The Project Gutenberg eBook, Paul the Courageous, by Mabel Quiller-Couch

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Title: Paul the Courageous

Author: Mabel Quiller-Couch

Release Date: July 19, 2008 [eBook #26087]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PAUL THE COURAGEOUS***

E-text prepared by Lionel Sear

PAUL THE COURAGEOUS.

by

MABEL QUILLER-COUCH

1901
This e-text was prepared from a reprint of a version published in 1901.

CONTENTS.

Chap.

I. A DISAPPOINTMENT.

II. HOW PAUL BORE IT.

III. PAUL'S HOPES RISE.

IV. THE REWARD OF OVER-CONFIDENCE.

V. THE RESCUE.

VI. A SLOW LEARNER.

VII. A TROUBLESOME PAIR OF BOOTS.

VIII. A MIDNIGHT SEARCH.

IX. THE OPEN WINDOW.

X. RUMOUR AND APPREHENSION.

XI. A TEST OF BRAVERY.

XII. STELLA'S ADVENTURE.

XIII. PAUL CONFESSES.

CHAPTER I.

A DISAPPOINTMENT.

Slewbury was a very fine town in its way; a little quiet and sleepy
perhaps, as country towns often are, but it was large and handsome, and
beautifully situated on the side of a steep hill. It had a grand
market-place, a large town-hall where concerts were often given, and some
well-kept public gardens, of all of which the Slewbury people were very
proud, and justly so.

But then, as Paul Anketell and his friends often remarked, "What was there
for boys?" There was absolutely nothing. No river, no sea, no mountains,
or anything. All there was for them in the way of amusement was to go for
walks and pick flowers, and wander about a field or two. Certainly one
could climb a tree, and whittle sticks or make whistles, but one could not
be doing that all the time. No, Paul had long since come to the
conclusion that Slewbury was a miserable place in which to live; he hated
it; and he could not understand why his father had ever settled there.

When he was a man, he declared over and over again to Stella and Michael,
he would have a house close to a river, a mountain, and the sea, then he
would have boats and rods, and a sailing boat, so that he would never be
hard