Then it would frighten the souls out of your bodies . '' We thought it might be more agreeable not to have the souls frightened out of our bodies , and we voted for the Family Ghost . `` Ghost stories are more comfortable in daytime , '' said Felix . The Story Girl began it and we listened avidly . Cecily , who had heard it many times before , listened just as eagerly as we did . She declared to me afterwards that no matter how often the Story Girl told a story it always seemed as new and exciting as if you had just heard it for the first time . `` Long , long ago , '' began the Story Girl , her voice giving us an impression of remote antiquity , `` even before Grandfather King was born , an orphan cousin of his lived here with his parents . Her name was Emily King . She was very small and very sweet . She had soft brown eyes that were too timid to look straight at anybody -- like Cecily 's there -- and long , sleek , brown curls -- like mine ; and she had a tiny birthmark like a pink butterfly on one cheek -- right here . `` Of course , there was no orchard here then . It was just a field ; but there was a clump of white birches in it , right where that big , spreading tree of Uncle Alec 's is now , and Emily liked to sit among the ferns under the birches and read or sew . She had a lover . His name was Malcolm Ward and he was as handsome as a prince . She loved him with all her heart and he loved her the same ; but they had never spoken about it . They used to meet under the birches and talk about everything except love . One day he told her he was coming the next day to ask A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION , and he wanted to find her under the birches when he came . Emily promised to meet him there . I am sure she stayed awake that night , thinking about it , and wondering what the important question would be , although she knew perfectly well . I would have .
And the next day she dressed herself beautifully in her best pale blue muslin and sleeked her curls and went smiling XXXXX the birches .
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