Red Rose and Tiger Lily | Page 9

round,
hunting for slippers and spectacles and newspapers and books for the
older people who are past the age for paging, and that no one is ever to
wait on them, however tired or however disinclined to stir they may
happen to be. Now there'll be no one to make me page, and no one to
keep me silent. Oh, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! what a dear old dad to
absent himself in this obliging manner."
"For my part, I am very sorry," said Annie, for Hester had passed her
on the letter to read.
Hester said nothing, and breakfast began, Nan wasting as usual a
prodigal amount of energy and spirits even over the operation of eating,
Hester looking a little pale and a little thoughtful, Annie in a state of
suppressed high spirits, which a slight awe which she still felt at times
for Hester Thornton kept rather in check.
CHAPTER IV.
THE COLTS--ROBIN AND JOE.
The Towers was situated exactly two miles away from the Grange. It
was a large, old house, with a castellated roof and a high tower at one
end. It was a very old family place, and the Lorrimers had lived there
from father to son for several hundreds of years. Like many ancient
families, their wealth had diminished rather than increased with the
times. The luxurious living, which has been in vogue more or less
during the whole of the present century, had obliged them to part with
some of their fair acres. The present owner had married for love, not for
money. More lands had to be sold to meet the wants of a large and
vigorous family, and, at the time when this story opens, the Lorrimers
were, for their position, decidedly poor, not rich.
Squire Lorrimer had one dread ever before his eyes. This was the fear
of having to part with the dear old Towers itself. If this blow fell, he
was certain that it would kill him. He trusted to be able to avert this
calamity by putting down expenses in all possible ways. There were too

few servants, therefore, for the size of the house, too few gardeners for
the size of the gardens, too few horses for the size of the stables.
Nevertheless, there was not in the whole length and breadth of the
county of Warwickshire, a jollier, happier, more rollicking household
than the Lorrimers. There were ten children, varying in age, from
Molly, who would be sixteen on her next birthday, to little Phil, who
had not yet attained the dignity of two years. There were six girls in the
family and four boys. The two elder boys went to a good grammar
school in the neighbourhood; the girls and Boris had a governess who
taught them at home. Neither boys nor girls were educated quite up to
the requirements of the times, but the father and mother were not going
to worry themselves over this fact. Mr. Lorrimer had very strong views
with regard to modern education. He had a hearty preference for big
bodies instead of big brains. He was intensely old-fashioned as regards
all modern views for the advancement of women, and said frankly that
he would rather his sons emigrated than spent their lives as city clerks.
He had a good deal of faith in things righting themselves naturally, and
as his wife believed him to be the cleverest and wisest man in the
universe, he was not tormented by any contrary opinions from her lips.
"The children will do very well," he used to say. "If I can only keep the
land together, and the old house for Guy to inherit after me, I shall die a
happy man. The girls are all pretty, unless we except poor little Elinor,
and she, in some ways, has the sweetest face of the bunch; they are sure
to find husbands by-and-by, and the younger lads can fend for
themselves in the colonies if necessary. You needn't fret about the
children, mother," he would add.
"I never fret about them," replied the soft-voiced, placid-looking
mother, raising her dove-like blue eyes to her husband's face. "I think
we are the happiest family in the world, and the children are the dearest
creatures. With all their high spirits they are never really naughty. I
have only one care," she added, looking at her husband affectionately
and slipping her hand through his arm, "and that is when you talk of the
possibility of selling the Towers."
"Well, Lucy, that hasn't come yet," he answered.

"What about that mortgage and the suretyship?"
"Oh, pooh! They are right enough yet. I make it a rule never to think of
evil days before they really come. We'll pull through--we'll pull
through, no fear. By the way, my dear, I had