Chapter I: Front Matter

FERNLEY HOUSE

BOOKS FOR GIRLS

By Laura E. Richards

_The_ MARGARET SERIES

Three Margarets
Margaret Montfort
Peggy
Rita
Fernley House

_The_ HILDEGARDE SERIES

Queen Hildegarde
Hildegarde's Holiday
Hildegarde's Home
Hildegarde's Neighbors
Hildegarde's Harvest

DANA ESTES & COMPANY
Publishers
Estes Press, Summer St., Boston

FERNLEY HOUSE

BY LAURA E. RICHARDS

AUTHOR OF "CAPTAIN JANUARY," "MELODY," "QUEEN HILDEGARDE," "GEOFFREY STRONG," ETC.

Illustrated by ETHELDRED B. BARRY

BOSTON
DANA ESTES & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

_Copyright, 1901_
BY DANA ESTES & COMPANY

_All rights reserved_

FERNLEY HOUSE

Colonial Press
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. A DUET 11

II. MRS. PEYTON'S COMPANION 23

III. AN ARRIVAL 33

IV. UNCLE JOHN'S IDEA 46

V. A VISION 58

VI. ALI BABA 70

VII. MORE ARRIVALS 86

VIII. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF 100

IX. ABOUT NOTHING IN PARTICULAR 114

X. GRACE'S SYSTEM 128

XI. THE MYSTERIES OF FERNLEY 143

XII. THE EGG OF COLUMBUS 161

XIII. IN THE TWILIGHT 168

XIV. THE FIRE 183

XV. JEWELS: AND AN AWAKENING 195

XVI. FOR AULD LANG SYNE 205

XVII. IN THE GARDEN 217

XVIII. UNCLE JOHN'S BIRTHDAY 225

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
"HUGH AND MARGARET, ALL UNCONSCIOUS OF HER SCRUTINY,
WERE ENJOYING THEMSELVES EXTREMELY" _Frontispiece_

"MARGARET DID THE HONORS, STILL FEELING VERY SHY" 29

"AT THIS MOMENT POLLY APPEARED, RED-CHEEKED AND BREATHLESS" 33

"SHE WAS A SLENDERER PEGGY, WITH THE SAME BLUE, HONEST EYES" 86

"SHE LOOKED UP, AND SAW GRACE SITTING ON A BROAD, LOW BRANCH" 137

"ON THE SECOND LANDING THEY PAUSED TO SALUTE THE OLD PORTRAITS" 148

"A TALL, SLENDER FIGURE HALF RAN, HALF TOTTERED INTO THE ROOM" 181

"'I PROPOSE . . . THE HEALTH OF THE BEST MAN . . . THAT LIVES
UPON THIS EARTH TO-DAY; . . . THE HEALTH OF MY UNCLE JOHN!'" 238

FERNLEY HOUSE