Chapter 4. Hard To Endure

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_ CHAPTER FOUR. HARD TO ENDURE

Mrs Vallery went upstairs to see Norman. She found him still seated in the chair looking very sulky.

"Mrs Norton and Susan and everybody have been scolding at me," he muttered; "I wish you would send them all away. And Fanny is as bad as any of them, and nobody cares for me, and Fanny has slapped my face, and I will slap hers another time, though she is a girl," and Norman began to cry.

"My dear child, we all care very much for you," said his mamma, not knowing of course how he had cut his finger, and as she had promised Fanny not to do so, she did not ask him. "I am very sorry that Fanny should have slapped your face, but I am afraid you must have done something to provoke her, I must ask her why she did it. I cannot help thinking that you must have been naughty, or Mrs Norton and Susan would not have scolded you. Come down with me into the garden, we will have a game of battledore and shuttlecock on the lawn, the fresh air will do you good."

"I cannot play, my hand hurts me so much," answered Norman.

Mrs Vallery, seeing from the small size of the finger-stall Mrs Norton had put on, that the injury could not be very severe, insisted that Norman should accompany her.

"You will soon, I hope, Norman, go to school, where you will have other boys to play with," observed Mrs Vallery, as she led him downstairs.

She felt that the child was left too much alone by himself, and that if placed with companions of his own age, they would assist to correct some of his many faults. "If his papa consents to send him to school, he will at all events not be permitted there to have his own way, as he has hitherto been," she said to herself, and she determined to try and get Captain Vallery to select a school as soon as possible, knowing well that Mrs Leslie would support her.

As it was Norman's left hand which had been hurt, he was very well able to hold a battledore, and after playing with his mamma a short time, he recovered his usual spirits, and appeared totally to forget how naughty he had been. He wondered that nobody had asked him how he had cut his finger, or spoke to him about Miss Lucy, not understanding the forgiving spirit which had induced Fanny to refrain from speaking of his conduct.

"Perhaps she is afraid of saying anything about it, because she slapped my face," he thought.

At last, Mrs Vallery went in to get ready for dinner.

Fanny found Norman who had been sent into the drawing-room to put the battledores and shuttlecock away.

"How is your finger?" she asked, in a pitying tone.

"Oh, it smarts very much," he answered, "though I do not think you care much about it."

"Indeed, I do, dear Norman," she said; "you do not know how sorry I am that I slapped your face, and granny has given me some salve and some soft linen to bind up your finger again, and if you will come here, I will try and do it very gently, and not hurt you."

Fanny sat down in her granny's chair. Taking off the wrapping which Mrs Norton had put on, and which was somewhat stained with blood, she replaced it with a nice soft piece covered with salve, which felt very cool, and soon took away all the pain.

Having done this Fanny affectionately kissed him.

"You will forgive me for slapping your face, won't you, dear brother?" she said, "you know I could not help feeling angry, when I saw that you had spoilt my beautiful doll; but I do not want you to be punished, and so I have not told anybody except Mrs Norton, and she found it out of herself."

"You are afraid of being punished for slapping my face," answered the ungrateful little boy.

"Oh, how can you say that, Norman?" exclaimed Fanny, ready to burst into tears at the unfeeling observation. "I would have told mamma that I slapped you, but then I knew that that would have shown what you had done; but I did tell Mrs Norton, and she said I was wrong, and I knew I was, and I want you to forgive me for that."

"I do not know what you mean by 'forgive,'" said Norman.

"That you do not feel angry or vexed, or wish to slap my face, or do me any harm, and that you love me as much as you did before, and will try to forget all about it," answered Fanny. "That is what I think is the meaning of forgiving, and that is what I know I ought to do about the way you treated Miss Lucy. I wish there would not be the ugly mark on her neck, which I am afraid she always will have, even when Mrs Norton gets her head put on, as she has promised to do; but I must try and make her a high frock with a frill, which will come under her chin, and hide it, and then I shall not see the mark, and so I hope I shall soon forget what you did to her."

Norman opened his large eyes, and fixed them on his sister.

"I think I know better than I did before what to forgive means," he observed; "I wish, Fanny, I was more like you."

Just then Susan, who had been looking for the children to get them ready for tea, came in, and led off Norman. Unfortunately she had discovered how he had treated Miss Lucy, and she thought fit to give him another scolding. This made him angry, and he entirely forgot all that Fanny in her gentle way had told him about forgiveness. Once more he hardened his heart and thought that now he was equal with Fanny, as he had lost his football, and her doll had lost its head.

Captain Vallery returned home later than usual. Norman, who heard his ring at the door, ran down to meet him, and was much disappointed to find that he had not brought a new football.

"I thought, papa, that you would have remembered that my football is spoilt," he exclaimed, "and would have brought another."

"But who spoilt it, let me ask?" said Captain Vallery. "As you spoilt the football, you should be the person to mend it, and you should not expect me to bring you a new one."

"But I cannot mend it, papa," said Norman.

"People often find that they cannot remedy the harm they have done," observed his papa.

Norman, who was afraid that his papa might hear of the way he had treated his sister's doll, did not ask any further questions.

All the next day he behaved much better. His finger hurt him, and morning and evening he went humbly to Fanny to get it dressed, because he found she did it so gently and carefully.

No one said anything about the doll, and he wondered what had become of it. Once or twice he thought that if he could find it he would put it out of the way altogether, for he was dreadfully afraid lest his granny or papa should discover that its head had been cut off. At last he thought he would dig a hole in the garden and put it into it, and cover it up, and then no one would be able to find it.

"Fanny has not told about it," he thought, "she and Mrs Norton are the only people who know what I did, and as they have said nothing as yet, I hope that they will not."

Norman did not consider that although neither his papa or mamma or granny might discover what he proposed doing, God would not only see him, but knew already the evil in his heart, and that should he continue to indulge his bad feelings, they would grow with his growth, and when he became a man they would too probably make him do things too terrible to mention.

As soon as he had made up his mind what to do, while Fanny was at her lessons, he stole into her room, expecting to find the doll. He saw that it was not in the doll's house, and so he looked into her bed, and then he opened all her drawers, but no doll was to be found. He had seen her one day going in with it to granny's room, so he thought it might be there. Mrs Leslie was downstairs, he therefore hoped that he might be able to creep in and search for the doll without being discovered. He listened, the drawing-room door was closed, and he knew that Susan was not in that part of the house, so, walking on tiptoes, in he stole. He looked about in every part of the room where he thought the doll might be placed.

"Perhaps Fanny puts it in one of the drawers," he said to himself, "but then what would granny say if she found out that I had looked into them."

At last he put his hands to the handle, and opened a drawer just wide enough to peep in, but the doll was not there. He opened the next, but using greater force, he pulled it much wider open than he had intended: no doll was within. He tried to close it, but found he could not succeed, he pushed and pushed, still the drawer would not close; at last, putting his shoulder to it, he lifted it up, and the drawer shut, but in doing so it made much more noise than he had expected. There was still another drawer below it--he thought he would just peep in, and then run away as fast as possible. He took hold of the handle, and pulled and pulled, but the drawer would not open, for a good reason, because it was locked. This he did not discover, but thought he would pull once more, and if he did not succeed, he would give it up. He took hold of the handles, and exerted all his strength, suddenly he found, though the handles were in his hands, they had come out of the drawer, and over he rolled backwards. In falling he made a loud thump on the floor. Just then, before he had time to jump up, the door opened, and there stood his granny. She looked at him with astonishment.

"What! have you been trying to open my drawers?" she asked gravely, "it is very wrong in you if you have," but she felt too much grieved at such a thing to speak angrily.

"I came to look--to look--to look for Fanny's doll," blurted out Norman.

"To look for Fanny's doll!" said Mrs Leslie, "I thought you did not care for dolls? Did Fanny send you for hers?"

"No," answered Norman, "but I wanted her."

"Fanny has not brought her doll to me for some time, and perhaps she has a good reason for not doing so," said Mrs Leslie, looking at Norman. "It would, even if you knew that the doll was there, have been very wrong of you to have looked into my drawers without my permission. I am sure your papa and mamma would not approve of your doing so."

"Oh, do not tell them!" cried Norman, "perhaps papa will beat me again, and it's all Fanny's fault, she should not have had a doll now that my football is spoilt!"

"I will make no promises," said Mrs Leslie, "go into your room, and remain there, while I speak to your mamma. The last remarks you made about your sister having a doll, shows that you have a jealous feeling of her, and prevents me from wishing to get your football mended, as I had thought of doing. People who are jealous of others are never happy, and I should only encourage you, were I to do as I purposed."

Norman went into his room and sat himself down in his arm-chair. He thought that granny had let him off very well, as she had only scolded him, and what she had said did not make him at all ashamed of himself, nor did he see his fault. His only fear was that granny might tell his papa, who, though he allowed him to have his own way in many things, would, he had sense enough to know, be very much displeased with what he had done.

"What can have become of Miss Lucy though?" he thought, "I still must try to find her! I wonder if they know that I cut off her head."

He was allowed to remain in his room till he heard Fanny, who had done her lessons, calling to him. She invited him to have a game before dinner on the lawn.

When there, she produced from under her pinafore a trap and bat.

"Papa brought this yesterday in his pocket and gave it to me that I might play with you."

Fanny put it down on the ground.

"What a strange looking thing," exclaimed Norman, "what are we to do with it?"

"I will show you," said Fanny, putting the ball into the trap and taking the bat in her right hand. "Now keep a little behind me, and I will force the ball up, then I will hit it with the bat and send it up into the air to a distance."

Fanny, very adroitly, made the ball fly nearly across the lawn.

"You observe where it fell; now go there and try and catch it, and if you do so you will get me out, and you will have the right to come and play at the trap till I put you out. Or, if you roll the ball up and hit the trap you put me out."

Fanny played for some time, but at last, finding that Norman could not catch the ball nor roll it against the trap, thought that he would become impatient, and she hit it only a little way. He ran up, and without discovering that she did this to please him, soon managed to roll the ball against the trap.

"Ah, I have put you out at last, Miss," he exclaimed, "and now you shall see where I send the ball to, you had better go to the other side of the lawn, and try and catch me out if you can!"

Norman seized the bat, looking as if he was going to do great things, and Fanny went, as he desired her, to a distance.

The first time he struck the trap he upset it, and the ball tumbled down by his side. Again and again he tried to hit the ball, but always missed it, and it sometimes scarcely rose out of the cup.

"What a stupid bat this is," he exclaimed, losing patience, "I wonder you could manage to make the ball jump out of it."

"All you want is patience and practice," answered Fanny, "try and try again, I do not mind looking out for you?"

Norman made a few more attempts, with equal want of success.

"You have done something to the trap I am sure, or I should be able to hit the ball," he cried out.

"Nonsense!" said Fanny laughing, "it is entirely your own fault, strike the tail more gently and keep your eye on the ball, you will be able to hit it."

Once more he tried, but instead of hitting the trap more gently, Norman used greater force, and consequently upset it, and looking to see what had happened, instead of keeping his eyes on the ball, the latter in falling hit him slightly on the head; this was enough for him, and when Fanny, laughing, was coming up to him, altogether losing his temper he threw the bat at her with all his force. It fortunately missed her head, but striking her on the shoulder hurt her very much.

"O Norman, how could you do that!" she exclaimed, seizing him by the arm. "I was only going to show you how to use the bat, and you might have killed me," she said, naturally feeling very angry with him. "You naughty, naughty boy!"

Norman lifted up his fist as if about to strike her, Fanny seized his other arm, he struggled to free himself. At that moment Mrs Vallery came out of the house.

"What are you children about?" she asked. "Fanny my dear, what are you doing to your little brother?"

"She was laughing at me," cried out Norman, "and because I was angry, she is pinching me all over."

"Indeed, I am not," said Fanny, and though an instant before she had felt very angry with Norman, having overcome the feeling, she did not like to say that he had thrown the bat at her.

"I laughed at him, mamma, merely because he missed the ball so often, and when I came near him he wanted to hit me."

"And I did hit you," cried Norman, "and I will hit you again if you laugh at me," and again he struggled to get free.

"My dear Fanny, you should have more consideration for your little brother," remarked Mrs Vallery, coming up to them.

Fanny let go her hold of Norman, who gave a vicious kick out at her as she did so, and ran to his mamma's side.

Poor Fanny felt inclined to cry at the rebuke she had received, and yet she would not excuse herself by saying what Norman had done. That young gentleman, considering he had gained a triumph, shouted out--

"Now you may go and play by yourself, I do not want to have anything more to do with the stupid trap and bat."

"It is very ungrateful in you to say that, Norman, after your papa brought it down expressly for you," said Mrs Vallery. "Stay and play on, and try if you cannot do better; and, Fanny, let me ask you not to laugh at the little fellow if he does not manage to hit the ball as often as you do."

"I will gladly stop and play with Norman, and promise not to laugh at him," answered Fanny, ever ready to forgive, though, as she moved her arm, she felt much pain.

"Will you try again, Norman, and let me show you how you may hit the ball?" she said gently.

Norman sulkily consented, and their mamma, thinking that he was reconciled to his sister, returned to the house.

Fanny again set to work to show her brother how he ought to strike the trap, and in a short time, by following her directions, he was able to send the ball some distance. He now, highly delighted, kept her running about in all directions. Her arm hurt her too much to enable her to catch the ball, and though she might frequently have rolled it back against the trap and put him out, seeing how much amused he was she refrained from doing so.

"We will have another game by-and-by," he exclaimed, as they were summoned to dinner, and he went in highly pleased with his performance, and ready to boast about it, but he entirely forgot the injury he had done to poor Fanny.

They had another game in the afternoon, though Fanny could with difficulty play.

When she was putting on her frock in the evening to go down to dessert, Susan observed that her shoulder was very black.

"What have you done to your shoulder, Miss Fanny?" she asked; "I must put something to it."

Fanny had to confess that Norman had thrown the bat at her, but begged Susan not to scold him.

"I cannot promise, Miss, not to do that," she answered, "I am so angry with him. He is a regular little tyrant. Trusty knows it, if nobody else does, for, from the day the young gentleman came into the house he has kept away from him, and I think he ought to be whipped for many other things besides telling stories."

Fanny again pleaded in her usual way for her young brother, though she could not help confessing to herself that Susan was right.

At dessert Fanny sat next to her grandmamma, but her hurt shoulder was turned away from her and was towards Norman, who saw the black mark and remembering how it must have been caused, was in a great fright all the time he was eating the dish of strawberries his papa gave him, lest some one else would discover it. It might possibly have prevented him from enjoying his dessert as much as he otherwise would have done. Their mamma was sitting opposite, and saw the mark, but thought it was a shadow cast on Fanny's shoulder, and thus no one said anything on the subject.

Norman congratulated himself when he and Fanny went up to bed, that his violent act had escaped detection. Susan, however, who had undertaken to put him to bed, asked him how he had dared to strike his sister in the way he had done.

"I did not strike her, she held my arms and pinched me too much for that."

"What do you call throwing a bat at her and hitting her with it, then?" asked Susan.

"If you ask me questions I will strike you, you tiresome thing," exclaimed Norman, tearing off his clothes as fast as he could, in the hopes of getting Susan quickly out of the room.

"You had better not, young gentleman," said Susan; "your grandmamma does not allow anybody to be struck in this house, and I should hold you a good deal tighter than your sister did."

Norman never dared to answer Susan when she spoke in that tone of voice, and so he held his tongue till she had washed him and put him into bed, when his mamma came upstairs to hear him say his prayers. I am afraid that Norman merely uttered the words, for his heart was certainly not right towards God, nor did he even feel sorry for what he had done.

The next day, when Mrs Norton arrived, Norman saw that she had something wrapped up in her shawl. As she unfolded it, there was Miss Lucy, with a high dress, and frill round her neck.

"Oh, thank you! thank you! dear Mrs Norton," exclaimed Fanny, kissing her, "how very kind of you, and such a pretty dress! She really looks as nice as ever, and I am sure I shall soon forget what a dreadful accident happened to her," and she cast a forgiving, affectionate look at Norman. He did not return it, but eyed Miss Lucy askance, muttering, "My ball is not mended."

Mrs Norton did not hear him, and Fanny hoped her ears had deceived her.

"My dear, why do you not lean on your left arm, as I have told you," said Mrs Norton when Fanny was taking her writing lesson.

"My shoulder hurts me," answered Fanny, "and, if you will excuse me, I will try and write without doing so."

"There, now, she is going to tell her governess I threw the bat at her," thought Norman.

Fanny particularly wished to avoid giving any reason why her shoulder hurt her, and when Mrs Norton asked what was the matter with her arm, she replied, that it was nothing very serious, she was sure, and hoped that it would soon be well.

Mrs Norton seeing that she did not wish to talk about it, forebore to question her on the subject.

As soon as her lessons were over, Fanny took her doll up to her room, and reintroduced her to Nancy. Norman who had followed her, watched her with an envious eye, as she made the two dolls talk to each other.

After she had played with them for some time, she put Miss Lucy on her bed, and she and Norman went down into the drawing-room.

Norman had not given up his evil intention of putting Miss Lucy out of the way. He forgot all his sweet sister's forbearance, and loving-kindness towards him; and still allowed that terrible feeling of envy to rankle in his heart.

A few days before, Mrs Leslie and her daughter had received an invitation to pay a visit, with the children, to some friends in Scotland. Captain Vallery was unable to accompany them, being detained in London, but he expected shortly to follow. Fanny was delighted at the thought of visiting the Highlands, and seeing the beautiful lakes and streams, and mountains, she had heard so much of.

"I don't care for those sort of things," observed Norman, as he heard their plans discussed at dinner.

"Shall we have elephants to ride on, or tiger shooting?" he asked, "that would suit papa and me best."

Fanny burst into a fit of merry laughter, at which Norman got very angry.

"Don't you know that there are no elephants or tigers in this part of the world?" inquired Fanny. "The only wild animals are deer, and I always think how cruel it is to shoot such beautiful creatures, when I hear of people hunting them."

"Perhaps papa and I will go out and shoot them, only women and girls think shooting cruel," said Norman scornfully.

"A little boy should not speak disrespectfully of the tender feelings of women and girls," observed Mrs Leslie. "Fanny is very right when she expresses her sorrow, at hearing of deer being killed merely for sport, though if they were allowed to live in great numbers they would prevent other more useful animals from finding pasture."

"I say it is very good fun, shooting animals of all sorts," exclaimed Norman.

"You should not speak to your grandmamma in that tone," said Mrs Vallery.

Norman always grew angry when rebuked, and muttered something to himself, of which no one took notice.

After dinner Fanny remained with her granny and mamma to do some work, while Norman stole out of the room. He stood in the hall for some minutes, and then creeping upstairs, went into Fanny's bed-chamber. There on the bed lay Miss Lucy. Taking her up he silently came downstairs, and made his way by the back door into the garden, hoping that no one observed him.

"I will pay Fanny off for laughing at me," he muttered, as he ran quickly, with Lucy in his arms, towards the plot of ground at the farthest end, near Fanny's garden which had remained uncultivated. He had left Fanny's spade there the day before. Picking it up and hiding the doll in the shrubbery, he began digging away in the soft ground till he had made a large and deep hole. Not caring how much the earth would spoil Miss Lucy's wax face and pretty dress, he placed her in it, and then covered her completely over, smoothing the ground so that, as he thought, no one would discover that he had been digging there.

"Now though my football is spoilt, Fanny will never get her doll again, and so we are equal," he muttered to himself, as he went towards the tool-house to leave the spade there.

Just then he caught sight of Trusty running along the path. The dog never came near him if he could help it.

Norman put the spade where he had intended, and returning to the lawn, began playing with his trap and ball. He soon grew tired of being by himself, so going to the drawing-room window, he shouted out--

"Fanny I want you to come and play with me."

"You may go out, and try and amuse your little brother," said Mrs Vallery, "he should not be left so much by himself."

Fanny, though she wanted to finish her work, without a word of remonstrance, put it aside, and ran out to the lawn.

"Now, Fanny, just try and catch the ball if you can, I have got the trap, so I intend to be in first," said Norman striking the trap with his bat.

Fanny did as her brother asked her.

For some time, though she might easily often have put him out, wishing to afford him all the amusement in her power, she refrained from doing so. When she proposed stopping, he, in his usual style, ordered her to go on. She did so a few minutes longer, and, as he now managed to hit the ball to a considerable distance, she had to run about a great deal. At last she began to lose patience, and, rolling the ball against the trap, she told him that he must now give up the bat to her. On this he threw it down, declaring he had played long enough.

"That is not fair," she exclaimed. "You ought to go and look out for me."

He refused to do so, and walked away; while Fanny, feeling more angry with him than she had ever before been, went into the house.

"As Norman will not play properly, I must go and amuse myself with Miss Lucy," she thought.

She entered her room; Miss Lucy was not on her bed, where she was certain she had left her. She hunted about, and then went to Susan to ask if she had taken her.

"I have not even been into your room, Miss Fanny," answered Susan; "but I suspect, if she has gone, who took her. Just do you go and ask your brother."

Fanny ran after Norman, and found him in the path leading to their part of the garden.

"Where is my doll?" she inquired.

"What do I know about your doll?" he exclaimed. He was afraid to say that he had not taken her because he remembered the whipping his papa had given him.

"I am sure you have taken her," exclaimed Fanny; "Susan says so, and told me to ask you."

"How did she dare to say that?" cried Norman. "You had better look for your doll, and if you find her you will have her again, and if not, you will not be worse off than I am without my football, which I liked just as much as you do your stupid doll."

"My doll is not stupid," cried Fanny; "you tried to make her so by cutting her head off, you naughty, ill-natured boy;" and Fanny seized his arm feeling much inclined to box his ears.

"Let me alone," cried Norman. "I am not going to talk about your stupid doll, and stupid she is; and I wish Mrs Norton had not put on her head again. I will tell papa you pinched me, though you do pretend to be so sweet and gentle."

Fanny felt both hurt and indignant and angry at this accusation. She let go her brother's arm, and looked at him in a way which she had never before done.

"You have taken my doll, I know you have, and I do not believe you, even though you say that you have not," she exclaimed.

"I won't say anything about it," said Norman, looking very determined.

"Then I must ask granny and mamma, to make you, you naughty boy," she cried.

"They cannot make me if I do not know where she is; and I will pay you off for threatening me," cried Norman.

Fanny was going back to the house, feeling unable to bear any longer with her little brother, when she caught sight of Trusty, at the further end of the walk, scratching away with might and main in the ground near her garden. Norman saw him too, and felt very uncomfortable. If he did not drive the dog away, what he had done would certainly be discovered; but he dare not go near him without his whip, for Trusty was apt to snarl if he attempted to catch him.

"What can Trusty be about?" she exclaimed, going towards her garden.

Norman followed, though he would rather have run away. As he went on he picked up some stones, which the gardener had dug up out of a newly-made bed. He was just going to throw one at the dog, when Fanny turning round saw him and held his hand; while Trusty, scratching away more vehemently than ever, caught hold of a piece of white muslin, which he had exposed to view, and dragged forth poor Miss Lucy sadly dirtied and disfigured. Norman let the stones drop from his hands in dismay.

"You did it! I know you did! You buried her when she was not dead-- though you had cut her head off--you naughty, wicked, bad boy," cried Fanny bestowing several slaps on her brother's face ere she rushed forward to pick up her doll.

Fanny's tears fell fast while she endeavoured to brush off the black earth from poor Miss Lucy's face, and shook her muslin frock; but still a great deal of earth remained about her hair, and in her eyes and mouth. Poor Fanny lost all control of herself as she gazed at the sad spectacle. Norman stood by unmoved though he did not like the boxes on the ears he had received. Again Fanny flew at him and repeated her blows, when Trusty began to bark, eager to assist his young mistress, and very sure that she was doing right.

Norman on this, taking fright, ran along the path towards the house as fast as he could go, Trusty barking at his heels, and Fanny following him. The boy shrieked as he ran, crying louder and louder.

His voice reached his mamma's ears, and she hurried out, fearing that some accident had happened. Mrs Leslie also came out; and at the same moment Captain Vallery arrived. Norman rushed up to them, shrieking out that Trusty was going to bite him, and that Fanny had been beating him black and blue.

Fanny came up directly afterwards, the tears dropping from her eyes, her face flushed, and still bearing the traces of her unusual anger, while her sobs prevented her from explaining what had happened, or defending herself. All she could do, was to hold up her doll, and point to Norman.

"He did it, he did it!" then her tears gushed forth afresh.

"She beat me, she beat me!" retorted Norman.

"I am afraid you both have been very naughty," said Mrs Vallery.

"You know I never allow Norman to be beaten except by me," observed Captain Vallery.

Mrs Leslie, who had more confidence in Fanny than her own parents had, said--

"Let us hear what provocation Norman gave, before we condemn her. What has occurred, my dear child?"

"He buried Miss Lucy to hide her from me," sobbed Fanny. "If Trusty had not pulled her out, I should never have found her, and she would have been entirely spoilt; as it is, the poor creature's eyes are full of dirt, and her pretty gown is all covered with earth."

Fanny continued sobbing as if her young heart would break.

Her granny now led her into the house, followed by Mrs Vallery holding Norman by the hand.

Though he would not confess what he had done, the fact was evident, but as he had not told a story, his papa did not offer to whip him, as he deserved. Mrs Vallery spoke to him very seriously, and he listened to her lecture quietly enough, as he did not mind being scolded.

Her granny had done her best in the meantime to comfort Fanny, and with the assistance of Susan put Miss Lucy to rights, though several ugly marks remained on her face, and her frock required to be carefully washed.

Before going to bed she found Norman, and telling him how sorry she was that she had beaten him, forgave him with all her heart for the injury he had done her doll.

"You will not try to hurt her again, will you, Norman?" she said, "promise me that, or I shall be afraid of leaving her for a moment, lest you should find her, and do her some harm."

Norman promised, and Fanny kissed him, and felt at length more happy, though, as she laid her young head on the pillow, it seemed, as if something very terrible had happened during the day. Norman did not trouble himself much about the matter; he had got off very cheaply, and it is possible that he really was happier than if he had succeeded in hiding Miss Lucy, and utterly destroying her--he certainly would have been very uncomfortable while people were looking for her, and he was dreading that she would be discovered, and his wicked act brought to light.

The day arrived when the family were to go to Scotland. Captain Vallery accompanied them to London, and saw them off by the train. Fanny had never made so long a journey before, as she had only been up and down occasionally with her granny to town. It seemed very strange to her to find the train going on and on, passing by towns, and villages, and country houses, without stopping: sometimes for a whole hour together it flew on and she found that fifty miles had been passed over. Norman laughed at her exclamations of surprise and delight.

"Oh, this is nothing," he observed, "we have come all the way from India by a steamer, through the Suez Canal and then along the Mediterranean and right through France."

"You are a young traveller; Fanny knows that. Perhaps some day she may make the same journey," observed Mrs Leslie. "Still you should not despise your sister, because she has not seen as much as you have."

The party remained a few days in Edinburgh to see various friends, and then proceeded on to Glen Tulloch--a romantic place in the Highlands-- the residence of Mr and Mrs Maclean, with whom they had been invited to stay.

Every one was pleased with Fanny, and thought Norman a very fine boy, and he was perfectly satisfied with the praises he heard bestowed on him.

The house stood on the side of a hill, with a stream running into a loch on one side, and a wide extent of level wild ground above it.

Mr Maclean showed the children a rough little carriage he had had built, and told Fanny that she might take it out whenever she liked, and give her brother a drive over the moor.

"I daresay as he has only just come from India, he is unaccustomed to walk over our rough ground, and you need not be afraid of breaking the carriage, you can go where you like."

Fanny was delighted, and offered at once to take Norman out.

"Yes, and I will sit in the carriage, and drive you with my whip, that will be good fun," said Norman.

His whip, however, had not been brought to Scotland, but Mr Maclean, who thought he was in fun, cut him a long stick, and helped the children up the hill with the carriage. When they got on level ground, he wished them good-bye, and Fanny dragging the carriage into which Norman got, they proceeded on their journey.

The carriage was roughly made, being merely a wooden box cut out, on either side with thick wooden wheels, and a pole by which it was dragged. Norman, however, thought it very good fun to sit in it, and be drawn along. At first, he contented himself with merely flourishing the stick, but when Fanny did not go fast enough to please him, he began to hit at her with it.

"Go on, my little horse, go on. I wish you were a coolie, and I would soon make you move faster," he shouted out, hitting at her several times.

As long as he only struck her dress, Fanny did not mind, but when the young tyrant, leaning forward, began to beat her on the shoulders, she turned round and declared that she would go no farther if he did so again.

"But I will make you," he answered; "go on, I say."

Fanny stopped, and again told him not to use his stick as he was doing.

"Well, go on and you will see," he said, letting his stick hang out behind the carriage, for he was afraid that she would take it from him.

Fanny once more began to drag the carriage forward, but she had not got far when she felt the stick on her shoulders.

"You are not going fast enough to please me," cried Norman.

"I told you that I would not draw you at all if you hit me, and you have done so notwithstanding," said Fanny, feeling very angry.

"You cannot leave me out here by myself, so you must drag me home," said Norman, "and I am determined that you shall go as fast as I like."

"Home we will go, then," answered Fanny, and, turning the carriage round, she began to return by the way they had come.

Norman seemed determined to make her angry, for after they had gone a little way he again hit her with the end of his stick. Suddenly turning round, she snatched it from him, and, breaking it in two, threw it to a distance.

Norman was afraid of getting out, lest his sister should run off with the carriage, and as she could not now be struck, she dragged it home as fast as she could go.

Mr Maclean seemed somewhat surprised to see his young friends return so soon.

Norman lost his excursion, and Fanny, in her kindness, thinking that he was sufficiently punished, did not say how he had treated her. _

Read next: Chapter 5. In The Highlands

Read previous: Chapter 3. Can You Forgive It?

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