Amy Le Feuvre

“ This was not quite intelligible to the children; but they shivered a little at the gloom in the old man's tone, and Olive's blue eyes filled with tears.
'I don't want to stay here in winter,' she said; 'let's go back to India, Roly!'
Roland stood with knitted brows considering.
'Who makes the winter?' he asked. 'Does the devil? Because God only makes beautiful things, doesn't He?'
Old Bob raised his hat, and looked up into the grey autumnal sky with a smile. [Pg 17]
'Nay, little master, the devil wouldn't have wished to give us such a lesson as winter teaches us. ”

“ When we get quite well we will stay out in the garden always. We shan't want James's flowers now.'
'And we'll go and see Mr. Bob's lilies to-morrow, and we'll see his graves too, won't we?'
'I don't think,' Roland said slowly, pausing between his spoonfuls of beef-tea, and regarding his sister with serious eyes, 'I don't think Mr. Bob said his graves would open for certain this Easter. They may; but perhaps he will have to wait.'
'He said his lilies were sure to come up, and that made him sure about his graves,' said Olive, with disappointment in her tone. ”

“ Roland hesitated, but when Olive with sparkling eyes ran in at the open door, he followed, saying,—
'We always like to pay visits, so if you're a good and nice man we'll come in. Mother only likes us to talk to very nice people; but I s'pose every one in England is nice, because they're white, and it's only the blacks that don't know better.' [Pg 13]
[Pg 15]
The old man laughed, and his quaint, old-fashioned room, with a cheery fire and bright coloured prints round the walls, delighted his little guests.
'What are those ugly pots in your window without any flowers?' asked Roland presently. ”

“ Olive looked puzzled, but Roland's mind was working too busily to heed Jack Frost. He walked round and round the flowers, then he remarked abruptly, 'If you don't have winter here, you won't have a Easter—Mr. Bob said so!'
'Oh, there!' said nurse with a laugh, 'don't heed his curious talk, Mr. Jenkins; he's such a dreadful child for arguing.'
She and James continued their chat, and the children sat down on a low wicker seat, playing with the fallen fuchsia buds, and comparing their present life with the one they had so lately left. ”

“ Bob?'
'Yes, Miss Olive, I loves the Christmas in the Bible; but not as some folks make it here. 'Tis very nice for you little ones, with all your bright spirits; but when you get old, you somehow never feel so sad as when every one round you is extra happy. I'm a lonely old man, and I miss my dear ones at these times.'
'It seems years since we came to England,' said Roland, his thoughts taking another direction, 'and it has been winter ever since we came from India. ”

“ When it is very cold the air freezes, and the pretty dew-drops on the grass and flowers all turn to ice. Have you never seen a frost?'
'No, never.'
'Frosts kill all the flowers—that is why James does not like it coming; but it is the flowers out of doors that feel it most.'
'But,' said Roland, edging up to his aunt, 'there are no flowers to kill; there are only bare, dried-up trees and dark bushes. Mr. Bob told us they had all gone to sleep under the ground.'
'So they have, but it is frost and cold that has killed them off.'
'I don't like England,' said little Olive mournfully ”

“ What's the good of a garden without flowers? In India we have lovely flowers.'
'Winter is a-comin' on, my dears; you won't see my pretty flowers just yet. They're fast asleep bidin' their time; no frost or cold can touch 'em—bidin' their time!'
Bob's face looked wistful as he gazed at his empty flower beds.
'What's winter?' asked Olive curiously. ”

“ Never as long as they lived would the children forget the scene before them! The budding trees, the singing of the birds, and the sweet scents that came to them were only part of the great surprise that awaited them. ”

“ It's grand to see the Lord's workin's; but mind, you little ones, that there plant is just as much alive before it shows itself. There is a deal goin' on in the silence and darkness that we knows nothin' about, but it's fact all the same.'
The children could talk of nothing else all that day, and little Olive was found by her nurse standing over Bob's graves, giving them most careful scrutiny a short time after. ”

“ Only the thought of old Bob at the lodge kept their spirits up, and if they were allowed to have a word or two with him occasionally, their walks were more cheerfully taken. The conservatory was their chief joy, and often would they steal down from the nursery, and be found by one of their aunts comfortably established with their toys and picture-books in a corner of it.
'I never thought Indian children would hate the winter so much as these two mites do,' said Miss Hunter one evening at dinner; 'they seem to look upon it as a regular curse. ”

“ What do you mean by it?'
'We can't be idle, auntie,' said Roland, shaking his curls back, and speaking with decision. 'Nurse has the toothache, and won't take us out. Father says people can be idle very easily, and put it down to the climate, and "idle hands find mischief," he says, and father is never idle. If we don't run up and down stairs, where can we run? We like the stairs best, because we never have stairs in India.'
'Send them into the garden, Marion,' called out Miss Amabel, from the garden door ”

“ But when they left the drawing-room an hour afterwards, she said to her brother, 'All our aunties like the winter. It is only Mr. Bob who says Easter is best.'
'They haven't got any graves like Mr. Bob,' responded Roland thoughtfully, 'nor lilies buried in flower-pots. If they had, they would like Easter quite as much as he does.' [Pg 33]
CHAPTER III Signs of Life
winter came on. ”

“ You don't know the meaning of graves, or you wouldn't talk so!'
'Yes, I do,' said Roland earnestly; 'the earth is full of graves in winter; these graves in the churchyard belong to dead people, but the dead flowers are everywhere, and they're all coming up at Easter—Mr. ”

“ Miss Hester was on one of the sofas half asleep; Miss Amabel standing on the hearthrug with her back to the fire; whilst Miss Sibyl and Miss Hunter were both trying to read books of a religious character, and feeling very dull and bored.
'Now come and talk to us,' said Miss Amabel briskly, as the children appeared; 'we are all bored to death, and we want you to entertain us.'
Roland sat down on a footstool, and clasped his knees in an old-fashioned way. Olive ran to Miss Hunter and climbed into [Pg 30] her lap. ”

“ Then, looking up at the old gardener, he said,— [Pg 20]
'You never let winter come here, do you?'
'Not if I can help it,' said James with a dry chuckle. 'Me and Jack Frost have had many a fight, but I gets the better of him generally.'
'Who is Jack Frost?'
'Ha! ha! Not heerd o' Jack Frost? ”

“ An aunt would naturally have been more acceptable to them than a strange maid.'
'But I tell you, Sibyl, they are with their own nurse, and Graham will be far more likely to put them all at ease than I should. They will hear that "Miss 'Unter, is the missis, and [Pg 8] lets every one know she is. Miss 'Ester keeps the maids on their legs all day long because she won't use hers. Miss H'Amabel does the sporting gent, and is never indoors except to meals ”

“ You must get stronger before you can take that walk. Be good children and come indoors now.'
'When does Easter Sunday come?' asked Roland, as he and his sister were enjoying their basins of beef-tea at the nursery table shortly afterwards.
'It is only a week to-morrow,' was the reply.
Roland nodded across at his sister.
'That's the proper real Easter,' he said; 'that's when Mr. Bob's lilies will be out.'
'How glad the flowers must be, now the winter is over!' said Olive dreamily. 'What a long, long time they've been under the ground! If Mr. ”