And then both went to work and tumbled out all the slates, pencils, and pens, all the “Peter Parleys,” and other attractive school books.
Finally, at the bottom of the trunk, lay two thick volumes, which little Glo’ with some difficulty lifted out and took upon her lap, and playfully hid with her handkerchief, saying:
“And now, David Lindsay, here are two precious, precious treasures, too precious to be read very often!”
“What is it?” said the boy—“the Holy Bible in two volumes?”
“No,” answered the girl, gravely and sweetly. “The Word of the Lord is the Book of books, and not to be talked of with others.”
“Well, then, is it the Lives of the Saints?”
“No,” she answered, smiling; “but you can never guess. This one in blue and gold is the ‘Arabian Nights’ Entertainment,’ and this one in crimson, with the painted picture on the cover, is ‘Fairy Tales.’ Oh! they are just splendid, David Lindsay! I love them, and so will you; but you ought not to read them until you have done all your work and lessons for the day. Mamma never let me have the story-books until I had done my lessons,” said the little girl, solemnly.
Meanwhile David was looking at the new books.
“I—I like these a heap better than I do the school ones,” he said, as he turned over the pages.
“Oh, to be sure! So do I. But they are only holiday books, you know.”