The Tapestry Room A Child's Romance   By: Mrs. Molesworth (1839-1921)

THE TAPESTRY ROOM

A Child's Romance

By MRS. MOLESWORTH

AUTHOR OF 'CARROTS,' 'CUCKOO CLOCK,' 'GRANDMOTHER DEAR,' 'TELL ME A STORY,' ETC.

[Illustration: 'DUDU']

'What tale did Iseult to the children say, Under the hollies, that bright winter's day?' MATTHEW ARNOLD

ILLUSTRATED BY WALTER CRANE

London MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1899

(By Permission.)

TO H.R.H. VITTORIO EMANUELE PRINCE OF NAPLES CROWN PRINCE OF ITALY ONE OF THE KINDLIEST OF MY YOUNG READERS

MAISON DU CHANOINE, October 1879.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE MADEMOISELLE JEAN 1

CHAPTER II. PRINCE CHÉRI 20

CHAPTER III. ON A MOONLIGHT NIGHT 37

CHAPTER IV. THE FOREST OF THE RAINBOWS 56

CHAPTER V. FROG LAND 75

CHAPTER VI. THE SONG OF THE SWAN 94

CHAPTER VII. WINGS AND CATS 114

CHAPTER VIII. "THE BROWN BULL OF NORROWA" 135

CHAPTER IX. THE BROWN BULL ( Continued ) 158

CHAPTER X. THE END OF THE BROWN BULL 177

CHAPTER XI. DUDU'S OLD STORY 197

CHAPTER XII. AU REVOIR 218

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

"DUDU" Vignette on Title Page.

"ISN'T IT A FUNNY ROOM, CHÉRI?" To face Page 25

IT WAS DUDU " 51

ONWARDS QUIETLY STEPPED THE LITTLE PROCESSION " 75

TWO CHRISTMAS ANGELS " 122

STORY SPINNING " 141

THE BROWN BULL OF NORROWA " 162

"IS THIS A NEW PART OF THE HOUSE?" " 201

[Illustration]

CHAPTER I.

MADEMOISELLE JEANNE.

"Maitre Corbeau, sur un arbre perché." LA FONTAINE.

It was so cold. Ah, so very cold! So thought the old raven as he hobbled up and down the terrace walk at the back of the house the walk that was so pleasant in summer, with its pretty view of the lower garden, gay with the bright, stiffly arranged flowerbeds, so pleasantly warm and yet shady with the old trees overhead, where the raven's second cousins, the rooks, managed their affairs, not without a good deal of chatter about it, it must be confessed. "Silly creatures," the raven was in the habit of calling them with contempt all to himself, of course, for no one understood the different tones of his croaking, even though he was a French raven and had received the best of educations. But to day he was too depressed in spirit by the cold to think of his relations or their behaviour at all. He just hopped or hobbled I hardly know which you would call it slowly and solemnly up and down the long walk, where the snow lay so thick that at each hop it came ever so far up his black claws, which annoyed him very much, I assure you, and made him wish more than ever that summer was back again.

Poor old fellow! he was not usually of a discontented disposition; but to day, it must be allowed, he was in the right about the cold. It was very cold.