FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37  
38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   >>   >|  
s part of the country--really pleasanter perhaps, though one is reluctant to allow it, than the lovely, fascinating, capriciously joyous spring--and it is a Friday. Jacinth and Frances Mildmay are walking home from school, carrying their little bag of books. For Saturday is a whole holiday--no going to school that is to say--so, naturally, some lessons must be learnt at home for Monday. 'Aren't you glad to think to-morrow's Saturday, Jass?' said Frances. 'If only Aunt Alison would let us stay in bed half-an-hour later on Saturday mornings, it _would_ be nice.' 'You lazy little thing!' said Jacinth, 'no, I don't think it would be nice at all. I'd rather get up even earlier than usual on a holiday, and feel we have the whole long day before us. It's one of the things I admire Aunt Alison for--that she's so punctual and regular; we'd _never_ have been in time at school every morning, Francie, if our home had still been at poor granny's.' 'I don't like you to say "poor" granny,' said Frances, rather irritably. 'Say "dear" granny. And Jacinth, whether it's true or not that in some ways we were rather spoilt and--and--not methodical and all that, at Stannesley, I wish you'd _never_ say it to Aunt Alison. She's quite ready enough to be down on all the ways there.' 'If ever I've said anything of the kind,' said Jacinth, 'it's only been as a sort of excuse for _you_; for you know, Frances, you were dreadfully unpunctual and careless in little ways when we first came, though I do think you're getting better.' 'Much obliged,' said Frances, rather snappishly, for she was a quick-tempered girl. 'It's no thanks to Aunt Alison if I am. It's simply that I see it is right to try and be more careful, and--partly too for your sake, Jass. But it isn't for love of Aunt Alison. I don't love her. I'd have--what wouldn't I have done for granny or Uncle Marmy?--they loved us and Aunt Alison doesn't. She's good, in one way I daresay she's very good, but it's all duty. Why, just think how she leaves us to ourselves, once she's ordered our meals and told us what we are to do. Evening after evening we're alone. _That_'s not loving us.' 'I think you should be very glad indeed that she trusts us,' said Jacinth. 'It's much better as it is than to have her fussing after us out of duty, as you say. It would be very uncomfortable for us to feel that she was always thinking we interrupted all the things she has to do. She told me a while ago
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37  
38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Alison

 

Frances

 
Jacinth
 

granny

 

school

 

Saturday

 

things

 

holiday

 

partly

 

careful


tempered
 

careless

 

dreadfully

 

unpunctual

 

obliged

 

simply

 

snappishly

 

trusts

 

loving

 

Evening


evening

 

fussing

 

interrupted

 

uncomfortable

 

thinking

 

ordered

 

wouldn

 

leaves

 

daresay

 
excuse

morning

 
learnt
 

Monday

 

lessons

 

naturally

 

morrow

 

mornings

 

reluctant

 

lovely

 

pleasanter


country

 

fascinating

 

capriciously

 

carrying

 

walking

 

Mildmay

 

joyous

 
spring
 

Friday

 

spoilt