Now the children's voices blend with the song of the wood
birds, and they have a garden there of dandelions, daisies, and
flowers. The roof and walls are now covered with stone crop and moss,
and traveller's joy, which gives it a variety of color. The currant
bushes are pruned, and the long rose brandies are trimmed, and present
a blooming appearance. This house, with forty acres of land, some
rocky and sterile, and some rich meadow and peat, formed the
possessions of the Prestons in Westmoreland. For two hundred years
this land had been theirs. Mr. Preston and his wife were industrious
and respectable people. They had two children, Martha and John. The
sister eight years older than her brother and acted a motherly part
towards him. As her mother had to go to market, to see to the cows and
dairy, and to look after the sheep on the fell; Martha took most of
the care of little Johnny.
It is said that a very active mother does not _always_ make a very
active daughter, and that is because she does things herself, and has
but little patience with the awkward and slow efforts of a learner.
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