Project Gutenberg's Through the Postern Gate, by Florence L. Barclay

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Title: Through the Postern Gate
A Romance in Seven Days

Author: Florence L. Barclay

Release Date: July 31, 2010 [EBook #33309]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THROUGH THE POSTERN GATE ***

Produced by Al Haines

Through the Postern Gate

_A ROMANCE IN SEVEN DAYS_

By

Florence L. Barclay

Author of

"The Rosary," "The Mistress of Shenstone,"
"The Following of the Star," etc

London and New York

G. P. Putnam's Sons

1912

146_th Thousand_

_Made and Printed in Great Britain by
The Camelot Press Limited,
Southampton._

TO

MY MOTHER

Contents

THE FIRST DAY

THE STORY OF LITTLE BOY BLUE

THE SECOND DAY

MISS CHARTERIS TAKES CONTROL

THE THIRD DAY

THE BOY INVADES THE KITCHEN

THE FOURTH DAY

CHRISTOBEL SIGNS HER NAME

THE FIFTH DAY

GUY CHELSEA TAKES CONTROL

THE SIXTH DAY

MISS ANN HAS "_MUCH_ TO SAY"

AN INTERLUDE

"AS A DREAM, WHEN ONE AWAKETH"

THE SEVENTH DAY

THE STONE IS ROLLED AWAY

THE FIRST DAY

THE STORY OF LITTLE BOY BUTE

"But it was not your niece! It was always you I wanted," said the Boy.

He lay back, in a deep wicker chair, under the old mulberry-tree. He
had taken the precaution of depositing his cup and saucer on the soft
turf beneath his chair, because he knew that, under the stress of
sudden emotion, china--especially the _best_ china--had a way of flying
off his knee. And there was no question as to the exquisite quality of
the china on the dainty tea-table over which Miss Christobel Charteris
presided.

The Boy had watched her pouring the tea into those pretty rose-leaf
cups, nearly every afternoon during the golden two weeks just over. He
knew every movement of those firm white hands, so soft, yet so strong
and capable.

The Boy used to stand beside her, ready to hand Mollie's cup, as
punctiliously as if a dozen girls had been sitting in the old garden,
waiting to be quickly served by the only man.

The Boy enjoyed being the only man. Also he had quite