little girls, so resolved to take a walk in search
of adventures.

Our residence stood in large grounds of its own, surrounded by a
delightful country stretching away in a long vista to the South Downs.
Papa owned several farms in the neighbourhood, so we were generally
respected and looked up to by the working class and their families, as
Mamma disbursed a good deal in helping any who might be in trouble.

I remembered one labourer's family, the husband a carter who never got
home till late in the evening, as his work was rather at a distance;
his wife, about thirty or a little more, was a fine, handsome, young
woman with a ruddy, tanned face, but oh! such brown eyes as she looked
at you from under her dark eyelashes. She was a fine woman of her
class, and I had once heard Mamma say Peter, her husband, had to marry
Phoebe (that was her name) very young as he had got her into trouble;
she had three very pretty little girls--ten, eleven, and twelve years
old--regular beauties, with the same dark brown eyes and arch looks as
their mother, and they were well grown for their ages. This was my
mark. I had often been with Mamma on a visit to their cottage when they
had any little illness, and carried a basket of nice things for them. I
didn't know their family name, but Phoebe always kissed me and so did
the girls when they were well. "Master Percy, Master Percy," they would
call out as soon as ever I got in sight, because I generally had some
sweets in my pocket for them. Now I had not been to the cottage for
quite two years, and wondered if Phoebe would kiss me now. I would her
if I got the chance. It was only about a mile to walk from our house
down an unfrequented lane leading to nowhere but an old farm-house
further on.

Mrs. Twiggs, our housekeeper, lent me a small basket, so I went into
the pantry and helped myself to a good sized cake, some eggs, and a
bottle of port wine, as I said I had heard that Phoebe was rather
delicate.

I timed myself to get to the cottage soon after their mid-day meal, so
as to have a long afternoon in case I found any sport.

Phoebe was all smiles as she answered my rap at the cottage door. "Oh,
Master Percy, how you have grown, and how's your Mamma--I hope she
isn't ill?"

"No thanks, Phoebe, I heard you were not quite well, so made up my mind
to walk over with some new-laid eggs and a bottle of wine for you and a
cake for the girls; where are they?"

"How kind of you, Master Percy