The Rectory Children | Page 6

lighthouse rock.
But all these interesting particulars were not as yet known to Mr.

Vane's children. They had arrived at Seacove Rectory only the night
before.
The boy--he was next in age to his elder sister Rosalys--followed the
direction of her glance.
'No,' he said, 'there's very few trees, certainly. But I think it's going to
be very jolly all the same. When I get my pony I'll be all right any way;
and on Saturdays, or odd half-holidays--there always are odd
half-holidays at every school, you know--I'll take you girls out a drive
in that funny little donkey-chaise, or whatever it is, that's standing in
the coach-house.'
'I don't fancy there are many places to drive to,' Rosalys replied. 'Papa
said there would be no use in having any sort of proper carriage. The
only good road is the one to your school, Rough, and you'll have
enough of that morning and evening.'
'Papa said Seacove was a--I can't remember the word--something
French--cool--cul----'
'Cul-de-sac,' said Rosalys; 'leading to nowhere, that means.'
'Except to the sea, I suppose,' added the little girl who had stumbled at
the French word. 'It would be nice to have a ship of our own instead of
a carriage. Don't you think we might ask papa to get us one?'
'A ship, Biddy--I suppose you mean a boat,' said Rosalys, in a rather
'superior' tone. 'No; I don't fancy papa would trust us to go about in a
boat. Mamma would be frightened out of her wits about us.'
'The sea looks so quiet,' said Bridget, gazing out at it. 'I don't think it
could ever be tossy and soapy here like it used to be at Rockcliffe.'
'Couldn't it just?' said Randolph. 'Wait a bit, Bride. It may look quiet on
a day like this, and inside the shelter of the bay, but I can tell you
there's jolly rough work outside there sometimes. I was talking to an
old sailor this morning when I ran out before breakfast.'

'I'd like to see a shipwreck--I mean,' as she caught sight of a shocked
expression on her sister's face--'I mean of course one that nobody
would be drowned in.'
'But how could any one be sure of that? You should be more careful
what you say, Bride; you are so heedless.'
Bridget's face puckered up. It was rather given to puckering up, funny
little face that it was. She was eight years old, short and rather stout,
with thick, dark hair and a freckled complexion. Her nose turned up
and her mouth was not small. But she was not ugly; she had merry gray
eyes and very white teeth. Somehow, thorough little English girl
though she was, she reminded one of the small Savoyard boys one sees
with a box of marmots slung in front of them, or a barrel organ and a
monkey.
'I didn't mean to say anything naughty, Alie,' she began, in a plaintive
tone. 'I'm always----'
'Oh, come now, Biddy, stop that, do,' said her brother; 'don't spoil the
first morning by going off into a howl for nothing. No one supposes
you wanted to drown a lot of people for the sake of watching a
shipwreck, only, as Alie says, you should be more careful. Strangers
might think you a very queer little girl if they heard you say such a
thing.'
Bridget still looked melancholy, but she did not venture to complain
any more. She was a good deal in awe of Rough, who was twelve and a
big boy for his age. He had been at school for two years, and now he
was going as a day-scholar to a large and very excellent public school,
which was only about two miles from Seacove, quite in the country. Mr.
Vane had bought a pony for him to ride backwards and forwards, so
Randolph was in capital spirits. But he was not an unkind or selfish boy,
and though his pet name 'Rough' suited him sometimes as regarded his
manners, his heart was gentle. And indeed the name had been given to
him at first on account of his thick shaggy hair, as a very little boy.
'It's rather cold standing about,' said Rosalys. 'Don't you think we'd

better walk on or take a run?'
'Let's have a race,' said Rough. 'The sand's nice and firm about here. I'll
give you a good start, Alie, and Biddy can run on in front and wait till
we call to her that we're off.'
Bridget trotted off as she was told, obediently. She did not care much
for running. Her legs were short and she was rather fat, but she did not
like to complain. She ran on, though slowly, till at last Randolph
shouted to her to stop. Then she stood still waiting