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8
 Eighth Edition
Everything’s an Argument
Andrea A. Lunsford

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

John J. Ruszkiewicz

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

9
For Bedford/St. Martin’s

Vice President, Editorial, Macmillan Learning Humanities: Edwin Hill

Executive Program Director for English: Leasa Burton
Senior Program Manager: John E. Sullivan III
Executive Marketing Manager: Joy Fisher Williams
Director of Content Development, Humanities: Jane Knetzger
Senior Developmental Editor: Rachel Goldberg
Associate Editor: Lexi DeConti
Editorial Assistant: William Hwang
Senior Content Project Manager: Ryan Sullivan
Senior Workflow Project Manager: Jennifer Wetzel
Production Coordinator: Brianna Lester
Media Project Manager: Jodi Isman
Media Editor: Julia Domenicucci
Editorial Services: Lumina Datamatics, Inc.
Composition: Lumina Datamatics, Inc.
Cartographer: Mapping Specialists, Ltd.
Text Permissions Manager: Kalina Ingham
Text Permissions Editor: Arthur Johnson, Lumina Datamatics, Inc.
Photo Permissions Editor: Angela Boehler
Photo Researcher: Krystyna Borgen, Lumina Datamatics, Inc.
Director of Design, Content Management: Diana Blume
Text Design: Claire Seng-Niemoeller, Anna Palchik, and Graphic
World, Inc.
Cover Design: William Boardman
Cover Images: (laptop) fStop Images/Epoxydude/Getty Images; (polar

10
bear) dagsjo/Getty Images; (vegan label) Good_Studio/Getty Images;
(free speech sign) Imfoto/Shutterstock; (kids with cell phones) Hero
Images/Getty Images

Copyright © 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 by Bedford/St. Martin’s.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except
as may be permitted by law or expressly permitted in writing by the
Publisher.

1 2 3 4 5 6 23 22 21 20 19 18

For information, write: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 75 Arlington Street,

Boston, MA 02116

ISBN: 978-1-319-21157-8(mobi)

Acknowledgments
Text acknowledgments and copyrights appear at the back of the book
on page 545, which constitutes an extension of the copyright page. Art
acknowledgments and copyrights appear on the same page as the art
selections they cover.

11
Preface
When we began work on this text in 1996 (the first edition came out in
1998), we couldn’t have anticipated all the events of the next two
tumultuous decades, or all the changes to public and private discourse,
or the current deeply divided state of our nation. But we have tried
hard, over these decades, to track such changes and the ways rhetoric
and argument have evolved and responded to them.

Certainly, we recognized the increasingly important role digital culture

plays in all our lives, and so with each new edition we have included
more on the technologies of communication, particularly those
associated with social media; and we early on recognized that, like
rhetoric itself, social media can be used for good or for ill, to bring
people together or to separate them.

We have also carefully tracked the forms that arguments take today,
from cartoons and graphic narratives to blogs and other postings to
multimodal projects of almost every conceivable kind. While argument
has always surrounded us, today it does so in an amazing array of
genres and forms, including aural and visual components that
strengthen and amplify arguments.

The sheer proliferation of information (not to mention misinformation,

disinformation, and outright lies) that bombards all writers led us to
reaffirm our commitment to studying and teaching style, since (as
Richard Lanham and others argue) in the age of information overload,
style is the tool writers possess to try to capture and keep the attention
of audiences. Attention to style reveals other changes, such as the

12
increasing use of informal registers and conversational styles even in
academic arguments.

Perhaps most important, though, a look back over the last twenty-two
years reaffirms the crucial role that rhetoric can and should play in
personal, work, and school lives. At its best, rhetoric is the art, theory,
and practice of ethical communication, needed more sorely today than
perhaps ever before. Everything’s an Argument presents this view of
rhetoric and illustrates it with a fair and wide range of perspectives and
views, which we hope will inspire student writers to think of
themselves as rhetors, as Quintilian’s “good person, speaking well.”

Key Features
Brief, cogent explanations of key argument concepts in a student-
friendly voice.

Part 1 introduces Aristotelian appeals, Toulmin argument,

Rogerian argument, and rhetorical analysis.
Part 2 covers common types of arguments, with a student and a
professional model of each type.
Part 3 addresses the range of media available to writers, including
visual rhetoric, presentations, and multimodal argument.
Part 4 guides students in researching arguments, including
searching for, evaluating, integrating, and documenting sources
and avoiding plagiarism.

Snappy examples weave in the debates that rage around us. From
#metoo tweets and protest posters to essays and scholarly writing,
boldfaced examples illustrate the arguments happening in politics,

13
economics, journalism, and media, with brief student-friendly analyses.

A real-world, full-color design that builds students’ understanding

of visual rhetoric. Presenting readings in the style of their original
publications helps students recognize and think about the effect that
design and visuals have on written and multimodal arguments.

New to This Edition

A new section on rhetorical listening in Chapter 1. The very first
chapter of the eighth edition now emphasizes the importance of
listening rhetorically and respectfully, encouraging readers to move
beyond “echo chambers” and build bridges among all viewpoints.

Eight new full-length models provide engaging, topical arguments of

fact, definition, evaluation, cause and effect, proposals, and rhetorical
analysis. Legal scholar Stephen L. Carter offers a Toulmin analysis of
whether racial epithets should be considered free speech, while New
York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof presents an op-ed in defense of
public wilderness.

Five new annotated student essays address topics students care about,
from millennials’ love of food to breaking a social media addiction.

A new introduction in the instructor’s notes. Focusing on the

teaching of argument, this new introduction gives both experienced and
first-time instructors a strong pedagogical foundation. Sample syllabi
for both semester and quarter courses provide help for pacing all types
of courses.

14
We’re all in. As always.
Bedford/St. Martin’s is as passionately committed to the discipline of
English as ever, working hard to provide support and services that
make it easier for you to teach your course your way.

Find community support at the Bedford/St. Martin’s English

Community (community.macmillan.com), where you can follow our
Bits blog for new teaching ideas, download titles from our professional
resource series, and review projects in the pipeline.

Choose curriculum solutions that offer flexible custom options,

combining our carefully developed print and digital resources,
acclaimed works from Macmillan’s trade imprints, and your own
course or program materials to provide the exact resources your
students need. Our approach to customization makes it possible to
create a customized project uniquely suited for your students and based
on your enrollment size, return money to your department, and raise
your institutional profile with a high-impact author visit through the
Macmillan Author Program (“MAP”).

Rely on outstanding service from your Bedford/St. Martin’s sales

representative and editorial team. Contact us or visit
macmillanlearning.com to learn more about any of the options below.

LaunchPad for Everything’s an Argument: Where Students

Learn
LaunchPad provides engaging content and new ways to get the most
out of your book. Get an interactive e-book combined with assessment

15
tools in a fully customizable course space; then assign and mix our
resources with yours.

Reading comprehension quizzes help you quickly gauge your

students’ understanding of the assigned reading.
Interactive exercises and tutorials cover reading, writing, and
research.
Diagnostics provide opportunities to assess areas for improvement
and assign additional exercises based on students’ needs. Visual
reports show performance by topic, class, and student as well as
improvement over time.
Pre-built units—including readings, videos, quizzes, and more—
are easy to adapt and assign by adding your own materials and
mixing them with our high-quality multimedia content and ready-
made assessment options, such as LearningCurve adaptive
quizzing and Exercise Central.
Use LaunchPad on its own or integrate it with your school’s
learning management system so that your class is always on the
same page.

LaunchPad for Everything’s an Argument can be purchased on its own

or packaged with the print book at a significant discount. An activation
code is required. To order LaunchPad for Everything’s an Argument
with the print book, use ISBN 978-1-319-24310-4. For more
information, go to launchpadworks.com.

Choose from Alternative Formats of Everything’s an

Argument
Bedford/St. Martin’s offers a range of formats. Choose what works

16
best for you and your students:

Paperback edition with five additional readings chapters To

order the paperback edition of Everything’s an Argument with
Readings, use ISBN 978-1-319-05626-1.
Popular e-book formats For details of our e-book partners, visit
macmillanlearning.com/ebooks.

Select Value Packages

Add value to your text by packaging a Bedford/St. Martin’s resource,
such as Writer’s Help 2.0, with Everything’s an Argument at a
significant discount. Contact your sales representative for more
information.

Writer’s Help 2.0 is a powerful online writing resource that helps

students find answers, whether they are searching for writing advice on
their own or as part of an assignment.

Smart search. Built on research with more than 1,600 student

writers, the smart search in Writer’s Help 2.0 provides reliable
results even when students use novice terms, such as flow and
unstuck.
Trusted content from our best-selling handbooks. Andrea
Lunsford’s user-friendly tone ensures that students have clear
advice and examples for all of their writing questions.
Diagnostics that help establish a baseline for instruction.
Assign diagnostics to identify areas of strength and areas for
improvement and to help students plan a course of study. Use
visual reports to track performance by topic, class, and student as
well as improvement over time.

17
 Adaptive exercises that engage students. Writer’s Help 2.0
includes LearningCurve, game-like online quizzing that adapts to
what students already know and helps them focus on what they
need to learn.

Student access is packaged with Everything’s an Argument at a

significant discount. Order ISBN 978-1-319-25621-0 for Writer’s Help
2.0, Lunsford Version, to ensure your students have easy access to
online writing support. Students who rent or buy a used book can
purchase access and instructors may request free access at
macmillanlearning.com/writershelp2.

Instructor Resources
You have a lot to do in your course. We want to make it easy for you to
find the support you need—and to get it quickly.

Instructor’s Notes for Everything’s an Argument is available as a

PDF that can be downloaded from macmillanlearning.com. Visit the
instructor resources tab for Everything’s an Argument. In addition to a
new introduction about teaching the argument course, the instructor’s
manual features chapter overviews and teaching tips, sample syllabi,
correlations to the Council of Writing Program Administrators’
Outcomes Statement, and potential answers to the “Respond” questions
in the book.

Acknowledgments
We owe a debt of gratitude to many people for making Everything’s an
Argument possible. Our first thanks must go to the thousands of people
we have taught in our writing courses over nearly four decades,

18
particularly students at the Ohio State University, Stanford University,
the University of Texas at Austin, and Portland State University.
Almost every chapter in this book has been informed by a classroom
encounter with a student whose shrewd observation or perceptive
question sent an ambitious lesson plan spiraling to the ground.
(Anyone who has tried to teach claims and warrants on the fly to
skeptical first-year writers will surely appreciate why we have qualified
our claims in the Toulmin chapter so carefully.) But students have also
provided the motive for writing this book. More than ever, they need to
know how to read and write arguments effectively if they are to secure
a place in a world growing ever smaller and more rhetorically
challenging.

We are deeply grateful to the editors at Bedford/St. Martin’s who have

contributed their formidable talents to this book. In particular, we want
to thank the ingenious and efficient Rachel Goldberg for guiding us so
patiently and confidently—helping us locate just the right items
whenever we needed fresh examples and images and gracefully
recasting passage after passage to satisfy permissions mandates. Senior
content project manager Ryan Sullivan was relentlessly upbeat and
kind in all his communications, making the ever-more-complex stages
of production almost a pleasure. We also appreciate the extensive
support and help of Lexi DeConti, who kept us attuned to examples
and readings that might appeal to students today. We are similarly
grateful to senior program manager John Sullivan, whose support was
unfailing; Kalina Ingham, Arthur Johnson, and Tom Wilcox, for text
permissions; Angela Boehler and Krystyna Borgen, for art
permissions; Bridget Leahy, copyeditor; and William Hwang, editorial

19
assistant. All of you made editing the eighth edition feel fresh and
creative.

We’d also like to thank the astute instructors who reviewed the seventh
edition: Michael S. Begnal, Ball State University; Jennifer Boyle,
Davidson County Community College; Tabitha Bozeman, Gadsden
State Community College; Dana Crotwell, El Camino College;
Michael Emerson, Northwestern Michigan College; Jason Fichtel,
Joliet Junior College; Laura Gabrion, Oakland University; Michelle
Jarvis, Davidson County Community College; Peggy Karsten,
Ridgewater University; Rebecca Kovar, Blinn College; Juliette
Ludeker, Howard Community College; James Marinelli, Northwestern
Michigan College; Brian Martin, Howard Community College; Lisa
Mastrangelo, Centenary University; Michael Noschka, Paradise Valley
Community College; Yvonne Schultz, Mount Vernon Nazarene
University; Marcea Seible, Hawkeye Community College; KT Shaver,
CSU Long Beach; Geoffrey Way, Washburn University; Peter Wegner,
Arizona State University; Richard Williamson, Blinn College; and
Cassandra Woody, University of Oklahoma.

Thanks, too, to Sherrie Weller of Loyola Chicago University and

Valerie Duff-Stroutmann of Newbury College, who updated the
instructor’s notes for this eighth edition with a new introduction, new
model syllabi, new points for discussion, and new classroom activities.
We hope this resource will be useful as instructors build their courses.
Finally, we are grateful to the students whose fine argumentative
essays or materials appear in our chapters: Cameron Hauer, Kate
Beispel, Jenny Kim, Laura Tarrant, Natasha Rodriguez, Caleb Wong,

20
Juliana Chang, George Chidiac, and Charlotte Geaghan-Breiner. We
hope that Everything’s an Argument responds to what students and
instructors have said they want and need.

Andrea A. Lunsford

John J. Ruszkiewicz

Correlation to Council of Writing Program

Administrators’ (WPA) Outcomes
Everything’s an Argument works with the Council of Writing Program
Administrators’ Outcomes Statement for first-year composition courses
(last updated 2014).

2014 WPA Support in Everything’s an Argument, 8e

Outcomes

Rhetorical
Knowledge

Learn and use Chapter 1, “Understanding Arguments and Reading

key rhetorical Them Critically” (pp. 3–31), establishes the central
concepts through elements of the rhetorical situation and encourages
analyzing and rhetorical listening.
composing a
variety of texts. Chapter 6, “Rhetorical Analysis” (pp. 97–132), further
develops these concepts and teaches students how to
analyze a rhetorical analysis and compose their own.

Each chapter offers dozens of written, visual, and

multimodal texts to analyze.

Gain experience Everything’s an Argument provides engaging readings

21
reading and across genres, from academic essays and newspaper
composing in editorials to tweets and infographics. “Respond” boxes
several genres to throughout each chapter (e.g., pp. 56–57) invite
understand how students to think critically about the material.
genre
conventions Each chapter on a specific type of argument features
shape and are project ideas (e.g., p. 186), giving students detailed
shaped by prompts to write their own arguments of fact,
readers’ and arguments of definition, evaluations, causal arguments,
writers’ practices and proposals.
and purposes.

Develop facility Chapter 13, “Style in Arguments” (pp. 321–45),

in responding to addresses word choice, tone, sentence structure,
a variety of punctuation, and figurative language, with engaging
situations and examples of each.
contexts, calling
for purposeful The “Cultural Contexts for Argument” boxes
shifts in voice, throughout the text (e.g., p. 163) address how people
tone, level of from other cultures might respond to different styles or
formality, design, structures of argument. This feature offers suggestions
medium, and/or on how to think about argument in an unfamiliar
structure. cultural context.

Understand and Chapter 16, “Multimodal Arguments” (pp. 381–402),

use a variety of addresses how new media has transformed the array of
technologies to choices for making arguments and reaching audiences.
address a range This chapter teaches how to analyze multimodal
of audiences. arguments as well as how to create them through Web
sites, videos, wikis, blogs, social media, memes, posters,
and comics.

Match the Chapter 14, “Visual Rhetoric” (pp. 346–62), discusses

capacities of the power of visual rhetoric and how students can use
different visuals in their own work.
environments
(e.g., print and Chapter 15, “Presenting Arguments” (pp. 363–80),

22
electronic) to includes material on incorporating various media into
varying presentations and Webcasts.
rhetorical
situations. Chapter 16, “Multimodal Arguments” (pp. 381–402),
analyzes the evolving landscape of argument across
media platforms.

Chapter 17, “Academic Arguments” (pp. 405–37),

covers the conventions of academic arguments.

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing

Use composing Chapter 1, “Understanding Arguments and Reading

and reading for Them Critically” (pp. 3–31), features a section called
inquiry, learning, “Why Listen to Arguments Rhetorically and
thinking, and Respectfully” (pp. 7–8). It teaches students to listen
communicating openly and constructively and calls attention to the
in various need to escape “echo chambers,” respectfully consider
rhetorical all viewpoints, and find common ground.
contexts.
Throughout Everything’s an Argument, students are
invited to delve deeper into current issues in the world
around them, considering the various arguments
presented in tweets, newspapers, scholarly papers,
court rulings, and even bumper stickers. Everything’s an
Argument guides students in asking critical questions
about these contexts and learning how to respond to
and create their own compositions. Chapters dedicated
to central types of argument explain how students
might best approach each writing situation. The
chapters close with a guide to writing arguments of that
type:

Chapter 8, “Arguments of Fact” (pp. 164–96)

Chapter 9, “Arguments of Definition” (pp. 197–223)

23
 Chapter 10, “Evaluations” (pp. 224–54)

Chapter 11, “Causal Arguments” (pp. 255–85)

Chapter 12, “Proposals” (pp. 286–318)

Chapter 16, “Multimodal Arguments” (pp. 381–402)

Read a diverse Chapter 7, “Structuring Arguments” (pp. 135–63),

range of texts, examines making claims and using evidence to support
attending those claims. It delves into the structure of Rogerian and
especially to Toulmin arguments, showing how different argument
relationships types work for different writing situations.
between
assertion and Each Guide to Writing features sections on
evidence, to “Formulating a Claim” and “Thinking about
patterns of Organization” (e.g., pp. 212 and 214), emphasizing the
organization, to use of evidence and the structure of the argument.
interplay
between verbal
and nonverbal
elements, and
how these
features function
for different
audiences and
situations.

Locate and Chapter 18, “Finding Evidence” (pp. 438–53), covers

evaluate primary locating evidence from print, electronic, and field
and secondary research sources.
research
materials, Chapter 19, “Evaluating Sources” (pp. 454–63),
including journal addresses how to assess those sources effectively.
articles, essays,
books,

24
databases, and
informal Internet
sources.

Use strategies— Chapter 20, “Using Sources,” provides detailed

such as explanations of summary, paraphrase, and quotation
interpretation, and when to use each approach (pp. 467–73). The
synthesis, chapter discusses framing with introductory phrases
response, and signal verbs, and it presents multiple ways to
critique, and connect source material to a student’s own ideas—by
design/redesign establishing a context, introducing a term or concept,
—to compose developing a claim, highlighting differences, and
texts that avoiding “patchwriting” (pp. 480–82).
integrate the
writer’s ideas Chapter 21, “Plagiarism and Academic Integrity” (pp.
with those from 484–93), highlights the importance of acknowledging
appropriate another writer’s work.
sources.
Chapter 22, “Documenting Sources” (pp. 494–532),
concludes the research section of the book with a
discussion of MLA and APA documentation, including a
wide range of citation models in both formats.

Processes

Develop a writing Chapter 17, “Academic Arguments” (pp. 405–37),

project through stresses the importance of working through multiple
multiple drafts. drafts of a project, using revision and peer feedback to
improve the document.

Develop flexible Writing is a fundamental focus of Everything’s an

strategies for Argument, and students learn to critique their own work
reading, drafting, and the work of others in almost every part of the book.
reviewing, Each Guide to Writing, focusing on a specific type of
collaboration, argument in the Part 2 chapters, contains step-by-step
revising, advice on drafting, researching, and organizing, as well
rewriting, as peer review questions about the claim being made,

25
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Granfer, and One
Christmas time
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project
Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If
you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Granfer, and One Christmas time

Author: Eleanora H. Stooke

Illustrator: E. Woolmer

Release date: September 29, 2023 [eBook #71759]

Language: English

Original publication: London: National Society's Depository, 1903

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRANFER, AND ONE

CHRISTMAS TIME ***
Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed.

MR. NORRIS TAKES UNA TO SEE THE LAMB.

GRANFER
 AND

ONE CHRISTMAS TIME

BY

ELEANORA H. STOOKE

AUTHOR OF

"THE HERMIT'S CAVE," "LITTLE MAID MARIGOLD," ETC.

WITH FRONTISPIECE BY ETHEL WOOLMER

LONDON

NATIONAL SOCIETY'S DEPOSITORY

BROAD SANCTUARY, WESTMINSTER

NEW YORK: THOMAS WHITTAKER, 2 & 3 BIBLE HOUSE

[All rights reserved]

PRINTED BY

SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. LTD., NEW-STREET SQUARE

LONDON
 CONTENTS

GRANFER

CHAPTER I. IN THE FARM-KITCHEN

CHAPTER II. NEW NEIGHBOURS

CHAPTER III. VISITORS AT LOWERCOOMBE FARM

CHAPTER IV. THE BOOK-MARKER

CHAPTER V. UNA LEARNS A SECRET

CHAPTER VI. UNA'S ACCIDENT

CHAPTER VII. GRANFER'S HEART'S DESIRE

CHAPTER VIII. GRANFER'S EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY

ONE CHRISTMAS TIME

CHAPTER I. CONCERNING A DOLL IN AN AMBER-COLOURED

GOWN

CHAPTER II. HOW THE DOLL WAS RECEIVED IN THE BLUNDELL

FAMILY

CHAPTER III. CONCERNING JIM BLEWETT AND HIS LANDLADY

CHAPTER IV. MAGGIE IS INVITED TO A PARTY

CHAPTER V. PREPARING FOR MRS. METHERELL'S PARTY

CHAPTER VI. MRS. METHERELL'S PARTY

 CHAPTER VII. JIM BLEWETT VISITS THE BLUNDELLS, AND
INTERFERES IN THEIR CONCERNS

CHAPTER VIII. THE RESULTS OF JIM BLEWETT'S INTERFERENCE

 GRANFER

CHAPTER I

IN THE FARM-KITCHEN

IT was spring. The bright March sun in a cloudless blue sky was shining into
the kitchen of Lowercoombe Farm, upon the spotless china on the dresser,
the glistening tin ware on the mantelpiece, and the old copper warming pan
hanging from its accustomed nail against the wall. The farm-house kitchen
was a pleasant place: the stone floor was kept scrupulously clean, and the
large deal table was as white as scrubbing could make it, whilst the oak
settles by the fire-place and the few chairs placed at equal distances around
the room shone with the constant application of 'elbow-grease,' as the
housewives call rubbing and polishing. On the hearth burnt a large wood fire,
over which in an iron crock simmered a savoury stew which Mrs. Maple, the
farmer's wife, who was engaged in getting up her husband's shirts at the table,
put down her iron to stir occasionally.

The mistress of Lowercoombe was a comely, middle-aged woman, with a

pleasant, ruddy face, and bright blue eyes that were in the habit of looking
kindly upon every one and everything. Her husband often said that if she
could find no good to say of people they must be either very disagreeable or
very wicked, for his wife had a way of finding out folks' good qualities, and
always tried to think the best of those who crossed her path in life.

Now, as she held up the last of the shirts at arm's length to survey her work
better, she heard a footstep approaching the kitchen door, which opened
straight into the yard, and in another moment her father, who had made his
home at Lowercoombe since her marriage to the farmer, entered, and going to
the fire-place, sat down in a corner of the settle.

He was a tall old man of nearly eighty, with a pair of shrewd dark eyes and a
stern face. Jabez Norris was known as honourable and upright, but was
considered a hard man. Many years ago he had turned his only son, David,
then a lad of eighteen, out of his house, because he wished to become an
artist, instead of following in his father's footsteps, and being a farmer. From
that day to this, Mr. Norris had never seen nor heard of his son, but whether
this was a trouble to the old man or not nobody knew, for he rarely mentioned
David to any one, and even his favourite daughter, with whom he lived, and
who had loved her brother dearly, spoke of him but seldom.

"Are you tired, father?" asked Mrs. Maple in her bright, cheerful tones. "I
always think these days of early spring are trying!"

"Ay, ay, to folks of my age, no doubt. I'm beginning to feel the weight of years,
Mary!"

"You are a wonderful man for your age, father; every one says so."

"I'm not complaining, but at my time of life, I must expect to be failing. It is a

lovely day, but, as you say, trying. Summer in the sun, and winter in the
shade!"

"It's time for Nellie and Bessie to be home from school," Mrs. Maple remarked,
adroitly changing the conversation as she glanced at the grandfather's clock
that ticked loudly in a corner of the kitchen.

Nellie and Bessie were her two little daughters, aged respectively eleven and
nine. Mr. Norris was very proud and fond of them both, and his stern face
softened at the mention of their names.

"How fast they do grow!" he exclaimed. "Why, they'll be women almost

directly. Nellie is like her father, but I don't think Bessie takes after either you
or your husband, Mary!"

"No," Mrs. Maple answered; then she added, in a lower tone, "but I know who
she is like, though!"

"Who's that?" enquired the old man with a sharp glance at his daughter.

"Why, David, to be sure! Every one remarks the likeness! She has his soft
brown eyes, and his winning manner, and her very voice seems to have an
echo of his!"

Mr. Norris was silent, his eyes fixed on the flames which leaped and danced
on the hearth. His daughter plucked up her courage and continued:
"Have you forgotten what day it is, father? The third of March! David's
birthday! I wonder where he is now! I would give a great deal to know! An only
son, and brother, and to think we have neither seen nor heard of him for
fifteen years!"

"That is his fault, Mary!"

"I don't know about that! You were hard on him, father, and told him never to
show his face at home again, and he took you at your word!"

"It is his pride that has kept him silent!" the old man exclaimed angrily. "It is to
be hoped that your Bessie does not take after him in disposition as well as in
appearance, or you'll have trouble with her yet!"

"Oh, father, how can you speak like that when she's such a good child?" the
mother cried in reproachful accents. "She has never given me a moment's
anxiety! But, speaking of David, I do wonder what has become of him, and
whether he is married or not!"

At that moment two pairs of light footsteps were heard in the yard, and Nellie
and Bessie entered, rosy with struggling against the March wind.

"Well, children," their mother said in greeting, as she turned her bright face
with its welcoming smile upon them, "are your appetites ready for dinner?"

"Oh, yes!" they both answered, and Nellie went to the hearth and peeped into
the crock, remarking:

"How good it smells!"

Bessie sat down on the settle by her grandfather's side and slipped her little,
warm fingers into his cold palm.

"How grave you look, Granfer!" she exclaimed, calling him by the name she
and her sister had given him. "What have you and mother been talking
about?" she added coaxingly.

"About some one you never saw—your Uncle David!" the old man responded,
much to the surprise of his daughter, who had never known him mention their
uncle to the children before.

"Oh, I've heard of him!" Bessie cried. "He wanted to be an artist, and he went
away and never came back again! He used always to be painting pictures,
didn't he, Granfer?"
"Yes; neglecting his work and idling his time! He cared nothing for the farm,
but was for ever with a pencil or a paint-brush in his hand!"

"Painting was his talent," Mrs. Maple remarked quietly.

"Then I suppose God gave it to him," Bessie said thoughtfully. "It wouldn't
have been right if he had not been an artist, would it, Granfer?"

"What do you mean, child?"

"I think I understand," Mrs. Maple interposed, seeing her little daughter hardly
knew how to explain. "You mean that if your uncle David had not used the
talent God had given him, he would have been like the man in the parable
who hid his talent in the earth!"

"Yes," Bessie said eagerly, "he ought to have used it, and instead he put it
away so that it was no good to any one!"

Mrs. Maple glanced at her father somewhat anxiously. He was looking at

Bessie attentively and gravely, but not as though he was angry.

"So you think my son was perfectly right in disobeying me," he said. "I wanted
him to be a farmer, and he would not!"

"He knew he could never be a good farmer," Mrs. Maple put in quietly. "We
must be just, father!"

"Ay; but I don't forget how he defied me."

"What became of him?" asked Nellie. "Do you think he has become rich,
Granfer?"

The old man laughed disagreeably.

"I never heard of a rich artist yet!" he declared.

"Oh, but, Granfer, sometimes artists make a lot of money; they do really!"
Nellie cried eagerly. "They are not all poor, you know. The girls at school the
other day were speaking of a great artist who was introduced to Queen
Victoria!"

"It has sometimes crossed my mind that David may have been successful,"
Mrs. Maple said thoughtfully. "I'm sure I hope he has! I wish we knew
something about him—poor David!" and she sighed regretfully. There were
tears in her kind blue eyes as she spoke of her brother, for she had treasured
the memory of his handsome boyish face and winning ways in her heart for
many a long year; and, rich or poor, if he had returned at any time he would
have found his sister's love the same.

"Don't you wish Uncle David would come home, Granfer?" Bessie asked
softly. "I do!"

"Yes, I should like to see him once more," the old man acknowledged, "for
though he defied me, he is my only son."

His eyes rested thoughtfully and wistfully upon Bessie's face; and as he saw
the likeness to that other countenance that had passed out of his sight in
anger, more than fifteen years before, he sighed regretfully too, and his
daughter caught the murmured words:

"Perhaps I was to blame as well as the boy. As the child says, it was his one
talent! I wish David would come home!"

CHAPTER II
NEW NEIGHBOURS

NOT five minutes' walk from Lowercoombe Farm, situated a little back from
the high road, was a large-sized, detached cottage called Coombe Villa,
standing in its own grounds. It had been unoccupied for some months, but
one day towards the end of March, as Nellie and Bessie Maple went by on
their way to school, they noticed a large furniture van drawn up in front of the
garden gate, and several men engaged in carrying different articles of
household furniture into the cottage. They paused a moment to watch, and
then ran on to make up for lost time, wondering who the new inhabitants of
Coombe Villa were, and wishing they knew all about them.
On their return journey they found the van had gone, and an old man was
sweeping up the straw and litter that strewed the garden path, whilst a
maidservant stood at one of the open windows looking out.

The children went home in some excitement to inform their mother that
Coombe Villa was occupied again; and during the time the family was seated
at dinner the conversation was mostly about the newcomers.

"The cottage has been taken by a Mr. Manners," the farmer said. "I was told
so in the village this morning—in fact, Mr. Manners was pointed out to me, and
a fine-looking gentleman, he seemed, with a pleasant face. They tell me he is
a widower with an only child, a little girl of about the same age as our Bessie, I
should think."

"Oh, have you seen her?" the children enquired with great interest.

"Yes; she was with her father this morning. They had evidently been shopping
in the village, for they were laden with parcels. They look nice people, but of
course one cannot always judge by appearances."

Nellie and Bessie were very curious about their new neighbours, and felt the
advent of strangers to the parish to be an exciting event, for, like most country
children, they rarely saw a face they did not know, unless on the few
occasions when they went with their parents to the nearest market town. So
they peeped into the garden of Coombe Villa every time they passed, in the
hope of seeing the little girl, but nearly a week elapsed before they caught
sight of her. On that occasion she was at play with a black and white fox-
terrier, and laughing merrily as the dog frisked around her delighted with the
game.

She stood inside the gate looking through the bars as Nellie and Bessie came
within view, and when she met their eager glances she smiled a little shyly,
and said: "Good morning!"

"Good morning!" they echoed, and passed on slowly.

Once they looked back, and perceived the little girl gazing after them with her
face full of lively interest. Next morning she was there again—this time
evidently watching for them. She greeted them in the same manner as before,
adding quickly:

"Oh, please, do stop a minute!"

They paused, and there was a moment's silence; then the little stranger
asked:

"Are you going to school?"

"Yes," Nellie answered.

"I thought so. I don't go to school, because father teaches me. You pass here
every day, don't you? Have you far to go?"

"About a mile—that is not far when the weather is fine, but it seems a long
way in the winter if it is rainy or snowy. We live at Lowercoombe Farm."

"That is the house down in the valley, isn't it? Is your father a farmer?"

"Yes."

"How nice! I should like to be a farmer if I were a man, and keep lots of
horses, and dogs, and cows!"

"And sheep, and pigs, and poultry," added Nellie, laughing, "but it's hard work
looking after them all!"

"I suppose it is. My name is Una Manners—what is yours?"

"I am called Nellie—Nellie Maple," the elder little girl explained, "and she,"
pointing to her sister, "is Bessie!"

"I think Nellie and Bessie are pretty names! Oh, are you going already? Can't
you stay and talk to me a little longer?"

"We should like to, but we should be late for school if we did, and that would
never do," Nellie replied, "but perhaps we shall see you another day!"

"Very likely. I will be on the look-out for you. This is my dog 'Crack.' Are you
fond of dogs?"

"Oh, yes," both children answered; and Bessie added: "We have a dear old
sheep-dog called 'Rags.'"

"I should like to see him! Oh, must you really go now? Good-bye!"

The little girls ran off and were soon out of sight. Una, after watching them till
they disappeared, opened the gate, and strolled into the road. As she went
along she gathered a bunch of primroses and a few white violets to take home
to her father.

Presently she heard a sheep-dog barking, and coming to a gateway saw a

man crossing the field towards her, bearing in his arms a little white lamb that
bleated pitifully, whilst a rough old English sheep-dog rushed towards her
growling and snarling.

Una drew back hastily with a cry of alarm, and Crack, who was close at her
heels, gave a sharp, indignant bark. The man called to his dog, and the well-
trained animal returned obediently to his side, looking up into his master's face
for further instructions.

"Don't be frightened, Missy," said the farmer, for it was Mr. Maple himself.
"Rags will not hurt you; but he saw you were a stranger, and he was
wondering what you were doing here!"

Una smiled, reassured, and as Rags came up to her again, fixing his brown
eyes on her face as though to ascertain if she was to be trusted or not, she
extended her little white hand to him. The big dog sniffed at it for a moment in
doubt, then he gave it a friendly lick, while Crack walked round him
inquisitively.

"There now!" exclaimed the farmer laughing. "Rags has quite made up his
mind to like you, and he'll know you when he sees you again. He's very fond
of children; my little maids can do anything with him; and he's really very
good-tempered, although he looks so fierce. Ah, dogs know those who
understand them."

"Are Nellie and Bessie your little girls?" Una enquired. "Then you must be the
farmer at Lowercoombe Farm?"

"Yes," he answered, "but how did you come to know that?"

"I was talking to your little girls just now," she explained. "They pass our house
on their way to school. I live at Coombe Villa with my father and Nanny—she's
my nurse. We have another servant named Polly, but she has not been with
us long. Nanny has lived with us ever since I was born. What are you going to
do with that dear little lamb?"

"Why, I am going to take it home to my wife to see if she can't rear it up by

hand. The poor creature has lost its mother."
"Oh, dear, how sad!" cried Una. "Do you think it will live?"

"I hope so. We shall do our best for it, anyway. You must pay us a visit, little
Missy, one of these days, to see for yourself how the lamb is doing. Will you?"

"Oh, yes, if father will let me, and I know he will! How kind of you to ask me!"

"My wife and children will be pleased to see you, I know," the farmer
continued; "you'll be very welcome."

"And Rags?" said Una, smiling as she put her hand on the dog's shaggy back,
"you will be pleased to see me too, won't you, Rags?"

"You are fond of animals, I can see," remarked Mr. Maple.

"Oh, yes!" she answered readily, "so is father! He says he cannot think how
any one can serve animals badly! It's so unchristian, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is, Missy, though I never thought of it in that light before!"

"Don't you remember what God says: 'Every beast of the forest is Mine, and
the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the
wild beasts of the field are Mine.' Animals belong to God just as much as we
do, don't they?"

The farmer nodded, looking with interest at the bright, animated face of the
child. She put up her hand, and softly caressed the curly fleece of the
motherless lamb.

"Dear little thing!" she murmured, "I do hope it will live! How will your wife
manage to feed it?"

"She puts the finger of a kid glove on to the spout of a tea-pot, and lets the
lambs who lose their mothers take the milk that way. She's reared many like
that, and it's wonderful how soon the little creatures get to know her."

With a cheery "Good morning," the farmer turned his footsteps homewards,
followed by Rags; and Una calling to Crack, who was rat hunting in the hedge,
ran back along the road towards Coombe Villa.

She found her father at the garden gate looking for her, and immediately
began to tell him about the farmer and his dog and the little lamb, to all of
which he listened with an amused smile. Then she spoke of her interview with
Nellie and Bessie.
"I may go to the farm one day, may I not, father?" she asked coaxingly.

"We will see about it, my dear; I dare say you may. Perhaps the little girls may
mention the matter to you; and if they do, I have not the least objection to your
going. I hear the Maples are nice people, and much respected in the district,
and I dare say the children will be good companions for you. The folks at
Lowercoombe Farm are our nearest neighbours, and I should wish to be on
good terms with them."

"Oh, yes, father! See what beautiful flowers I have gathered for your studio!
Are not the violets sweet?"

"Very," Mr. Manners answered; "I think they are my favourite flowers, for they
always remind me of your dear mother. It was Spring when she died, and
some white violets that I gave her one day were the last flowers she noticed, I
remember."

He sighed, and the shadow of a deep grief crossed his face as he mentioned
his dead wife. Una gave his hand a little, sympathetic squeeze, and he looked
down at her with a tender, loving smile as he whispered:

"Little comforter! You always understand!"

CHAPTER III
VISITORS AT LOWERCOOMBE FARM

"MARY, there's some one knocking at the door!"

It was old Mr. Norris who spoke. He was seated with his Bible open upon his
knee, in his favourite corner of the settle.

"Coming, father!" his daughter's voice responded from the dairy. And in
another moment Mrs. Maple hurried into the kitchen and opened the door to