The Crofton Boys

The Crofton Boys, by Harriet
Martineau

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Title: The Crofton Boys
Author: Harriet Martineau
Release Date: August 26, 2007 [EBook #22410]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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THE CROFTON BOYS

BY HARRIET MARTINEAU
AUTHOR OF "THE PEASANT AND THE PRINCE," "FEATS ON
THE FIORD," ETC., ETC.

LONDON GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS
BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL NEW YORK: 9, LAFAYETTE
PLACE
Ballantyne Press BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO.,
EDINBURGH CHANDOS STREET, LONDON

[Illustration: The Crofton Boys.]

CONTENTS.
I. ALL THE PROCTORS BUT PHIL
II. WHY MR. TOOKE CAME
III. MICHAELMAS-DAY COME
IV. MICHAELMAS-DAY OVER
V. CROFTON PLAY
VI. FIRST RAMBLE
VII. WHAT IS ONLY TO BE HAD AT HOME
VIII. A LONG DAY
IX. CROFTON QUIET

X. LITTLE VICTORIES
XI. DOMESTIC MANNERS
XII. HOLT AND HIS DIGNITY
XIII. TRIPPING
XIV. HOLT AND HIS HELP
XV. CONCLUSION

THE CROFTON BOYS.
CHAPTER I.
ALL THE PROCTORS BUT PHIL.
Mr. Proctor, the chemist and druggist, kept his shop, and lived in the
Strand, London. His children thought that there was never anything
pleasanter than the way they lived. Their house was warm in winter,
and such a little distance from the church, that they had no difficulty in
getting to church and back again, in the worst weather, before their
shoes were wet. They were also conveniently near to Covent Garden
market; so that, if any friend dropped in to dinner unexpectedly, Jane
and Agnes could be off to the market, and buy a fowl, or some
vegetables or fruit, and be back again before they were missed. It was
not even too far for little Harry to trot with one of his sisters, early on a
summer's morning, to spend his penny (when he happened to have one)
on a bunch of flowers, to lay on papa's plate, to surprise him when he
came in to breakfast. Not much farther off was the Temple Garden,
where Mrs. Proctor took her children every fine summer evening to
walk and breathe the air from the river; and when Mr. Proctor could
find time to come to them for a turn or two before the younger ones
must go home to bed, it seemed to the whole party the happiest and
most beautiful place in the whole world,--except one. They had once
been to Broadstairs, when the children were in poor health after the

measles: and for ever after, when they thought of the waves beating on
the shore, and of the pleasures of growing strong and well among the
sea-breezes, they felt that there might be places more delightful than
the Temple Garden: but they were still very proud and fond of the grass
and trees, and the gravel walks, and the view over the Thames, and
were pleased to show off the garden to all friends from the country who
came to visit them.
The greatest privilege of all, however, was that they could see the river
without going out of their own house. There were three back windows
to the house, one above another; and from the two uppermost of these
windows there was what the children called a view of the Thames.
There was a gap of a few yards wide between two high brick houses:
and through this gap might be seen the broad river, with vessels of
every kind passing up or down. Outside the second window were some
leads, affording space for three or four chairs: and here it was that Jane
and Agnes liked to sit at work, on certain hours of fine days. There
were times when these leads were too hot, the heat of the sun being
reflected from the surrounding brick walls; but at an earlier hour before
the shadows were gone, and when the air blew in from the river, the
place was cool, and the little girls delighted to carry their stools to the
leads, and do their sewing there. There Philip would condescend to
spend a part of his mornings, in his Midsummer holidays, frightening
his sisters with climbing about in dangerous places, or amusing them
with stories of school-pranks, or raising his younger brother Hugh's
envy of the boys who were so happy as to be old enough to go to
school at Mr.