Wednesday
We climbed Sky Hill Monday afternoon. That's a mountain near here; not
an awfully high mountain, perhaps--no snow on the summit--but at least
you are pretty breathless when you reach the top. The lower slopes are
covered with woods, but the top is just piled rocks and open moor. We
stayed up for the sunset and built a fire and cooked our supper.
Master Jervie did the cooking; he said he knew how better than me and
he did, too, because he's used to camping. Then we came down by
moonlight, and, when we reached the wood trail where it was dark, by
the light of an electric bulb that he had in his pocket. It was such
fun! He laughed and joked all the way and talked about interesting
things. He's read all the books I've ever read, and a lot of others
besides. It's astonishing how many different things he knows.
We went for a long tramp this morning and got caught in a storm. Our
clothes were drenched before we reached home but our spirits not even
damp. You should have seen Mrs. Semple's face when we dripped into her
kitchen.
'Oh, Master Jervie--Miss Judy! You are soaked through. Dear! Dear!
What shall I do? That nice new coat is perfectly ruined.'
She was awfully funny; you would have thought that we were ten years
old, and she a distracted mother. I was afraid for a while that we
weren't going to get any jam for tea.
Saturday I started this letter ages ago, but I haven't had a second to finish it.
Isn't this a nice thought from Stevenson?
The world is so full of a number of things,
I am sure we should all be as happy as kings.
It's true, you know. The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go
round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way.
The whole secret is in being PLIABLE. In the country, especially,
there are such a lot of entertaining things. I can walk over
everybody's land, and look at everybody's view, and dabble in
everybody's brook; and enjoy it just as much as though I owned the
land--and with no taxes to pay!
It's Sunday night now, about eleven o'clock, and I am supposed to be
getting some beauty sleep, but I had black coffee for dinner, so--no
beauty sleep for me!
This morning, said Mrs. Semple to Mr. Pendleton, with a very determined
accent: 'We have to leave here at a quarter past ten in order to get to church
by eleven.' 'Very well, Lizzie,' said Master Jervie, 'you have the buggy ready, and
if I'm not dressed, just go on without waiting.' 'We'll wait,' said
she.