The Rectory Children | Page 7

till he called to her
again, for he and Rosalys took some time to settle how much of a start
Alie was to have--from where she stood, Biddy heard them talking and
measuring.
'I wish they wouldn't run races,' thought the little girl. 'They're so big
compared with me--they've such much longer legs. I shan't like
Seacove if they're going always to run races. In London they couldn't in
the streets; it was only when we went in the gardens, and that wasn't
every day, it was too far to go. I wish I had a brother or a sister littler
than me; it's too much difference between Alie and me, thirteen and
eight. I wish----'
But here came a whoop from behind.
'Off, Biddy; look sharp--one, two, three.'
Poor Biddy--off she set as fast as she could go, which is not saying
much. She puffed and panted, for she was not without a spirit of her
own and did not want to be overtaken too soon. And for a time Rough's
cries of encouragement, 'Gee-up, old woman,' 'Famous, Biddy,' 'You'll
win yet,' and so on, spurred her to fresh exertions. But not for long; she
felt her powers flagging, and as first Alie and then Rough, both
apparently as fresh as ever, passed her at full speed, she gave in.
'It's no use. I can't run races. I wish you wouldn't make me,' she said, as
in a minute or two the two others came flying back again to where she
stood, a convenient goal for their return race.

'But you ran splendidly for a bit,' said Randolph; 'and I'll tell you what,
Biddy, it would be a very good thing for you to run a good deal more
than you do. It'll make you grow and stop you getting too fat.'
'I'm not fatter than you were when you were as little as me, Roughie.
Nurse says so--you were a regular roundabout till you had the measles;
mamma says so too,' replied Bridget philosophically.
'I'm quite hot,' said Rosalys; 'fancy being hot in January! But we'd
better not stand still or we'll get a chill. Isn't it nice to come out alone?
I'd like to walk to Seacove--I want to see what it's like, but of course we
mustn't go so far. Mamma said we must stay on the shore.'
'If it was summer we might dig and make sand-castles,' said Biddy
regretfully. Digging in the sand was an amusement much more to her
taste than running races.
'I think that's stupid--it's such baby play,' Rosalys replied. 'But come on,
do. I'm going to climb up to the top of that bank--that's the sand-hills
papa was speaking about.'
It was more tiring work than she had expected. Before they got to the
top of the bank Alie had decided that they would have done better to
remain where they were, on the smooth firm sand down below, but
once at the top she changed again. What fun can be more delightful
than playing in sand-hills, jumping from a miniature summit to the
valley beneath with no fear of hurting one's self even if one comes to
grief and rolls ignominiously as far as one can go! How helplessly one
wades in the shifting, unstable footing--tumbling over with a touch, like
a house built of cards! The children's laughter sounded merrily in the
clear cold air; Bridget plunged about like a little porpoise in the water,
and Rosalys quite forgot that she had attained the dignity of her teens.
But a bell ringing suddenly some little way off caught their ears.
'That's papa ringing,' said Randolph. 'He said he'd have the big
dinner-bell rung when it was time for me to go in. I'm going to walk to
the town or the village, or whatever it is, with him. Good-bye, girls. It's

only three o'clock--you can stay another half-hour,' and off he ran.
'Let's go down to the shore again,' said Alie. 'Mamma said perhaps
she'd come out a little, and she'd never see us up here.'
Bridget hung back a little.
'I daresay she won't come out,' she said. 'Do stay up here, Alie. If
mamma comes out she'll only talk to you and I'll be all alone. I don't
want her.'
'Oh, Bride, that's not nice. I'm sure mamma likes to talk to you too,
only you see I'm older, and there's often things you wouldn't understand
about perhaps, and----'
'I know--it's always the same. I'm too little to be any use. I know you're
older and sensibler, and I don't mean that mamma's not kind. But
families should be settled better--and--oh, Alie, I have so torn my frock,
and it's my afternoon one--my new merino.'
[Illustration: '--and--oh, Alie, I have so torn my frock, and its my
afternoon