Of all people in the world the Grecians did most for art, and to the ancient Hellenes we owe much that is beautiful in art and interesting in history. Of modern Greece we know but little, the country of isles and bays, of fruits and flowers, and kindly people. So in this story you will find much of the country, old and new, and of the every-day life of Our Little Grecian Cousin. Contents CHAPTER PAGE I. ZOE 1 II. MARIA'S WEDDING 12 III. THE ANTIQUE CUP 22 IV. THE "AGIASMO" 38 V. A VISIT TO MARCO 47 VI. TEA WITH A BRIGAND 67 VII. ZOE TAKES A JOURNEY 84 VIII. BY THE SEA 107 IX. AUTUMN PLEASURES 119 X. A HAPPY EASTER 132 List of Illustrations PAGE "SHE TOOK HER BASKET AND RAN DOWN THE HILLSIDE" (_See page 11_) _Frontispiece_ "SOMETHING LAY THERE HALF COVERED WITH EARTH" 31 "PAPA PETRO CAME RIDING DOWN FROM HIS HOUSE ON A TINY DONKEY" 39 "STOOD BEFORE THEM IN THE BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL COSTUME OF GREECE" 68 "THEY WASHED BENEATH A HUGE PLANE TREE" 108 "SHE SPRANG TO HER FEET, AND IN SO DOING PULLED THE BELL-ROPE" 125 Our Little Grecian Cousin CHAPTER I ZOE ZOE sat in the doorway tending baby Domna as she lay asleep in her cradle. She was sleeping quietly, as any child should who has the cross on her cradle for good luck. Her skin was as white as milk, and this was because Zoe had taken care of her _Marti_. On the first day of March she had tied a bit of red ribbon about her little cousin's wrist, for a charm. The keen March winds could not hurt the baby after that, nor could she have freckles nor sunburn. Early on the morning of April first, Zoe had dressed the baby and carried her out of doors. The dew lay over the flowers, the sun was just up, and his rosy beams turned the blossoming lemon trees to beauty. Zoe had sought the nearest garden and there hung the _Marti_ on a rose bush, plucking a rose and pinning it to Domna's cap. "Now, Babycoula,"[1] she had said, clapping her hands, "you shall have luck. Your _Marti_ is upon a rose bush kissed with dew before the sun is high. The summer's heat shall not touch you and you shall be cool and well."