he country."

The next morning, when they left the farm-house, Mr. Curtis had agreed
to buy sixty acres of land adjoining the lake, with a right to the use
of the water for boating or fishing, or whatever else he pleased. He had
also engaged board for the rest of the summer with the farmer's family,
and promised to return in a fortnight. In the meantime, he intended to
look up the titles to his new land, and if it was all right, as he
expected, to proceed at once to build a new house.

Mr. Curtis, ever since his marriage, had done business as a merchant in
a large city. He owned ships which he sent out to foreign lands, and in
this way he had become very rich. After his wife's sickness, the
physician who attended her, told him that if she could live in some
quiet, healthy, country village, her life would probably be lengthened
for years.

Mr. Curtis loved his wife so well that he would gladly give all his
ships, his money lying at interest in the banks, and his warehouses
filled with goods, to keep her well; and this was what made him so ready
to buy a place in the country.

He was sure, too, that it would be much better for Bertie and Winifred
to grow up surrounded by the beauties of nature; and he was also sure
that if he and his wife had hearts to do good, they could find abundant
opportunities for it in this beautiful village. On every account, then,
he was pleased with his purchase, and drove away from Oxford with the
happiest anticipations of a long and useful life passed within its
limits.

CHAPTER III.

WOODLAWN.

A few weeks under the care of good Mrs. Taylor, with Esther, the
rosy-cheeked daughter, to lead Bertie to and from the school which she
taught, did a great deal toward restoring vigor to the invalid. Every
morning she rode with her husband around the road by the lake, and from
thence through the bars across the fields to the site of their new
house.

They had named their place Woodlawn, on account of the beautiful old
trees standing here and there on the greensward; and Mr. Curtis already
had men at work making a solid road over which they could haul the
lumber with their strong ox teams.

After they had decided where the house should stand, the first thing to
be done was to make a plan of the building. Mr. Curtis sent to the city
for an architect to come to Oxford and bring his book of plans with
him.

Perhaps you don't know what an architect is, and I will explain the work
that