OURLirttS.ENGUSH COUSIN BLANCHE WcMANUS tMMMMMttuNtttti THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL PRESENTED BY Elizabeth Preston Ward in memory of Jean Versfelt Preston School of Infer m & ybrary Sc! — MAY 1 1 2m 5Ate:-^r>£ -^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.archive.org/details/ourlittleenglishOOmcma Our Little English Cousin THE Little Cousin Series (trade mark) Each volume illustrated with six or more full-page plates in tint. Cloth, i2mo, with decorative cover, per volume, 60 cents LIST OF TITLES By Mary Hazelton Wade (unless otherwise indicated) Our Little African Cousin Our Little Alaskan Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Arabian Cousin By Blanche McManus Our Little Armenian Cousin Our Little Australian Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Brazilian Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Brown Cousin Our Little Canadian Cousin By Elizabeth R. MacDonald Our Little Chinese Cousin By Isaac Taylor Headland Our Little Cuban Cousin Our Little Dutch Cousin By Blanche McManus Our Little Egyptian Cousin By Blanche McManus Our Little English Cousin By Blanche McManus Our Little Eskimo Cousin Our Little French Cousin By Blanche McManus Our Little German Cousin Our Little Greek Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet L. C. PAGE New England Building, Our Little Hawaiian Cousin Our Little Hindu Cousin By Blanche McManus Our Little Indian Cousin Our Little Irish Cousin Our Little Italian Cousin Our Little Japanese Cousin Our Little Jewish Cousin Our Little Korean Cousin By H. Lee M. Pike Our Little Mexican Cousin By Edward C. Butler Our Little Norwegian Cousin Our Little Panama Cousin By H. Lee M. Pike Our Little Philippine Cousin Our Little Porto Rican Cousin Our Little Russian Cousin Our Little Scotch Cousin By Blanche McManus Our Little Siamese Cousin Our Little Spanish Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet Our Little Swedish Cousin By Claire M. Coburn Our Little Swiss Cousin Our Little Turkish Cousin r COMPANY Boston, Mass. UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 11111(11 00025764469 EDITH &&&ipip&&ip4p4?&iirii?ip&ii!>&ikii?& * * Our Little * * English Cousin * £* £L "7* * * * By * 4* Blanche McManus * 4. ^ ^ ... «^ * Illustrated by * * The Author % * ^ -£* * * * * /^^^\ * * n^wA * * pICZZb/® *f * ^^^3^^ * * ^-sjp^ * * * * * Boston * 9 * L. C. Page & Company * * Publishers * * * ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Copyright, .goj By L. C. Page & Company (incorporated) All rights reserved Published Juns, 1905 Fifth Impression, June, 1909 Introduction The lives of Our Little English Cousins are not so widely different from our own in America. It is only the more ancient associa- tions with which they are surrounded that changes their manners and customs. Their speech is the same and their amuse- ments and tasks are to a great extent quite similar. Certain details of home life vary considerably, and when they " take their walks abroad," " Our Little English Cousins," as often as not, visit some ancient historic shrine from whose asso- ciations have been built up the great British nation. Little English cousins and Little American vi Introduction cousins alike, however, would have the same affections for the same things were they but to change places, therefore things are not so very- different after all. What Washington is to America, London is to Britain ; meaning in this case England, Ireland, and Scotland as well, for our little Scotch and Irish cousins by no means like one to talk or write of England alone when one really means Britain. " Our Little English Cousin " lives in a less rigorous climate than that which prevails for the most part in America. Their winters are in general not so cold (though they are quite as long) and not usually so bright and sunny. The summers are by no means so hot as ours and are accordingly most delightful. The open-air pleasures of our English cou- sins, while existent in our own country, are at least more general than with us, and tea out- of-doors, in the garden, or on the banks of the Introduction vii Thames is an institution which is quite unique, and accordingly, as a summer divertisement, is greatly in vogue. The Associations which link America with England are many and important ; indeed they are so numerous that it were futile to attempt to give place to any in this introductory note beyond recalling to the mind of little American cousins that the great Washington himself was of a well-known English family before they settled in America. To-day, if the English are not emigrating to America to the extent that they formerly were, our American cousins are returning the visits, if only for pleasure or edification, in astonish- ingly growing numbers each year. All this makes for a better understanding and appreciation of each other and cements the growing friendship of years, which in our pro- gressive times is a good thing not to overlook. " Our Little English Cousin," then, extends viii Introduction a cordial hand of welcome, not only to her cousins across the seas who annually make visits to her native land, but to the stay-at- homes as well, who have that pleasure in store for some future time. Contents CHAPTER PAGB I. Edith's Home on the Thames . . i II. A Day at Hampton Court . . .13 III. A Drive to Richmond and Kew Gardens 28 IV. With Tom at Windsor Castle and Eton 44 V. London — Hyde Park and Westminster Abbey 54 VI. The Tower of London .... 72 VII. Madame Tussaud's and the Zoo . . 80 VIII. Henley Week 89 IX. Summer Holidays 95 X. The Lord Mayor's Show . . . 103 List of Illustrations ♦ PAG5 Edith . • Frontispiece Oldham Manor 8 " In a few minutes they had landed n .15 Windsor Castle 50 "After watching other antics our little friends bade the 'Beefeater' and his pet good-bye" 76 11 She walked down the path by the river Avon " 96 >3cdrL/7jY& ..•**" Our Little English Cousin CHAPTER I. edith's home on the Thames " Now it is really time to get ready, is it not, Miss Green ? " exclaimed Edith, looking up at the clock for the twentieth time during the last half-hour, and breaking off in the middle of the list of English kings and queens which she was trying to commit to memory. Which king came after Henry III., in that far-away time, seemed a small matter compared to the outing which she and her governess had planned to enjoy on the river that lovely afternoon. 2 Our Little English Cousin Miss Green smiled indulgently as she closed her book. " It does seem a shame to remain indoors a moment longer than one can help such a day as this. Well, I will see Betty about the tea-things and pack them in the basket while you are getting ready." You may imagine it did not take Edith long to put away her books ; then giving her good-natured governess a hug she skipped off for her hat and coat. " There are Eleanor and Clarence waiting for us now/' cried Edith, as she and Miss Green, who was carrying the tea-basket, crossed the gardens. Running over the lawn, which stretched down to the river, she greeted her two little playmates from the vicarage. All three were bubbling over with glee at the prospect of an outing this bright June after- noon upon the river Thames. They were to go up-stream to a pretty little nook, in a quiet " backwater," which was a favourite spot with Edith's Home on the Thames 3 them, and have a "gipsy" tea under the willows. The children were soon seated on cushions in the neat little shallow punt. Towser, the big collie dog, was already in the boat, for he knew he was a welcome companion on these trips. Miss Green, standing at one end, poled the boat gracefully through the water. This looks like an easy thing to do, but it takes a great deal of skill to handle a punt. " Does not the river look gay ? " said Eleanor. " There are lots of people out." The river indeed was covered with pleasure craft of all kinds. There is probably no stream in the world so given up to pleasure as is the Thames, which flows through the very heart of England ; indeed it has been called the " River of Pleasure." It took all Miss Green's skill to steer through the many boats filled with gay par- 4 Our Little English Cousin, ties. Daintily fitted up rowboats with soft- cushioned seats, the ladies in their bright summer dresses, with parasols of gay colours ; the men in white flannel suits and straw hats. There were many punts like their own. Also tiny sailboats, some of them with bright red or blue sails ; while every now and then a crew of young men from one of the colleges sculled past them, practising for the forthcoming boat- race. All made way for these swift racing boats, for one of the unwritten rules of the river is that boat crews must not be interfered with while practising. Occasionally our party in the punt would get the effect of a gentle wave from an auto- mobile boat or a steam-launch as it rushed by. In the midst of it all were to be seen the swans gliding in and out among the boats. The Thames swans are as well known as the river itself. They are very privileged birds and directly under the protection of the gov- Edith's Home on the Thames 5 ernment itself. There are special keepers to look after them, and any person who injured a swan in any way would be punished. But no harm ever happens to them, for the lovely white birds are great pets with every one, and the children especially like nothing better than to feed them. Along the banks, under the shade of over- hanging trees, were merry boat-loads of family parties making a picnic of their afternoon tea, as our little party intended to do. You must know that everybody in England takes what is called " five o'clock tea," and would no more think of going without their tea in the afternoon than their dinner. Presently the punt glided behind a clump of trees. You would think it was going into some one's garden, but out it came into a quiet bit of water, a miniature bay quite apart from the main river. This is called a " backwater." Catching hold of a tree with the hook on the 6 Our Little English Cousin end of her pole, Miss Green brought the punt up against the bank under the overhanging willows, and the young people were quickly out and on shore. Then the tea-basket was brought from the punt. " Now, Clarence," said Miss Green> "you fill the teakettle while the girls help me. Their kettle was especially constructed for these occasions with a hollow space in the bottom into which fits a small spirit-lamp, — . this so the wind cannot blow out the flame. " My ! we have got a jolly lot of cake \ that's good," and Clarence looked very ap- provingly at the nice plum-cake and the Madeira cake, which is a sort of sponge cake with slices of preserved citron on top of it, — a favourite cake for teas. In a few minutes the water boiled in spite of everybody watching it attentively, and Miss Green filled the teapot. Then they all gath- Edith's Home on the Thames 7 ered around the dainty cloth spread on the grass, and the slices of bread and butter, known as "cut bread and butter," and the lovely strawberry jam quickly disappeared. "Why do we always eat more out-of-doors, said Edith, " than when we are indoors eating in the proper way ? I suppose it is because we are doing it for fun that it seems different from tea in the schoolroom." " Perhaps the fresh air has more to do with it than anything else," laughed Miss Green, as she cut them the sixth piece of cake all around. "Now you rest, Miss Green, and we will pack up everything," said Eleanor. "Yes, and let's wash up the tea-things. It will be fun," said Edith, " and Betty will be surprised." So the little girls amused themselves with their housekeeping, while Clarence and Tow- ser ran races up and down the greensward until it was time to return. 8 Our Little English Cousin The sun was setting when they pulled up at the steps of their boat-landing where Colonel and Mrs. Howard, Edith's parents, were sit- ting in comfortable wicker garden-chairs, wait- ing for them. Oldham Manor, Edith's home, was a fine old house built in the " Tudor " style, of red brick with stone doorways and windows, and quaint, tall, ornamental chimneys, with the lower story entirely covered with ivy. Colonel Howard was a retired army officer who had seen much service in far-away India. He had to leave the army on account of his health, and now devoted himself to his wife and two children, and his lovely home. Mrs. Howard herself was a handsome and stately woman, rather reserved in her manner, but devoted to her children. Tom, Edith's brother, was at school at Eton College, so Edith had a double share of petting, and led a very happy existence with OLDHAM MANOR Edith's Home on the Thames 9 plenty of work and plenty of play. She had a pretty little room, with a little brass bed, and an old-fashioned chest of drawers for her clothes. The little dressing-table, which stood in front of one of the windows, was draped with pink-flowered muslin, and the window curtains were of the same material. The chairs were covered with a bright, pretty pink, green, and white chintz, and the carpet was pale green with pink roses. From the window of this delightful room, one overlooked the rose-garden. Adjoining was the schoolroom, a big room where Miss Green and Edith spent much of their time. Edith usually dressed quickly, for, when the weather was fine, she and her papa always took a walk around the gardens before breakfast. Colonel Howard was very proud of his roses, and the rose garden of the manor was quite famous ; many of the rose-bushes were trained to form great arches over the walks. io Our Little English Cousin Another hobby of Colonel Howard's was his fancy chickens and ducks, of which he had a great variety. Edith had her pet chickens, too, and she and her papa could never agree as to whose chickens were the finest, when they went to feed them in the morning. Edith would run each morning into the breakfast-room, a bright-faced little girl with sparkling blue eyes and golden brown hair tied up with a pink ribbon and waving loosely over her shoulders — as all English girls wear their hair until they are quite young ladies. Her dress was very simply made, and around the neck was a pink ribbon — pink was her favourite colour — tied in a bow. There was a "good-morning kiss" for mamma, and Edith must help to fasten the rose in her hair, which Colonel Howard always brought his wife. Edith had a good appetite for her breakfast of porridge and cream, milk, eggs and toast, or fish, or perhaps grilled kidneys and to- Edith's Home on the Thames 1 1 matoes, which is a favourite English breakfast dish and very good indeed. Always she fin- ished with marmalade. Breakfast over, then came the lessons in the schoolroom until one o'clock, when Edith and Miss Green had their dinner served to them here. After dinner she was free to walk or drive with her papa and mamma, or Miss Green, or play games with her little friends in the neighbourhood. Then for an hour in the afternoon Edith studied her lessons for the next day, curled up on the big green sofa near the window, while Miss Green read or sewed beside her, ready to help her out with a hard word. Finally she had tea with Miss Green in the schoolroom at six o'clock, and soon after this was ready for bed. Thursday was a red-letter day for Edith, for in the afternoon she always took tea with mamma and papa in state, in the drawing-room. This was so that she should learn how to go 12 Our Little English Cousin through with it in the proper manner, which is a very important part of a little English girl's education. Mamma received her just as if she was a grown-up lady visitor, while Edith put on her real " company " manners, and Colonel and Mrs. Howard often could scarcely repress a smile at her great dignity when she began the conversation with, " It's a charming day, is it not." " I take two lumps of sugar only, thank you." Rainy afternoons she often worked on fancy articles for the bazaars held by the Children's League of Mercy. Edith was a member, and the money from the sales was given to help the very poor children in their neighbourhood. So the little girl's days passed pleasantly enough, as you may imagine. CHAPTER II. A DAY AT HAMPTON COURT " No, Towser, you can't come with us ; you know you will not be allowed to go into the palace, and what should we do with you then," said Edith, patting him on the head, as she closed the gate and left poor doggie looking wistfully after them. Edith had been looking forward to a visit to Hampton Court for some time. Her mamma had promised that she could invite Eleanor and Clarence Whitworth and that Miss Green would take them all to spend a Saturday half- holiday, or rather a whole holiday, at this beautiful old palace, which was on the river, not very far distant from Oldham Manor. 13 14 Our Little English Cousin Several Saturdays had proved disappoint- ingly rainy, but to-day was all they could wish for, and after calling at the vicarage for Eleanor and Clarence, they went down the little village street which led to the river landing, where there was a sign, " Boats to let." Miss Green intended to engage a waterman to row them up to the Court, as it was a rather long and tiresome pull. The Thames watermen are quite an insti- tution, and are one of the oldest of English guilds or societies. They are banded together for the mutual protection of their business, which is to hire out boats — and to row boats and the like. Each man wears a badge, and is very jealous of his rights. A new man who wishes to join their band must go through a long apprenticeship before he can become what is publicly known as a cc Thames Waterman." cc Good morning, John," said Miss Green, to a bluff, good-natured man who lifted his "IN A FEW MINUTES THEY HAD LANDED" A Day at Hampton Court 15 cap to them. " Have you a good boat for us to- day ? we want you to take us up to the Court." " Yes, indeed, miss, one of the best of the lot." John was their favourite waterman, who often rowed them when the distances were too great for Miss Green. It was a pretty row past the green lawns of handsome homes, and one or two small river villages, where the principal business is the letting of boats and of fishing-tackle. John's sturdy strokes soon brought them in sight of the park belonging to Hampton Court, surrounded by a high wall past which the river winds for some distance. Soon they caught sight of the red brick towers of the palace itself, and its beautiful gardens, and in a few minutes they had landed near one of the small excursion steamers that ply between London and Hampton Court, on which so many folk take a charming day's excursion on the Thames. 1 6 Our Little English Cousin There is also a little village at Hampton Court, as well as the palace, but one never pays much attention to it, except when one begins to get hungry, for it is mostly made up of little shops, that hang out signs on which is the one word, " Teas," which means one can get there their afternoon tea. Our little party made straight for the big iron gates which lead into the entrance court. On one side are barracks where soldiers live, and before them rises the red brick lodge or gateway through which is the main entrance to the palace itself. I fancy one often thinks of a palace as a great, tall, imposing building of many stories. Well, most palaces do cover a great deal of ground, but many of the English ones are not so very tall. This palace is only two stories high, with a sort of attic at the top. Another strange thing about these old-time palaces is that most of the rooms are very small ac- A Day at Hampton Court 17 cording to our modern ideas, except for a few long rooms, called galleries. " Let us go through the two courtyards into the gardens and sit on a bench under one of those old yew-trees, and I will tell you chil- dren something of the story of the palace ; then you will enjoy seeing it much more," said Miss Green, as she led them into the lovely gardens where they could see the building to the best advantage. The children crowded around her as she began : "It was built several hundred years ago by the great Cardinal Wolsey who was minister or councillor to King Henry VIII. Wolsey became a powerful favourite of the king, who loaded him with royal gifts. He became wealthy and proud, and built for himself many grand homes, until at last he founded this Hampton Court, which was to be the most splendid of them all. But the cardinal had become by this time such a power in the king- 1 8 Our Little English Cousin dom, and was so arrogant and wealthy that the king was jealous of him, fearing that the cardinal would become his rival. " To counteract this, the cardinal presented his palace at Hampton Court to the king., and so it became a royal palace. But this did not prevent the cardinal's downfall. " Until a hundred or more years ago this palace was a favourite home of the Royal Family, but now it is only a show-place for holiday-makers. " " I don't see how the king could have treated the poor cardinal badly after he gave him such a beautiful home, ,, remarked Edith, as they entered the palace. " Ah, well ! perhaps he deserved it," said Miss Green, as they went up the grand stair> way and through room after room filled with pictures, and some of the furniture of those old days. They could see the beds on which had slept A Day at Hampton Court 19 many royal persons. Around this furniture were drawn ropes so no one could touch it or sit upon the chairs. The floors were highly waxed, and in every room was a guardian or sort of policeman, who closely watched visitors to see that nothing was disturbed. " Well, they did have a great number of rooms," said Eleanor, after they had walked through many bedchambers, anterooms, and reception-rooms. "Yes," answered Miss Green, "they were necessary not only for the Royal Family itself, but for the many people who were always attached to the court. " Here is the * throne-room/ " she con- tinued, " where the king or queen sat in that gilt chair which stands on a dais or platform raised several steps above the floor." Above the chair was a velvet canopy surmounted by a gilt crown. Usually the arms of England (the " Lion and the Unicorn ") were embroid- 20 Our Little English Cousin ered in gold and coloured silks on the velvet background behind the throne. Here the kings and queens held their audiences, and saw those who wished to present some petition or ask some royal favour. " This is one of the most splendid old-time c banqueting-halls ' in our country," said Miss Green, as they came into the great chamber with a high roof of great carved wood beams and windows of coloured glass. Around the walls were great stag heads, and over the entrance door was a gallery where the musi- cians played while guests ate dinner at the long tables. The guests sat on wooden benches or stools, while the persons of high rank occupied chairs at a table at the end of the hall, which was placed on a raised platform which separated them from those of inferior rank. "Can't we see the big grape-vine now?" said Edith, as they left the palace itself. A Day at Hampton Court 21 Miss Green led the way through the rose- garden, and past Queen Mary's Bower, a shady and favourite walk of one of the queens, so shut in by trees that it looked like a green tunnel. " There is the vine- house," exclaimed Clarence, as they came to a long, low, glass house which covered the huge vine, nearly two hundred years old, the largest single vine in the world. The trunk looked like that of a small tree, and its branches, hanging thick with bunches of grapes, covered the glass roof. At various times its home had to be added to, and still the vine has to be constantly pruned to keep it within bounds. " I should like to eat some of those grapes when they are ripe," said Eleanor, looking up at the clusters over her head. " You would have to be one of the Royal Family to do that," Miss Green smilingly said.