Red Rose and Tiger Lily

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Red Rose and Tiger Lily, by L. T. Meade

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Title: Red Rose and Tiger Lily or, In a Wider World
Author: L. T. Meade
Release Date: October 13, 2007 [EBook #23022]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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RED ROSE AND TIGER LILY
Or, In a Wider World
By MRS. L. T. MEADE
AUTHOR OF
A BUNCH OF CHERRIES, A RING OF RUBIES, BAD LITTLE HANNAH, ETC.
"Nothing is required but to set the right way to work, but of course the really important thing is to succeed." --Story of the Poor Tailor.
NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS

COPYRIGHT, 1894, BY
THE CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY
All rights reserved
[Illustration: NAN AND ANNIE ARRIVE. Red Rose and Tiger Lily. Frontispiece--(Page 4.)]

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. NAN'S GOLDEN MANE 1
II. CRUSHED 8
III. TWO PROVERBS 16
IV. THE COLTS--ROBIN AND JOE 23
V. NOT MISSED 32
VI. FRIAR'S WOOD 42
VII. THE STORY BOOK LADY 53
VIII. ALONE IN THE WOOD 63
IX. "I BROKE MY WORD," SAID ANNIE 70
X. AN AWFULLY FRIVOLOUS GIRL 79
XI. THE DIAMOND RING 88
XII. THE LAND OF PERHAPS 97
XIII. THE FANCY BALL 113
XIV. POOR MRS. MYRTLE 124
XV. "THE WAY OF TRANSGRESSORS" 132
XVI. PERHAPS 143
XVII. FAIRY AND BROWNIE 152
XVIII. THE LORRIMERS OF THE TOWERS 161
XIX. TOPSY-TURVEY 171
XX. THE NEW OWNERS 179
XXI. HESTER SPEAKS HER MIND 194
XXII. ANTONIA'S GIFT 207
XXIII. TRUTH AND FIDELITY 215
XXIV. A WET SPONGE 222
XXV. MOLLY'S SORROW 234
XXVI. PLOT THICKENS 245
XXVII. NELL IS IN TROUBLE 252
XXVIII. THE LION AND MOUSE 262
XXIX. GOD BLESS ANTONIA 274

RED ROSE AND TIGER LILY
OR
IN A WIDER WORLD
CHAPTER I.
NAN'S GOLDEN MANE.
It was a perfect summer's evening. The sun had just set, and purple, gold, violet, rose colour still filled the sky in the west. There was a tender new moon, looking like a silver bow, also to be seen; before long the evening star would be visible.
Hester Thornton stepped out of the drawing-room at the Grange, and, walking a little way down the broad gravel sweep, began to listen intently. Hester was about seventeen--a slender girl for her age. Her eyes were dark, her eyebrows somewhat strongly marked, her abundant hair, of a much lighter shade of brown, was coiled in close folds round her well-shaped head. Her lips were slightly compressed, her chin showed determination. Hester had not been beautiful as a child, and she was not beautiful as a girl, but her face was pleasant to look at, very bright when animated, very steadfast and sweet when in repose. The air was like nectar to her cheeks. She was naturally a pale girl, but a faint rose colour was now discernible in her complexion, and the look of expectation in her dark eyes made them charming.
A step was heard on the gravel behind, and she turned quickly.
"Is that you, father?" she exclaimed.
"Yes. Are not you very imprudent to come out at this hour in your thin house shoes, and with nothing on your head? There is a very heavy dew falling."
"Oh, I never take cold," replied Hester with a smile, which showed her even and pretty white teeth; "and I certainly shan't to-night," she continued, "for I am feeling far too excited."
Sir John Thornton was considered by most of his acquaintances (he could boast of scarcely any friends) as a reserved and almost repellent person, but now, as his eyes rested on his young daughter, something seemed to soften their expression; he took her slight hand and drew it affectionately through his arm.
"It takes a small thing to excite you, my love," he said; "but you always were of a turbulent disposition--just your poor mother over again."
Hester sighed faintly when Sir John spoke of his wife, then she quickly cheered up and said in an eager voice--
"You don't call it a little thing, father, to know that in a minute or two I shall welcome Nan back from school? Nan comes to-night--Annie Forest to-morrow. It would be difficult for any girl to want more to make her perfectly happy."
Sir John raised his brows.
"I only know Miss Forest by hearsay," he said, "so I will reserve my judgment upon her; but I do know Nan. She will upset the entire régime of the house. I like order, and she likes disorder. I like quiet meals, she likes uproarious ones. I hate shocks and she adores them. I am glad, of course, to welcome the child home, but at the same time I dread her