"To go to Mrs. Laval's," said Mrs. Candy, meditating.

"Who is going to play croquet, besides you?" inquired Clarissa.

"I do not think anybody is to be there besides me," said Matilda.

"Well," said Mrs. Candy, "I suppose you had better go, with my
compliments and thanks to Mrs. Laval. Put on your white dress, Matilda,
and I will tie a ribband round your waist."

The white dress and the black ribband were duly put on, and Matilda set
out, very happy indeed, only sorry that Maria was left behind. She got
a glad welcome from Norton, who was at the iron gate watching for her.
And when she came to the door of the house, Matilda was fain to stand
still and look, everything was so beautiful. It was very different from
last winter, when the snow covered all the world. Now the grass was
soft and green, cut short and rolled smooth, and the sunlight made it
seem almost golden. The rose-bushes were heavy and sweet with great
cabbage roses and delicate white roses, and gay yellow roses made an
elegant variety. Overhead, the golden clusters of a laburnum tree
dropped as if to meet them. Then there were pinks, and violets, and
daisies; and locust trees a little way off, standing between the house
and the sun, made the air sweet with their blossoms. Every breath was
charged with some delicious perfume or other. The house stood
hospitably and gaily open in summer dress; the farm country lay rich in
the sun towards the west; and the mountains beyond, having lost all
their white coating of snow long ago, were clothed in a kind of drapery
of purple mist.

"What's the matter?" said Norton.

"It's so beautiful!" said Matilda.

"Oh, is that all! Come in. Mamma wants to see you."

In the house, over floors marble and matted, through rooms green with
the light that came through the blinds, cool in shadow, but from which
the world without looked like a glittering fairyland, so they went
passing from one to another, till they found the mistress of the house.
She was not in the house, but in a deep wicker chair on the shady side
of the verandah.

"Here she is!" the lady exclaimed as she saw them, throwing aside the
book which had been in her hands, and drawing Matilda into her arms
instead. "My dear child--so you've come. Norton and I are very glad.
How do you do? You are thin."

"Am I?" said Matilda.

"I am afraid you are. What are you going to do? play croquet? it's too
warm yet. Sit down here and have some strawberries first. Nor