One little picture in this book, the Magic Locket, at chapter 6, was drawn by “Miss Alice Havers.” I did not state this on the titlepage, since it seemed only due, to the artist of all these (to my mi...

One little picture in this book, the Magic Locket, at chapter 6, was drawn by “Miss Alice Havers.” I did not state this on the titlepage, since it seemed only due, to the artist of all these (to my mi...

—and then all the people cheered again, and one man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted (as well as I could make out) “Who roar for the Sub-Warden?” Every...

As we entered the breakfast-saloon, the Professor was saying “⁠—and he had breakfast by himself, early: so he begged you wouldn’t wait for him, my Lady. This way, my Lady,” he added, “this way!” And t...

“It’s my brother!” the Sub-Warden exclaimed, in a warning whisper. “Speak out, and be quick about it!” The appeal was evidently addressed to the Lord Chancellor, who instantly replied, in a shrill mon...

The Warden entered at this moment: and close behind him came the Lord Chancellor, a little flushed and out of breath, and adjusting his wig, which appeared to have been dragged partly off his head. “B...

That I had said something, in the act of waking, I felt sure: the hoarse stifled cry was still ringing in my ears, even if the startled look of my fellow-traveler had not been evidence enough: but wha...

“Where are we, father?” Sylvie whispered, with her arms twined closely around the old man’s neck, and with her rosy cheek lovingly pressed to his. “In Elfland, darling. It’s one of the provinces of Fa...

I was following the Vice-Warden, but, on second thoughts, went after my Lady, being curious to see how she would manage to keep the children out of sight. I found her holding Sylvie’s hand, and with h...

The next day glided away, pleasantly enough, partly in settling myself in my new quarters, and partly in strolling round the neighbourhood, under Arthur’s guidance, and trying to form a general idea o...

Yes, we were in the garden once more: and, to escape that horrid discordant voice, we hurried indoors, and found ourselves in the library⁠—Uggug blubbering, the Professor standing by with a bewildered...

“We were looking for you!” cried Sylvie, in a tone of great relief. “We do want you so much, you can’t think!” “What is it, dear children?” the Professor asked, beaming on them with a very different l...

“As I was saying,” the Other Professor resumed, “if you’ll just think over any Poem, that contains the words⁠—such as “Peter is poor,” said noble Paul, “And I have always been his friend: And, though ...

The Other Professor regarded him with some anxiety. “The smaller animal ought to go to bed at once,” he said with an air of authority. “Why at once?” said the Professor. “Because he can’t go at twice,...

“There’s a house, away there to the left,” said Sylvie, after we had walked what seemed to me about fifty miles. “Let’s go and ask for a night’s lodging.” “It looks a very comfable house,” Bruno said,...

For a full month the business, for which I had returned to London, detained me there: and even then it was only the urgent advice of my physician that induced me to leave it unfinished and pay another...

After that we had a few minutes of silence, while I sorted out the pebbles, and amused myself with watching Bruno’s plan of gardening. It was quite a new plan to me: he always measured each bed before...

The Marvellous⁠—the Mysterious⁠—had quite passed out of my life for the moment: and the Commonplace reigned supreme. I turned in the direction of the Earl’s house, as it was now “the witching hour” of...

Still more dreamily I found myself following this imperious voice into a room where the Earl, his daughter, and Arthur, were seated. “So you’re come at last!” said Lady Muriel, in a tone of playful re...

Lady Muriel was the speaker. And, for the moment, that was the only fact I could clearly realise. But how she came to be there⁠—and how I came to be there⁠—and how the glass of champagne came to be th...

The week passed without any further communication with the “Hall,” as Arthur was evidently fearful that we might “wear out our welcome”; but when, on Sunday morning, we were setting out for church, I ...

Lady Muriel’s smile of welcome could not quite conceal the look of surprise with which she regarded my new companions. I presented them in due form. “This is Sylvie, Lady Muriel. And this is Bruno.” “...

“I don’t know,” said Sylvie. “Hush! I must think. I could go to him, by myself, well enough. But I want you to come too.” “Let me go with you,” I pleaded. “I can walk as fast as you can, I’m sure.” Sy...

“Let us lapse back again,” said Lady Muriel. “Take another cup of tea? I hope that’s sound common sense?” “And all that strange adventure,” I thought, “has occupied the space of a single comma in Lady...

As I entered the little town, I came upon two of the fishermen’s wives interchanging that last word “which never was the last”: and it occurred to me, as an experiment with the Magic Watch, to wait ti...

And so it came to pass that, just a week after the day when my Fairy-friends first appeared as Children, I found myself taking a farewell-stroll through the wood, in the hope of meeting them once more...

“It’s just a week,” I said, three days later, to Arthur, “since we heard of Lady Muriel’s engagement. I think I ought to call, at any rate, and offer my congratulations. Won’t you come with me?” A pai...

I must begin with the same announcement as in the previous Volume (which I shall henceforward refer to as “Vol. I,” calling the present Volume “Vol. II”), viz. that the Locket, at chapter 25, was draw...

I must begin with the same announcement as in the previous Volume (which I shall henceforward refer to as “Vol. I,” calling the present Volume “Vol. II”), viz. that the Locket, at chapter 25, was draw...

During the next month or two my solitary town-life seemed, by contrast, unusually dull and tedious. I missed the pleasant friends I had left behind at Elveston⁠—the genial interchange of thought⁠—the ...

“Fayfield Junction! Change for Elveston!” What subtle memory could there be, linked to these commonplace words, that caused such a flood of happy thoughts to fill my brain? I dismounted from the carri...

Next day proved warm and sunny, and we started early, to enjoy the luxury of a good long chat before he would be obliged to leave me. “This neighbourhood has more than its due proportion of the very p...

“They shooked hands,” said Bruno, who was trotting at my side, in answer to the unspoken question. “And they looked ever so pleased!” Sylvie added from the other side. “Well, we must get on, now, as q...

“Come to me, my little gentleman,” said our hostess, lifting Bruno into her lap, “and tell me everything.” “I can’t,” said Bruno. “There wouldn’t be time. Besides, I don’t know everything.” The good w...

He made for the door of the public-house, but the children intercepted him. Sylvie clung to one arm; while Bruno, on the opposite side, was pushing him with all his strength, with many inarticulate cr...

So I went on my lonely way, and, on reaching the Hall, I found Lady Muriel standing at the garden-gate waiting for me. “No need to give you joy, or to wish you joy?” I began. “None whatever!” she repl...

The ten days glided swiftly away: and, the day before the great party was to take place, Arthur proposed that we should stroll down to the Hall, in time for afternoon-tea. “Hadn’t you better go alone?...

On the following day, Arthur and I reached the Hall in good time, as only a few of the guests⁠—it was to be a party of eighteen⁠—had as yet arrived; and these were talking with the Earl, leaving us th...

When the last lady had disappeared, and the Earl, taking his place at the head of the table, had issued the military order “Gentlemen! Close up the ranks, if you please!”, and when, in obedience to hi...

The children came willingly. With one of them on each side of me, I approached the corner occupied by “Mein Herr.” “You don’t object to children, I hope?” I began. “Crabbed age and youth cannot live t...

The silence that ensued was broken by the voice of the musical young lady, who had seated herself near us, and was conversing with one of the newly-arrived guests. “Well!” she said in a tone of scornf...

Mein Herr unrolled the manuscript, but, to my great surprise, instead of reading it, he began to sing it, in a rich mellow voice that seemed to ring through the room. “One thousand pounds per annum Is...

“As bald as bald,” was the bewildering reply. “Now, Bruno, I’ll tell you a story.” “And I’ll tell oo a story,” said Bruno, beginning in a great hurry for fear of Sylvie getting the start of him: “once...

“So, when they got to the top of the hill, Bruno opened the hamper: and he took out the Bread, and the Apples, and the Milk: and they ate, and they drank. And when they’d finished the Milk, and eaten ...

“I didn’t quite catch what you said!” were the next words that reached my ear, but certainly not in the voice either of Sylvie or of Bruno, whom I could just see, through the crowd of guests, standing...

“It isn’t bedtime!” said a sleepy little voice. “The owls hasn’t gone to bed, and I s’a’n’t go to seep wizout oo sings to me!” “Oh, Bruno!” cried Sylvie. “Don’t you know the owls have only just got up...

Extract From the “Fayfield Chronicle.” Our readers will have followed with painful interest, the accounts we have from time to time published of the terrible epidemic which has, during the last two mo...

The year⁠—what an eventful year it had been for me!⁠—was drawing to a close, and the brief wintry day hardly gave light enough to recognise the old familiar objects, bound up with so many happy memori...

My landlady’s welcome had an extra heartiness about it: and though, with a rare delicacy of feeling, she made no direct allusion to the friend whose companionship had done so much to brighten life for...

“In Science⁠—in fact, in most things⁠—it is usually best to begin at the beginning. In some things, of course, it’s better to begin at the other end. For instance, if you wanted to paint a dog green, ...

“Heaviness may endure for a night: but joy cometh in the morning.” The next day found me quite another being. Even the memories of my lost friend and companion were sunny as the genial weather that sm...

By this time the appetites of the guests seemed to be nearly satisfied, and even Bruno had the resolution to say, when the Professor offered him a fourth slice of plum-pudding, “I thinks three helping...

“Your Imperial Highnesses!” he began. “It’s the old Beggar again! Shall we set the dogs at him?” “Bring him here!” said the Emperor. The Chancellor could scarcely believe his ears. “Here, your Imperia...

The sound of kicking, or knocking, grew louder every moment: and at last a door opened somewhere near us. “Did you say ‘come in!’ Sir?” my landlady asked timidly. “Oh yes, come in!” I replied. “What’s...

At the moment, when I had written these words, there was a knock at the door, and a telegram was brought me, announcing the sudden death of a dear friend. ↩ These spelling quirks have been updated to ...