Produced by Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: "HOW GOOD OF YOU TO COME!" SHE EXCLAIMED. BESSIE SAW SHE HAD BEEN CRYING.] OUR BESSIE BY ROSA NOUCHETTE CAREY AUTHOR OF "MERLE'S CRUSADE," "NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS," "ONLY THE GOVERNESS," ETC. THE MERSHON COMPANY RAHWAY, N. J. NEW YORK CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER I. BESSIE MEETS WITH AN ADVENTURE 1 CHAPTER II. "HERE IS OUR BESSIE" 16 CHAPTER III. HATTY 31 CHAPTER IV. A COSY MORNING 46 CHAPTER V. THE OATLANDS POST-MARK 61 CHAPTER VI. LITTLE MISS MUCH-AFRAID 74 CHAPTER VII. IN THE KENTISH LANES 87 CHAPTER VIII. AT THE GRANGE 101 CHAPTER IX. RICHARD SEFTON 115 CHAPTER X. BESSIE IS INTRODUCED TO BILL SYKES 129 CHAPTER XI. EDNA HAS A GRIEVANCE 148 CHAPTER XII. THE FIRST SUNDAY AT THE GRANGE 156 CHAPTER XIII. WHITEFOOT IN REQUISITION 171 CHAPTER XIV. BESSIE SNUBS A HERO 183 CHAPTER XV. "SHE WILL NOT COME" 197 CHAPTER XVI. A NOTE FROM HATTY 209 CHAPTER XVII. "TROUBLE MAY COME TO ME ONE DAY" 222 CHAPTER XVIII. "FAREWELL, NIGHT" 236 CHAPTER XIX. "I MUST NOT THINK OF MYSELF" 249 CHAPTER XX. "BESSIE'S SECOND FLITTING" 263 CHAPTER XXI. ON THE PARADE 276 CHAPTER XXII. BESSIE BUYS A JAPANESE FAN 289 CHAPTER XXIII. MRS. SEFTON HAS ANOTHER VISITOR 303 CHAPTER XXIV. IN THE COOMBE WOODS 318 OUR BESSIE. CHAPTER I. BESSIE MEETS WITH AN ADVENTURE. It was extremely tiresome! It was vexatious; it was altogether annoying! Most people under similar circumstances would have used stronger expressions, would have bemoaned themselves loudly, or at least inwardly, with all the pathos of self-pity. To be nearly at the end of one's journey, almost within sight and sound of home fires and home welcomes, and then to be snowed up, walled, imprisoned, kept in durance vile in an unexpected snowdrift--well, most human beings, unless gifted with angelic patience, and armed with special and peculiar fortitude, would have uttered a few groans under such depressing circumstances.