anion seemed an honour
of which I felt scarcely worthy, and my letters to my father were mainly
filled with ecstatic praises of my new friend.

CHAPTER V

THE WINSTANLEYS

"Thus fortune's pleasant fruits by friends increased be;
The bitter, sharp, and sour by friends allay'd to thee,
That when thou dost rejoice, then doubled is thy joy;
And eke in cause of care, the less is thy annoy."

I spent my first holidays at Marshlands, and my joy knew no bounds. To
have Cathy all to myself for seven long glorious weeks seemed the
absolute summit of earthly bliss. Mrs. Winstanley received me like a
second daughter, and the bluff jolly squire patted me on the head with
kindly welcome.

"We must show her something of English country life," he declared. "Can
she sit a pony? We don't grow oranges and bananas here, but the
gooseberries are ripe in the kitchen-garden, and they take a good deal
of beating, in my opinion."

I thought Marshlands was the most delightful spot I had ever seen. The
long, low gray stone house, with its mullioned windows and flagged
passages, stood just above the little village of Everton, on the verge
of the moors, where one could catch a glint of the distant sea and the
peaks of the Cumberland mountains. Behind lay the home-farm, with the
granaries and stables and orchards, and in front was a sweet
old-fashioned garden, with archways of climbing roses and borders of
closely-clipped box.

"I see the roof of the arbour has fallen in," said Cathy, as we wandered
round on a tour of exploration after breakfast the first morning.
"Edward will be dreadfully disappointed about it. He made it himself
last holidays, and I thought at the time it wasn't strong enough, for we
have such high winds here. Dick's badger has escaped. Caxton stupidly
left the stable-door open, and, of course, it took the opportunity to
run away, and is probably back in the woods by now. I don't know how we
shall break the news to him."

It seemed that the boys were expected home that afternoon, so at Cathy's
suggestion we set to work to make a few preparations for their arrival.

"We had better clean out all the animals, and brush their coats," she
said. "I'm afraid the ferret has got terribly savage again. George
begged Caxton to be sure and handle it every day, so that it should keep
tame, but he says he is afraid to touch it. Don't you try, Philippa
dear. Look at it now!"

I certainly did not feel inc