The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII: No. 353,
October 2, 1886., by Various

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Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII: No. 353, October 2, 1886.

Author: Various

Editor: Charles Peters

Release Date: April 17, 2006 [EBook #18195]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER

VOL. VIII.--NO. 353.

OCTOBER 2, 1886.

Price One Penny.

MERLE'S CRUSADE.

BY ROSA NOUCHETTE CAREY, Author of "Aunt Diana," "For Lilias," etc.

[Illustration: "'WHAT A PITY YOU STOPPED ME JUST THEN.'"]

CHAPTER I.

THE VALLEY OF HUMILIATION.

"Merle, I may be a little old-fashioned in my notions; middle-aged
people never adjust their ideas quite in harmony with you young folk,
but in my day we never paused to count fifty at a full stop."

Aunt Agatha's voice startled me with its reproachful irritability. Well,
I had deserved that little sarcasm for I must confess that I had been
reading very carelessly. My favourite motto was ringing in my ears,
"_Laborare est orare_."

Somehow the words had set themselves to resonant music in my brain; it
seemed as though I were chanting them inwardly all the time I was
climbing down the steep hill with Christiana and her boys. _Laborare est
orare._ And this is what I was reading on that still, snowy Sunday
afternoon: "But we will come again to this Valley of Humiliation. It is
the best and most fruitful piece of ground in all these parts. It is a
fat ground, and, as you see, consisteth much in meadows, and if a man
was to come here in the summertime as we do now, if he knew not anything
before thereof, and if he delighted himself in the sight of his eyes, he
might see that which would be delightful to him. Behold how green this
valley is, also how beautiful with lilies! I have known many labouring
men that have got good estates in this Valley of Humiliation."

"Merle," observed Aunt Agatha, a little dryly, "we may as well leave off
there, for it seems that you and I are to have our estate among the