The Palace Beautiful: A Story for GirlsMeade, L. T.
General
The Palace Beautiful: A Story for Girls
Meade, L. T.
England -- Juvenile fiction; Orphans -- Juvenile fiction; Sisters -- Juvenile fiction; Young women -- Juvenile fiction
The last time in the funny little old-fashioned garden, the last
loving look at Jasmine's carnations, the last eager chase of the Pink
across the little grass-plot, the last farewell said to the room where
mother had died, to the cottage where Daisy was born, the final hug
from all three to dear old Hannah who vowed and declared that follow
them to London she would, and stay in Devonshire any longer she would
not, and the girls had left Woodbine Cottage.
Notwithstanding all their obstinacy, and their determination to have
their own way, quite a bevy of friends accompanied them to the railway
station--Miss Martineau was there, looking prim and starched, but with
red rims round her eyes, and her lips only stern because they were so
firmly shut, and because she was so determined not to show any
emotion--Mrs. Jenkins, Poppy's mother, was also present; she was
sending up a great bouquet of wild flowers and some eggs and butter to
Poppy; and a lame boy, whom Jasmine had always been kind to, came
hobbling on to the platform to bid the young ladies good-bye; and Mr.
Danesfield drove up on his trap at the last moment in a violent hurry,
and pushed an envelope, which he said contained a business
communication, into Primrose's hand. Last of all, just at the very
end, Mrs. Ellsworthy arrived panting on the scene; a footman followed
her, also hurrying and panting, and he put into the railway carriage a
great basket containing hot-house flowers, and grapes, and peaches,
and then Mrs. Ellsworthy kissed the girls, giving Primrose and Daisy a
hurried salute, but letting her lips linger for a moment on Jasmine's
round cheek. During that brief moment two tears dropped from the kind
little lady's eyes.
It was in this manner that the girls went away.
They arrived in London in the evening, and after a surprisingly
successful search for their luggage at Waterloo, managing not to lose
anything, got into a cab, and drove to Penelope Mansion.
Poppy's aunt boasted of the pleasing name of Flint, and when the girls
drove up with their cab piled with luggage to the door of the mansion,
Mrs. Flint herself came out to welcome them.
Jasmine, whose excitable temperament had been going through many
changes during the journey to town, had now worked herself up into an
ardent desire to see Poppy--she jumped out of the cab first of all,
and, running up the steps of Penelope Mansion, said eagerly--
"Oh, if you please, Mrs. Flint--I know, of course, you are Mrs.
Flint--may I run down to the kitchen, and find Poppy?"
"My niece will come to you presently, Miss Mainwaring," answered Mrs.
Flint.
Somehow Mrs. Flint's calm and carefully modulated voice had an instant
effect in subduing Jasmine. The mistress of Penelope Mansion resembled
perhaps more a cushion than a flint--she was fat, round, and short,
had a good-humored and unruffled face, and a voice which was always
pitched in one key.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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