Harry had been very active in helping his mother all the day before the departure, and once when carrying a heavy box down from the attics he had felt it bump heavily against his knee; but being a brave little boy, he said and thought nothing
about it at the time. All through the afternoon and night, however, a strange, dull pain in the knee haunted him. He did not tell anybody, but he wished frequently it would go away before he got to Kingshaven. There stood the Rover, all nicely packed and ready for the railway journey, and Harry’s heart beat high when he thought how soon he should see it riding proudly on the waves—the admired of all beholders.
Harry wakened early on the Saturday morning that had been fixed for their journey with this bright vision before his eyes; but a sudden shoot of pain, as he moved his knee, made him fall back on his pillow and almost scream for help. He controlled himself, however, and began to examine again the wounded spot. There was a swelling; but the blue and black marks he had seen last night were nearly gone.
The thing had rather too white a look; but Harry took this for a good sign, and hoped it would be all right before long. He got up and dressed, slowly and with difficulty, and still concealed even from his mother’s sharp eyes that anything was wrong. Walter came round early, and in time the whole party were off.
After a long but pleasant journey they reached the busy little sea-side resort of Kingshaven—a brisk, rising town, greatly patronized by families in search of bathing and safe boating and other marine enjoyments. Briery Cottage, which Mrs. Leslie had hired for the month, was very satisfactory in every way but one. It stood so far up in the town and in such a position that no view of the sea whatever, not even the tiniest bit, was to be obtained from its windows. That was a drawback certainly; and as they had only chosen it
from an advertisement, they had not taken this point into consideration. It could not be helped now.
“Well, it does not much matter, after all,” said Mrs. Leslie. “You children will be all day long on the beach; and as for me, if I take my knitting down to the rocks all the afternoons, I shall see as much of the sea as I want to. You know I am not so much in love with it as you all are.”
Briery Cottage, though it did not command a sea-view, was a very nice, comfortable little cottage, with a pleasant garden in front and a long strip of bowling-green behind. In front passed the wide public road, with many carriages and other vehicles constantly coming and going; so it could not be called a dull place at all events.
“O mamma, what a nice place Kingshaven is!” said Harry, quite enthusiastically.
“I’m sure I should never weary here even if we were to stay for a whole year!”