



Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England




The Squire's Little Girl
By L.T. Meade
Illustrations by Lewis Baumer
Published by W and R Chambers, Ltd, London and Edinburgh.
This edition dated 1902.

The Squire's Little Girl, by L.T. Meade.

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THE SQUIRE'S LITTLE GIRL, BY L.T. MEADE.

CHAPTER ONE.

The Squire's little daughter rode her pony down the avenue.  She stopped
for a moment at the gate, and the children at the other side could get a
good view of her.  There were four children, and they pressed together
and nudged each other, and took in the small erect figure, and her
sturdy pony, with open eyes and lips slightly apart.  The Squire's
daughter was a fresh arrival at Harringay.  Her existence had always
been known, the children of the village and the children of the Rectory
had talked of her, but she had never come to live amongst them until
now, for her mother had died at her birth, and her father had gone to
live abroad, and Phyllis, the one child of his house, had been with him.
Now he had returned; Phyllis was twelve years old; the Hall was open
once more, full of servants and full of guests, and Phyllis Harringay
rode her pony in full view of the Rectory children.  Phyllis had a
thick, rather short bush of tawny hair.  Her eyes were of a grey blue,
her little features were short and straight, and her small face had many
freckles on it.  She was by no means a pretty child, but there was
something piquant and at the same time dignified about her.  She stopped
now to speak to Mrs Ashley, the woman at the Lodge; and the children
pressed a little nearer, and Ralph touched Rose, and Rose nodded to
Susie, and all three gazed at Edward with the same question on each pair
of lips and in each pair of eyes.

"Shall we introduce ourselves," said Susie to her brother.  "Do say yes,
Ned; it is such an opportunity, and we are longing to know her.  Do say
that we may speak to her now."

But Ned shook his head.  "It is not manners," he said; "we must not push
ourselves on her.  If, indeed, we could do anything for her it would be
different."

And just then, as if to help the children in their darling wish, the
white gates which led to the Hall refused to open at Phyllis's push, and
Ned and Ralph both rushed to the rescue.

"Thank you," said Phyllis, with a toss of her head and a smile in her
bright eyes.  Then she paused and looked the boys all over.  They were
sturdy little chaps, and Ned in particular had the brightest brown eyes
and the most honest face in the world.

"It is awfully dull, isn't it?" said the Squire's daughter.  "I wonder
how any one can live in a place like this.  Are there more than two of
you, and have you lived here always?"

"There are more than two of us," answered Ned, lifting his cap in the
most polite manner, "and we don't find it dull.  Here are my two
sisters," he added; "may we introduce ourselves to you?"

"Oh, what a funny speech, and how nice it sounds!" cried Phyllis.  "Four
of you, and all children!  I haven't spoken to anything approaching a
child for a whole fortnight.  If it wasn't for Bob here,"--she laid her
hand on her pony's mane as she spoke--"I believe I should lose my
senses."

"Well, you are all right now," said Ned, who certainly never lost his.
"Here's Susie, and she's dying to know you; and here's Rosie, and I do
believe she'd let her hair be cut short just for the pleasure of looking
at you.  And here am I, at your service; and I think I can promise that
Ralph will do everything for you that boy could."

Phyllis's little face turned quite a bright pink.  She glanced eagerly
at both the girls, then she looked at Ralph, and finally she laughed.

"Let's be friends," she said.  "I don't know who you are nor anything
about you, but, oh, you are human beings, you are children! and I am so
glad--I am so glad."

As she said the last words she held out her hand to Ned.  He clasped it,
and then let it drop, while the colour filled his own brown face.

"This makes all the difference in the world," said Phyllis.  "What shall
we