spent.
"The day before I left my kind friends, Uncle John came over with aletter from home, saying that I was to return there immediately.
"'Oh dear; I am so sorry,' said Vea. 'I was hoping, sir, she might beallowed to stay for ever so long--at anyrate till all our gardens werefinished.'
"'Ah! but there is a pleasant surprise awaiting Miss Lily there,' saidmy uncle, laughing. 'I am almost certain that even the lovely gardenswill be quite forgotten when she sees what it is.'
"'A pleasant surprise, uncle!' I exclaimed. 'What is it?--do tell me,please!'
"'You can't be told till you reach home,' said my uncle, laughing; 'I ambound over to secrecy.' And though I over and over again tried to gethim to tell me, he only laughed, as he replied, 'All in good time, Lily;you wouldn't have me break my promise, surely.'
"Dolly was so sorry to part with me, and I was so sorry to leave her,that while we were packing my clothes we cried over the trunk.
"'I wouldn't mind your going, miss,' said Dolly, 'if I thought you wouldremember me sometimes; but I'm thinking, now that there is a new---- Ohdear, dear,' she cried; 'I was just about to let the cat out of the bag,and what would your uncle have said to that, I wonder!'
"It was plain now that Dolly knew of the pleasant surprise that waswaiting for me at home, and the thought of it helped me to be less sorryto part with her and kind Uncle John and all the pleasant things at therectory. All the way home I kept thinking what it could be. A new doll,perhaps, that grandmamma was to send for my birth-day present; but thenmy birth-day did not come for weeks yet. A work-box lined withrose-pink, perhaps; but that was to arrive when my sampler wasfinished--and oh, what a large piece was still to be sewed. I tiredmyself trying to think, and at last gave it up in despair.
"Of all the things I had thought of, it never came into my head to expecta new baby-sister; but so it was. When I entered the parlour, and wasrushing up to fling myself into my mother's arms, what was my surpriseto find a lovely baby--the very thing I had been wishing for--yes,actually a baby-sister.
MY BABY-SISTER.]
"I don't think I was ever so happy in my life as at that moment, when Iwas allowed to take the baby in my lap and examine her tiny fingers andtoes; and when she smiled in my face, and seemed to be pleased with herbig sister, I actually cried, I was so happy. While I was sittingholding baby in this way, my father returned home with Willie, mybrother, and such fun and laughing we had, to be sure! But I must own Idid feel a little vexed when papa one day said to me, a few weeks afterI had returned home, 'Well, Lily, now that you have got such a fat babysister to carry about, you will have to lay aside your dolls.'
"I was very sorry, for I loved my dolls exceedingly; they had been mydear companions and friends for so long. But I knew papa scarcelyapproved of me playing so much with them, and fancied I might be moreusefully employed. I took out my last new doll, Eva, for a walk thatafternoon, feeling somehow that she must be laid away in a drawer tillbaby grew up, when she should have her to be her faithful companion.Stepping out at the side gate into the lane to look for Willie, who hadgone to the post, I found an old woman sitting down to rest. Afterspeaking to her for a minute or two, I discovered, to my great delight,that she was the mother of Will Dampier, and the grandmother of Polly.She had just come from the Bluff Crag that very day, where she had beento see her son; and she told me that the last thing she saw, in lookingback from the bank above, before turning into the main road, was her sonwith his crab-basket on his back, and Master Patrick Berkley alongsideof him.
"'Oh, I am so glad to hear this,' I replied; 'that shows Patrick's legmust be quite well and strong again. And how are Miss Vea and Alfred?did you see them also?"
MEETING POLLY'S GRANDMOTHER.]
"'No, miss,' said the old woman, 'I didn't see them. The young lady andher brother have gone to stay with another aunt at some distance off;but Master Patrick is to remain with Mrs. Berkley all the winter. I'msure there's more than my son and Polly were glad indeed to hear this,for he is a good friend to the poor, and does many a good action to helpthem when he thinks as they are frail.'
"After resting for some time by the kitchen-fire, Polly's grandmotherwent away, not without promising to come in again if ever she waspassing that way when going to see her son.
* * * * *
"That visit was the beginning of many, and very many pleasant days Iafterwards spent at the Bluff Crag Rectory. But it is near your bedtime,my dears, and I must stop for the present, and send you to bed," saidMrs. Lincoln.
"Oh! do tell us some more, mamma," pleaded Robert. "I want you to tellus again of those cousins of Vea Berkley's who came from India, and youhaven't even mentioned their names."
"All in good time, my dears," said Mrs. Lincoln, laughing; "that is onlythe beginning of the Bluff Crag stories. It would never do, you know,to have them all told at once. We shall have the story of Vea and hercousins another time, never fear;" and with this promise the childrenhad to be content, and say "Good-night."
THE END.]
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