Monna. Il

was reasonable, I was left to amuse myself all day
in any way that I could. To be sure, I did make
my escape whenever I found a chance, but I never
strayed far. There was a large space of unenclosed
ground, not ten minutes’ walk from our cottage,
which I passed on the rare occasions of my being
taken to the village. This piece of common so took
my childish fancy, that the first time that it occurred
to me to run out without leave, I can well remem-
ber running, fluttered and panting, up the lane,
until at last I stood alone on the wide, open space,
and looked around me with a sense of freedom so
intense that it almost amounted to pain; and I crept
under an overhanging furze-bush which stood near,
that from the shelter of its branches I might look
out more calmly at that new, illimitable world.
From that day, whenever I escaped, I made at full
speed for my friendly furze-bush, and, sitting down
under it, gazed out at the view, and played with
the ferns and grasses, and felt supremely happy.
The worst of it was that my snatches of freedom
never lasted long, for as soon as old Nance missed
me, she knew where to go in search of me. But I
never could find it in my heart to go elsewhere ;
that bush was my chosen friend, and I thought it
would be sorry if I went away to another.

All this was changed, however, on the arrival of