My Young Days

  V.

  _LITTLE COUSINS._

  So now you know who I was, where I came from, and all about me. Let me,then, go on telling you about this remarkable visit to grandmamma. Youhave heard all about those first quiet days, when I was all alone, theonly little thing in all the place. It was very different afterwards, Ican tell you.

  You know Jane had told me all that was going to happen. Indeed, shetalked always very fast, and didn't mind filling my little head with heropinions of my betters which was certainly a mistake. It was a shame,she said, that my uncle, "the Reverend," should send all his childrenhere, while he and his wife went taking their travels and their pleasureall about to those gay foreign places!

  Grandmamma talked about it in quite a different way. She told me how illmy aunt had been, so ill that my uncle had been obliged to take her awayfrom England for the whole winter. And she said that now they had leftthe place on the beautiful Swiss lake, and were going to try someGerman baths. Only they could not take the children there, so they wereto come and stay at the Park for a month or too, the while.

  I thought this would be very nice, and I began to ask all sorts ofquestions about Harry and Lottie, and Alick and Murray, and Bertie andthe baby. How funny it would seem when the nursery was so full! Ithought the day would never come. But it did. The carriage was sent offto the station, and in due time it came back, quite full to overflowingwith children!

  There was a good deal of shyness at first, when we all stood in a row,and looked at each other, answering grandmamma's questions seriously,and feeling very odd. But that was only the first evening. Next day wewere quite happy and comfortable, had a very merry breakfast, and then adelightful ramble about the gardens and orchards. Of course, I was onlyone of the little ones, coming in between Alick and Murray, feeling verysmall beside Lottie and Harry. Yet we were all very good friends, andLottie soon told me that she thought it would be very nice to have agirl to talk to, and not only boys. This remark pleased me, though whenI thought of Bobbie, it sounded rather strange. Indeed, I am not surethat I was not a little too fond of boys' play.

  I remember feeling rather disappointed one day when she said to me inthe garden--

  "Sissy, let's come and have a nice quiet walk together, and leave theboys to play by themselves."

  GOING TO THE WARS.]

  Now, three of the boys were just preparing for a military march, onewith a bright flag, another with a trumpet, and another with asword-stick, so-called; and there was a most refreshing prospect ofshouting, stamping, and huzzahs! Do you wonder that I turned away ratherunwillingly?

  However, Lottie's confidences soon made up for it all. Such beautifulstories Lottie could tell! When she began to talk about the Alps, andthe blue lake and the mountain flowers, I thought it seemed almost asgood as my hymns and verses. I know I looked up at her with eyes full ofadmiration, and when she put her arms round me, and gave me a lovingkiss, I thought I had never been so happy before.

  And then she listened to all I had to tell her about Bobbie, and babyWillie, and Rosalinda, and gave me her advice about dressing Rosalindalike the Queen.

  My letters, too, she read, and said they were very nice, which made melove mamma for writing them all the more. And she showed me her ownletter that had just come across the sea, with its foreign stamps andthin paper. Quite a nice talk it was altogether, and we were ever sosorry when we were called in to dinner.

  My boy-cousins were very polite to me at first, and hardly seemed toknow what to make of me. Harry was a little too patronizing, called me"a mite of a thing," and played tricks upon me in a gentle way. But thenhe was not often with us. He had not been a night in the house before hehad quite determined to be a sailor like Uncle Hugh, so it followed, asa matter of course, that he must be always with him.

  Force of habit, however, made him confide all his plans and thoughts toLottie, so that our private talks in the shrubbery were ofteninterrupted by his merry voice. Then he would throw himself down amongthe grass and periwinkles, and tell us all about his future ship. Thisusually ended in Lottie's being carried off to make sails or flags forhis new craft. Then, being left to myself, I soon ran off to my othercousins, nothing loath to have a game of romps with them.

  Alick seemed likely to be my special friend. What a funny little fellowhe must have been, though I did not think so then! Jane called him alittle dandy, much to his displeasure; yet I am afraid his friendshipwas likely to increase my childish vanity. He was so fond of decking mewith flowers, making wreaths for me, and then looking at me, andsometimes comparing my hair or eyes with Lottie's; and his look ofvexation if my face was dirty or my pinafore torn, often comes back tome even now when I feel untidy in any way.

  One afternoon, when Alick and I and one of the other boys were alone, itsuddenly came into our wise little heads that we would play at going toa party. What vast preparations we made! What pains the boys took to tieup my sleeves with some bright ribbon meant for Harry's flags! Howcleverly we succeeded in carrying off a hair-brush, and what a long timeit took to decide how the boys' hair and ties should be arranged! Andthen came the flowers, my wreath, and the bouquet to be carried for meby one of my gentlemen.

  We were all ready, I remember, and I was just taking Alick's arm, and wehad all put on our best airs and graces for a solemn entrance to thesupposed ball-room, when, all of a sudden, who should come round thecorner but Uncle Hugh and Harry!

  GOING TO A PARTY.]

  Oh, those bursts of laughter pealing out again and again! Oh, thewrithings and twistings of Uncle Hugh in his excessive mirth! Would they_ever_ stop laughing? Even now my cheeks almost tingle with thosepainful blushes, and my heart beats with that frightened shame!

  And yet it was for Alick that I was chiefly troubled, as I saw him flingdown the flowers and run, while Harry, shouting "conceited youngjackanapes," pursued him at full speed. I had never seen such rough playor heard such mocking laughter, and I burst into tears, sobbing out mytrouble on my uncle's shoulder as he carried me off and laughinglysoothed me, pressing the prickly wreath all the while against my head.

  It was a long time before our adventure was forgotten. Harry's merryjokes brought the colour over and over again to my face, and the angrywords to Alick's lips. But we were both cured, certainly, for the time,of any love of display or dandyism!