E-text prepared by Sandra Laythorpe and revised by Clare Graham and Marc D'Hooghe (http://www.freeliterature.org) using page images generously made available by the Google Books Library Project (http://books.google.com) Note: Project Gutenberg has the other volume of this work. Volume II: see https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44721 THE PILLARS OF THE HOUSE; Or, Under Wode, Under Rode. by CHARLOTTE M. YONGE Author of 'The Heir of Redclyffe,' etc. In Two Volumes. VOL I. London: Macmillan and Co. 1875. CONTENTS TO VOL. I. I. THE BIRTH-DAY GIFT II. THE PIC-NIC III. FORTUNATUS' PURSE IV. TWILIGHT AND DAWN V. WORKING FOR BREAD VI. THE CACIQUE VII. THE CHESS-PLAYER'S BATTLE VIII. THE HOME IX. THE THIRTEEN X. THE FAMILY COBWEB ON THE MOVE XI. THE CHORAL FESTIVAL XII. GIANT DESPAIR'S CASTLE XIII. PEGASUS IN HARNESS XIV. WHAT IT MAY LEAD TO XV. WHAT IT LED TO XVI. THE WINTER OF DISCONTENT XVII. MIDSUMMER SUN XVIII. BY THE RIVER XIX. THE HOUSE WITHOUT PILLARS XX. VALE LESTON XXI. A KETTLE OF FISH XXII. THE REAL THING AND NO MISTAKE XXIII. SMOKE-JACK ALLEY THE PILLARS OF THE HOUSE; OR, UNDER WODE, UNDER RODE. CHAPTER I. THE BIRTH-DAY GIFT. 'O I've got a plum-cake, and a feast let us make, Come, school-fellows, come at my call; I assure you 'tis nice, and we'll all have a slice, Here's more than enough for us all.' _Jane Taylor._ 'It is come! Felix, it is come!' So cried, shouted, shrieked a chorus, as a street door was torn open to admit four boys, with their leathern straps of books over their shoulders. They set up a responsive yell of 'Jolly! Jolly!' which being caught up and re-echoed by at least five voices within, caused a considerable volume of sound in the narrow entry and narrower staircase, up which might be seen a sort of pyramid of children. 'Where is it?' asked the tallest of the four arrivals, as he soberly hung up his hat. 'Mamma has got it in the drawing-room, and Papa has been in ever since dinner,' was the universal cry from two fine complexioned, handsome girls, from a much smaller girl and boy, and from a creature rolling on the stairs, whose sex and speech seemed as yet uncertain. 'And where's Cherry?' was the further question; 'is she there too?' 'Yes, but--' as he laid his hand on the door--'don't open the letter there. Get Cherry, and we'll settle what to do with it.' 'O Felix, I've a stunning notion!' 'Felix, promise to do what I want!' 'Felix, do pray buy me some Turkish delight!' 'Felix, I do want the big spotty horse.'