of the day, and all the presents were for her, not for him, still it was good ti

out after tea one evening in the high garden which was now a paradise of ripe red strawber

Norton, laughing, "but they hav

cats and dogs have birthdays? I should like to find out Spot's birthday. We'd give her cream instead of milk, you

. Norton. "The cream would make her ill, and the ribbo

do you think? Becky and Tiza don't care about their birthdays a bit. Becky could hardly remember when he

ey can't go spending money on presents; and when they're very anxious and busy all the year round they can't be remembering birthdays

people's birthdays for them, father? Then they could gi

orton, smiling at her eager little face. "Only, somehow,

r pocket-book-won't you, mother? Oh, what fun! I'll send them birthday cards, and they'll be so surprised, and wonder wh

ton, "have you made up your mind w

er mother, with her lips tightly pressed together, her eyes s

. What have you got hidden

want to have anybody to tea. I want to go o

Aunt

ing over here all day.

ecky an

ewed up her little li

ckhouse will want the troub

would like us very much to come some time if you'd let us. And Nana could come and help Mrs

ng in silence to all the arrangements. "She takes away my bread

ere at least twenty years older. "I'll sit on one side of you and Becky on the other,

s. Norton. "And if it is her washing-day, or inconvenie

Mrs. Backhouse would be very pleased to see them at tea on Thursday, the 15th, and that John Backhous

to Wanwick, and they bought something which the shopwoman at the toy-shop wrapped up in

rse I shan't tell you about mine. Perhaps I'm not going to give you one at all. Oh, mot

d Milly, "you'll tell me

go on asking me all day. It isn't very big, you

is hand over Olly's mouth, "you'll tell in anothe

eating up his pudding very fast, as if that was the

e Milly out for a walk, and mother shal

ut of him in spite of all his efforts to keep it in. At night the children made nurse hurry them to bed, so that when mother came to t

ton, "they can think of nothing but to-morro

ancing beck in the Ravensnest garden; and when Milly awoke next morning the sun was shining, and Brownholme was towering

ing with joy "it's my birthday, and it's fine. Na

ut there was a nightdress rolled up in it, and not

t you'd have slept so late this morning. Many happy return

it is so nice having birth

y, and not another word could Milly get out of her. She had jus

f the morning to you, and many,

e described, and then mother helped her brush her hair, and put on her ribbon an

ou hear the bell ring, and then you

ng with impatience, till the bell bega

to the hall there was Olly ringing as if he meant to bring the house down. He drop

he most delightful cottons and needles and bits of bright-coloured stuffs; a china doll's dinner-service from Aunt Emma, a mug from nurse, a little dish full of big red strawberries from gardener, and last, but not least, Olly's present-a black paint-box, with colours and brushes and all complete, and tied up with a little drawing-book which mother had ad

d Olly, who was capering about like a mad creature. "Mother pulled me out of bed ever so early

ery happy little girl feels on a happy birthday, just a little bit

"I'm yours, Milly, for all this morni

ou," said Olly, who would have liked to pla

Norton, "I'm not yours, I'm Mill

of Brownholme, father? You know w

. But you must ask them very particularly first

p the drive, and she, too, brought flowers for Milly, above all a bunch of water-lilies all wet from the lake; a

n her two blue eyes, she had whispered in a great hurry, so that Mrs. Norton could scarcely hear, "I don't

f crossness and self-will, that she remembered afterward with a pang for many a long day. Since then, Milly had learnt a good deal more of that long, long lesson, which we go on learning, big peop

Besides, you'll find plenty of ways of doing what other people like before the end of the day without my inventing any. Run along now, and climb away

morning to John Backhouse's cows in the "intake," as he called his top field, and they just peeped over the wall at the fierce young bull he had bought at Penrith fair

s which marks the top of the mountain-the very tip-top of all its green points and rocks and grassy stretches. By this time the children knew the names of most of the mountains around, and of all the lakes. They w

or the flowers they gathered, there were so many I have no time to tell you about them-wood-flowers and bog-flowers and grass-flowers, and ferns of all sizes to mix with them, from the great Osmunda, which grew along the Ravensnest Beck, down to the tiny little pars

pt still and listened to as much as they could understand, at least until they went to sleep, which they both did lying on a rug at Aunt Emma's feet. Milly couldn't und

they walked up to the farmhouse door hand-in-hand, feeling as shy as if they had never been there before. But at the door were Becky and Tiza waiting for them, as smart as new pins, with

llen table-cloth instead of a white one. Becky and Tiza had filled two tumblers with meadow-sweet and blue campanula, which stood up gran

pushed a bunch of wild raspberries into her hand, and ran away before Milly could say thank you; Bessie shyly produced a Christmas card that somebody had once sent to her

ouse than having children to tea with you at home, just as you might anywhere, on any day in the year. There were the big hens coming up to the door and poking in their long necks to take a look at the

en the time for cake came, Olly forgot the table-cloth altogether. He had never seen a cake quite like the bun-loaf, which kind Mrs. Backhouse had made herself for the occasion, and of which she had given him a hunch, so in his usual inquisitive way he began to turn it over and ov

'I'm here, where are you? You're s

quiet,"

ch a lot in at home. I'm pretending they're little children wanting to play, only they can't, they're so far

, laughing at him. "It's nice and sweet any way, and you can eat as

d got through his second bit of bun-loaf he had quite made up h

atter outside, and by came the hay-cart with John Back

r field presently," he shouted to his wife as

s, followed by Charlie, and would have liked to go head over heels into all the rest, but Mr. Norton, who had come into the field with mother and Aunt Emma, told him he must be content to play with two cocks in one of the far corners of the field without disturbing the others, which were all ready for carrying, and that if he and Charlie strewed the hay about they must tidy it up before John Backhouse wanted to put it on the cart. So Olly and Charlie went off to their corner, and for a little while all the other children played t

he bank, and even amuse themselves by fancying every now and then that they saw a trout shooting across the clear brown water. Tiza had quite left off being shy now with Milly, and the two chattered away, Milly telling Tiza all about her schoo

Emma to mother looking round the field;

ackhouse's whip, as he took hold of the first horse's head and

s. But suddenly there was a loud piteous cry which made John give the horse a sudden push back and drop his whip, and then, from where they sat,

r with something in his arms. And this something was Becky-poor little Becky, w

rushing up to her, "tell me, moth

nning to meet Mrs. Backhouse, who had come hurrying up f

her. "We none of us know how it happened. She must have been trying to hand up s

se, and Milly and h

dle from him. "She has fainted, I think. We must get some water at the stream." So on he went, with the pale frighte

her father backed the horse. But it must have crushed her I'm afraid, and there was something hanging under

l then, burst into a loud fit of cryin

with these two poor little ones whil

fort. But poor little Tiza lay with her face buried in the grass and

face. The cold water had just revived her when Aunt Emma came up, and for one moment she opened her heavy blue eyes and looked at her mother,

said, pointing to the child, "

gently taking her arm. "But the doctor will soo

. Mrs. Norton had got the baby safe in her motherly arms, and so they all toiled up the hill to

found a sad little group sitting in the hay-field; Milly in nurse's lap crying quietly every now and then; Tiza still sobbing on the grass, and Olly who

illy, when she opened th

za, you poor little woman, Mrs. Wheeler says you must sleep with them to-night. Your mother will wan

else Tiza would have kicked and struggled, for she was a curious, passionate child, and her grief was always wild and angry, but nobody could struggle with Aunt Emma, and at last she let herself be comforted a little by the tender voice

e conservatory which ran round the house, waiting for Mr. Norton to

n was stooping down to take it on his fork, and then she must have slipped and

a sad birthday, Aunt Emma, and we were so happy a little while ago?

what,

d die. And now it's poor little Becky that's hurt. And she's such a dear litt

k if it had been poor mischievous little Tiza who had been hurt, how she would have fretted. And now very likely Becky will bear it beautifully, and so, without knowing it, she will be

ake care of Becky? What can Olly a

y songs to Becky," said

a, smiling and patting his head. "B

they could hardly see wh

" Away they ran to meet them, and Mrs. Norton took Mil

she'll be all right. The wheel gave her a squeeze, which jarred her poor little back and head very much, but it didn't b

o give her our message, and she said poor little Tiza began to cry again, and wanted us

they,

e is not to see anybody but Mrs

shall be going away so soon, and we can't say good-bye. Isn't it sad, m

sad thing that ever happened to you in your little life I think. Mother, and I, and

e there as many sad things really as the

s like King Hrothgar, but every day there is trouble and grief going on somewhere, and we happy and stro

ly, "will you tell us how-Olly

, indeed. I wonder whether a pair of little people could make

y pictures in mother's writing-book, she let me cut out of

Norton, giving a sly pull at his brown curls. "If I'm not very mu

said Olly, sitting bolt upr

aid Mr. Norton, catching him up in his arms, an

e lay awake, her little heart feeling very sore and heavy about the "sad t

. When Milly grew older there was no birthday just before or after it