Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: of the squire of the parish; but a handsome travelling chariot, with posters, and a scarcely perceptible coronet on the rail. In a moment afl the curs in the stable-yard were on the bark, and the two equally shaggy boys on the qui vine. Leaning on each other's shoulders, their bright sunburnt faces close together, like ttoo over-ripe hazel-nuts in a tawny husk, they peered anxiously from the window; awaiting the result of their slovenly servant maid's declaration that Master was out for the day. The voluminous old lady to whom the information was addressed, bustled, notwithstanding, out of the carriage; followed by the tripsome figure of a richly-dressed little girl. Defying all remonstrances, the self-constituted guest persisted in paying off the post-boy, who, at her bidding, had already conveyed into the entry a chaise-seat and other encumbrances; and now undertook to deposit at the village-inn the carriage for which there was no room in the parsonic chaise-house. And all this was accomplished before the two astonished lads could be half made to understand that the fussy old lady was their quondam nurse, Mrs. Hatley; and the be-frilled little girl their sister, Margaret Mordaunt. The little stranger had no share in their thoughts or recollections. They had seldom heard her name. Of the mother who was with their Father in Heaven, or the sister who was in consequence estranged from them, Mr. Mordaunt had never nerved his courage to talk to the boys. Living in selfish dread of painful emotions, as fatal to his precarious health, he allowed them to grow up in utter ignorance of their family connections. Indignant at the coolness of her reception, and disgusted by the aspect of the mean room and staring, rough-looking boys, the little girl insisted on rushing back into...