Produced by Heather Clark, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) Brenda's Ward _A Sequel to "Amy in Acadia"_ By Helen Leah Reed Author of "The Brenda Books," "Irma and Nap," "Amy in Acadia," etc. Illustrated from Drawings by Frank T. Merrill Boston Little, Brown, and Company 1906 _Copyright, 1906_, BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. _All rights reserved_ Published October, 1906 THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. [Illustration: "As Martine courtesied her thanks for this compliment, she backed gracefully."] CONTENTS I. A NEW HOME II. A STRANGE MEETING III. PRISCILLA'S PRIDE IV. CHANGES V. ANOTHER PARTING VI. ANGELINA'S COUP VII. A DROP OF INK VIII. A PRIZE WINNER IX. WORD FROM BRENDA X. THE RECITAL XI. MARTINE'S ALTRUISM XII. PUZZLES XIII. AT PLYMOUTH XIV. TALES AND RELICS XV. TROUBLES XVI. THE MISSING TRUNK XVII. CLASS DAY XVIII. AT YORK XIX. SIGHT-SEEING XX. THE ISLES OF SHOALS XXI. VARIETY XXII. EXCITEMENT XXIII. QUIET LIFE XXIV. PORTSMOUTH AND AFTERWARD XXV. THE SUMMER'S END LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "As Martine courtesied her thanks for this compliment, she backed gracefully" "'The real Memorial is here,' said Elinor, reverently, passing from one tablet to another" "'This little scarf--it is Roman, too,--is just the thing for Julius Cæsar'" "Aunt Nabby seemed to be making little dolls of clay" "The old captain proved very talkative" "While Martine was sketching, Clare fluttered about" Brenda's Ward CHAPTER I A NEW HOME "It's simply perfect." "I thought you would like it, Martine." "Like it! I should say so, but it isn't 'it,' it's everything,--the room, the house, you, Boston. Really, you don't know how glad I am to be here, Brenda--I mean Mrs. Weston." "What nonsense!" "That I should like things?" "No, that you should call me 'Mrs. Weston.' It's bad enough to be growing old, so don't try to make me feel like a grandmother. Truly, I can't believe that I am a day older than when I was sixteen, and yet when I _was_ sixteen, eighteen seemed the end of everything worth while. I could not imagine myself old, and serious, and--twenty." Martine smiled at Brenda's emphasis of the last word, and as she smiled she laid her hand on her friend's arm. "Come," she said, "just look in this mirror. A person who did not know could not tell which is the older, you or I." "Again, nonsense!"