The Project Gutenberg EBook of Little Folks (October 1884), by Various

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Title: Little Folks (October 1884)
A Magazine for the Young

Author: Various

Release Date: January 3, 2009 [EBook #27693]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE FOLKS (OCTOBER 1884) ***

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Transcriber's Note:
Phrases printed in italics in the original version are
indicated in this electronic version by _ (underscore).
A list of amendments are given at the end of the book.

LITTLE FOLKS:

_A Magazine for the Young._

_NEW AND ENLARGED SERIES._

CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED.

_LONDON, PARIS & NEW YORK._

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

[Illustration]

A LITTLE TOO CLEVER.

_By the Author of "Pen's Perplexities" "Margaret's Enemy," "Maid
Marjory" &c._

CHAPTER XII.--AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND.

[Illustration]

For the first time since she had left home, Elsie felt thoroughly
frightened and miserable. Even when she had stayed in the crofter's
cottage she had not felt worse. For this little attic, right at the top
of a tall house full of people, seemed even more dreadful than the bare
wretched loft in Sandy Ferguson's hovel. The height of the house, the
noises of loud angry voices, banging doors, hurrying footsteps coming
and going on the stairs, the continual roar of traffic in the street
below, were all things strange and terrifying to the moor-bred Scottish
lassie. Besides this, she had begun to realise to the full extent how
greatly she had been mistaken in all her ideas when she formed the plan
of running away. She had thought it would be a fine adventure, with some
little difficulties to encounter, such as would quickly come right, as
they did in the books of running-away stories, which she had always
believed to be quite true. How could she have known it would happen so
differently to them? And above all, who could suppose that Duncan, who
was so strong and hearty, should fall ill just at such a time as this?

That was the worst thing about it, and the one that