Brotherly Love | Page 9

the
boys the next day, for nurse knew that Marten was always allowed, if
convenient, to go to Mr. Jameson's when invited, and as the houses
were about four miles apart, she also knew he was in the habit of
staying there all night, if asked so to do. As regards Reuben, he too had
been there once or twice to stay with his mamma, but nurse considered
very wisely, that it was a very different thing, a child of the little one's
age going from home with or without his mamma; but still she could
not interfere more than she had done, for Reuben had certainly been put
under his brother's care. She did, however, try to persuade the little one
that he would be better at home with her, but any person who knows
the ways of children might easily guess nurse might as well have
spoken to a post as to Reuben, for all the good she did, for the boy
began to cry, and begged so hard to go with his brother to play with the
big boys at Mr. Jameson's, that she thought it as well to say no more on
the subject.
And now I must pass over some hours till the time came for John to
drive the boys over in the pony carriage to Mr. Jameson's. Marten could
have walked the four miles very well, or he could have rode there on
his own pony, but Reuben could not have walked half so far, and thus it

happened, that as John had something to do he could not leave undone,
it was quite twelve o'clock before the three arrived at Mr. Jameson's
house, and thus it chanced that they were almost the last comers of the
party of children invited to meet the Roscoes.
It was a lovely day, and as warm as any summer day, though the
autumn was just setting in, and such a group of young children were at
play on the grass plat, near the house, that the like Marten nor Reuben
had never seen before. It was such a very pretty sight, that John quite
forgot to give out of the carriage the parcel nurse had made of the
young gentlemen's clothes; and the consequence was, he had all the
trouble to come back half a mile of the road, when he suddenly
bethought himself of his forgetfulness. But as to the pretty sight John
saw, I wish I could draw you a picture of it; if I could I would, I
promise you, and I would put it in this very page for you to see. Fancy,
then, a beautifully soft velvet lawn, in front of a large handsome house,
upon which lawn the sun shines warmly but kindly, and the blue sky
looks most pleasingly there and here, broken by white clouds that
relieve the eye without obscuring the light. At the farthest end of the
lawn from the house were some fine trees, under the shelter of which
two girls were playing at battledore and shuttlecock, and very well they
played too. A little nearer this way, that is where John and the carriage
stood, in the direction of the house, was a young child seated on the turf
holding a dog, whilst two other children were trying to make it jump to
catch a flower, one held in her hand. There was also a big boy on a
pony talking to a great girl, who was lying on the grass; but the prettiest
group of girls were standing or kneeling round a pet lamb which they
were decking with wreaths of flowers. They none of them wore bonnets
nor walking dresses, and even the boy on the pony was without a hat.
Why they had all agreed to uncover their heads, I cannot say exactly,
but I know they had been having some joke about it before the young
Mortimers arrived; and the great girl on the turf had even then got her
brother's cap and had hidden it somewhere, and it was to ask her about
it he had ridden up to her on his pony, as she rested on the grass.
[Illustration]

"Oh! they are all girls but one," exclaimed Marten in a disappointed
tone, "and I am afraid I shall not find the boys easily, and I hate playing
with girls."
"As much as we girls dislike playing with rude boys, master Mortimer,"
said Jane Roscoe, advancing forwards and replying to Marten's speech,
which had really been addressed to John; "but understand we are the
fairies of this lawn--this is our territory, and my aunt Jameson has
bestowed it upon us. We take tribute if you intrude on our premises, so
either be off to your own mates, or lay down your