rk that doubtless they would all like to retire to their rooms for a
little, and she must take a short rest in order to be fresh for the
evening, when she hoped they would all gather about her again.

"I want you all to feel at home and to enjoy yourselves as much as you
can," she said, in conclusion. "Play about the grounds, children,
whenever you like."

Her cottage stood between the houses of the Duncans and Allisons; the
grounds of all three were extensive, highly cultivated, and adorned with
beautiful trees, shrubbery, and flowers, and there were no separating
fences or hedges, so that they seemed to form one large park or garden.

Rosie and Walter Travilla, and the young Raymonds were delighted with
the permission to roam at will about these lovely grounds, and hastened
to avail themselves of it as soon as the removal of the dust of travel
and a change of attire rendered them fit.

They found a Dutch gardener busied here and there, and presently opened
a conversation with him, quite winning his heart by unstinted praises of
the beauty of his plants and flowers.

"It must be a great deal of work to keep those large gardens in such
perfect order," remarked Rose.

"Dat it ish, miss," he said; "but I vorks pretty hard mineself, and my
son Shakey, he gifs me von leetle lift ven he ton't pees too much in
school."

"Do you live here?" asked little Grace.

"Here in dis garten? no, miss; I lifs oud boud t'ree mile in de
country."

"That's a long walk for you, isn't it?" said Lulu.

"Nein; I don't valks, miss; ven I ish god dings to pring--abbles or
botatoes or some dings else--I say to mine Shakey, 'Just hitch de
harness on de horse and hang him to de stable door;' or if I got nodings
to pring I tells de poy, 'Hitch him up a horseback;' den I comes in to
mine vork and I tash! I don't hafs to valk--nod a shtep."

"How funny he talks," whispered Grace to Lulu; "I can hardly understand
him."

"It's because he's Dutch," returned Lulu, in the same low tone. "But I
can tell almost all he says. His son's name must be Jakey; the short for
Jacob."

"What is your name?" asked Max.

"Hencle--Shon Hencle. I dinks you all pees come to see Miss Stanhope pe
von huntred years olt; ishn't you?"

"Yes," said Rosie. "It seems very wonderful to think that she has lived
so long."

The children, weary with their journey, were sent to bed early that
night. Lulu and Grace found they were to sleep together in a small room
ope