The Heather-Moon
By C. N. & A. M. WILLIAMSON
Authors of "The Guests of Hercules," "The Princess Virginia." "The MotorMaid." etc.
A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers New York
Copyright, 1912, by C. N. & A. M. Williamson
All rights reserved, including that of translation into ForeignLanguages, including the Scandinavian.
CONTENTS
BOOK I: THE PRELUDE: AND THE PEOPLE
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
BOOK II: ACCORDING TO BARRIE
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
BOOK III: BASIL'S PLOT AND "MRS. BAL"
I
BOOK IV: WHAT BECAME OF BARRIE
I
II
III
IV
BOOK I
THE PRELUDE: AND THE PEOPLE
I
For the first time in her life, Barrie saw the door that led to thegarret stairs standing ajar. It was always, always locked, as iscorrect, though irritating, for a door that leads to Fairyland.
In Barrie's Outer Life that her grandmother knew, and Miss Hepburn knew,and Mrs. Muir the housekeeper knew, there was—Heaven be praised!—noromance at all; for romance is an evil thing, still worse, a frivolousthing, which may be avoided for a well-brought-up girl thoughwhopping-cough may not; and already this same evil had wrought vastdamage among the MacDonalds of Dhrum. In the Inner Life of Barrie,however, there was nothing worth thinking about except romance; and thedoor of the garret stairs was one of the principal roads to theforbidden land.
She stopped in front of it. At first she could not believe her eyes. Herheart had given a glorious bound, which, only to have felt once in itsfull ecstasy, was worth the bother of being born into a family wherethere were no mothers or fathers, but only—ah, what an awesomeonly!—grim old Grandma MacDonald and Grandma MacDonald's grim old housewhere Carlisle ends and moorlands begin.
It is difficult to be sure of things when your heart is beating nineteento the dozen, and the special thing, or mirage of a thing,seems—judging from all else that has happened in Outer Life—much toogood to be true. Yet there it was, that streak of dull, mote-mistedgold, painting what actually appeared to be a crack between the darkframe of the door and the dark old door itself—just such gold as Barriehad seen at least once a day ever since she could remem