Page:Hollyhock house; a story for girls (IA hollyhockhousest00tagg).pdf/329

Rh principal justification was that I was not prepared to bring you up; I had to learn. But now Win is forgiving me, and, I hope, getting fonder of me again.”

“Little madrina, you are growing up, my child! You are almost as old as Jane, sometimes, and we all know how profoundly old Jane is, in her thoughtful mining into things! Come along, little Garden girls, little Lynette, Janie, Florimel! We must begin our Slumber Day ceremonies!” cried Mary.

Arming themselves with a trowel apiece, the Garden girls, to follow Mary’s example and counting Mrs. Garden as one of them, went out of the house. They marched to the great ox-heart cherry tree which gave its shade to one corner of the grassy end of the garden where the seats stood, and which gave its delicious fruit abundantly, late in June, to the Gardens and to their neighbours. Here the girls paused. “We first sing the lullaby Slumber Day, you know,” Florimel explained to her mother.

Under the tree, with trowels waving in a cradle motion, the girls sang “Kücken’s Lullaby.” It was really pleasing in effect; Florimel sang acceptably, Jane’s voice was extraordinary, and Mary’s alto was sweet and deep.