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The Red House
A Novel
By E. Nesbit
AUTHOR OF "THE TREASURE "THE WOULDBEGOODS,"
ILLUSTRATED BY A.I. KELLER
NEW YORK AND LONDON
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
1902
Page verso
Copyright, 1902, by HARPER & BROTHERS.
All rights reserved. Published October, 1902
CONTENTS
I. THE BEGINNING
II. IN THE RED HOUSE
III. THE GHOST
IV. OUR NEW TENANT
V. THE LOAFERY
VI. YOLANDE'S REASONING
VII. THE HOUSE-WARMING
VIII. THE TENANT
IX. MANLY SPORTS
X. THE INVADERS
XI. THE ROOM FOR CONFIDENCES
XII. THE PUSSY-KITTEN
THE RED HOUSE
I
THE BEGINNING
CONVENTIONALLY our life-story ended in a shower of rice at the church door, amid the scent of white flowers, with a flutter of white favors all about us. We left behind us those relatives whose presence had been so little desired by us during our brief courtship, and a high-heeled white satin slipper struck the back of the brougham as we drove off. It was like a parting slap on the shoulder from our old life--the old life which we left so gayly, eager to fulfil the destiny set as the end of our wooing's fairy story, and to "live happy ever after."
And now all that was six months ago; and instead of attending to that destiny, the fairy princess and her unworthy prince were plunged over head and ears in their first quarrel--their first serious quarrel--about the real and earnest things of life; for the other little quarrels about matters of sentiment and the affections really did not count. They were only play and make-believe; still, they had got our hands in, s