Alice De Burgh Author:Louisa Joyce Tomlinson General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1874 Original Publisher: Virtue and Co. Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can ... more »select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. THE COUSINS. " Nay, 'tis not what we fancied it, This magic world of ours ; We thought its skies were only blue, Its fields a sun and flowers, " But clouds came up with gloom and shade, Our sky was overcast; The hot mist threw its blight around, Sunshine and flowers went past." Bonae. j| T was with mingled feelings of expectancy and fear that Alice and Daisy went to the study on the first morning after their arrival at Merrion Hall. Miss Claremont had told them the previous evening to go to her first the next morning, sothat they might meet their cousins, as it was the custom for them all excepting Margaret, the eldest, to gather together there, so that when the breakfast-bell rang, those who were old enough could descend to the breakfast-room at the same time. As soon as the sisters entered the study they perceived three or four children of various ages' and little Ulry and May, who were, judging by their appearance, evidently quite at home already with the younger ones; for they were busily talking one with another. " Good morning, dears," said Miss Claremont, " I hope you feel quite rested after your fatiguing journey yesterday," and then after Alice had answered in the affirmative, she added -- " Miss Westfield is not here, but I must introduce you to your other cousins ;" and turning to a very pretty young girl, who was standing near, she said -- " Florrie dear, come and speak to your cousins, and make them feel more at home." " I will indeed try, Miss Claremont," replied Florrie, and addressing herself to her cousins she ...« less