{"product_id":"2940012769275","title":"One Maid's Mischief","description":"ONE OF HER VICTIMS.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeven o'clock in the morning, and _chee-op--chee-op--chee-op--chirrup--\u003cbr\u003epee-yew_--a splendid thrush waking the echoes with his loud notes; the\u003cbr\u003eblackbirds down in the copse whistling a soft love-song to their silent\u003cbr\u003emates, waiting in their cup-like nests for the first chip of the\u003cbr\u003eblotched eggs; Coelebs, the chaffinch, pouring down tinkling strains\u003cbr\u003efrom the pink-blossomed apple-trees; while the larks high above the\u003cbr\u003eyoung corn and clover, twittered their joyous hymn in rivalling accord\u003cbr\u003eto the May-morning sun.  The dew lay heavy and cold upon the tawny,\u003cbr\u003esweet-scented wallflowers, and the freshness of feeling in the shade\u003cbr\u003ewhispered that the silvery whiteness of their hues was not far removed\u003cbr\u003efrom frost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo thought the Reverend Arthur Rosebury, as he stood contemplating the\u003cbr\u003eflower-beds in front of the quaint old Rectory, whose windows were\u003cbr\u003eframed in the opening blossoms of a huge snaky-stemmed wistaria, one of\u003cbr\u003ewhich windows--his own--was wide open, and had been for an hour, while\u003cbr\u003eits fellow over the little drawing-room was delicately draped in snowy\u003cbr\u003edimity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeraniums formed the subject of the Reverend Arthur's contemplation as\u003cbr\u003ehe stood upon the closely-shaven, dewy lawn; and he had just come to the\u003cbr\u003econclusion that he had better wait another week before filling his beds\u003cbr\u003ewith the scarlet trusses, when there was the sharp sound of brass rings\u003cbr\u003eupon a rod.  The dimity curtains were drawn aside, the casement window\u003cbr\u003ewas opened and carefully hooked back, and the kit-cat living portrait of\u003cbr\u003ea pleasant plump little woman of about forty appeared in the frame.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Arthur, I'm sure you are getting your feet wet,\" she chirped.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe tall, very thin curate of Little Magnus looked dreamily up at the\u003cbr\u003ewindow, and then down at his feet, stooping a good deal to obtain a\u003cbr\u003enearer view.  Slowly rising, he looked up at the window again, took off\u003cbr\u003ehis soft felt hat, smoothed his thin grey hair, and said slowly:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No, my dear, I think not.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"But I'm sure you must be, Arthur; it's a very heavy dew?\" cried the\u003cbr\u003elittle lady, emphatically.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes, my dear Mary,\" he replied, in a slow, deprecating way, \"it is a\u003cbr\u003every heavy dew, but I have got on my goloshes.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ho!\" exclaimed the little lady, and she disappeared.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Reverend Arthur Rosebury began to make a peculiar humming noise,\u003cbr\u003esomewhat suggestive of a large bumble-bee trying to practise a chant,\u003cbr\u003ewhich was his idea of singing, and was walking slowly off towards a\u003cbr\u003elaurel-shaded walk when the little lady once more appeared at the\u003cbr\u003ewindow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Arthur!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes, my dear Mary?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Don't you go far away; breakfast won't be long.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No, my dear Mary.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Where shall you be?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Down by the bees.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You'll come when I whistle?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes, my dear Mary.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe lady disappeared once more, and the curate of Little Magnus went\u003cbr\u003eslowly and deliberately down the garden of the Rectory, where he had\u003cbr\u003ebeen for many years resident; the wealthy rector, who was a canon of\u003cbr\u003eDunchester, finding a sermon or two a year nearly all he could give to\u003cbr\u003ethe little parish.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bees were visited, both those dwelling in the round-topped,\u003cbr\u003eold-fashioned straw hives and the occupants of the modern square boxes,\u003cbr\u003ecunningly contrived to enable the proprietor to commit honied burglaries\u003cbr\u003ewithout adding bee-murder to the offence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bees were as busy as those immortalised by Dr Watts, and coming and\u003cbr\u003egoing in the bright sunshine, making a glorious hum in a snowy\u003cbr\u003echerry-tree close at hand, and suggesting to the curate's mind ample\u003cbr\u003esupplies of the cloying sweet, about five hundredweights of which he\u003cbr\u003ehoped to sell at a shilling a pound.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Reverend Arthur went slowly away, smiling in his heart--he rarely\u003cbr\u003esmiled visibly--happy and thankful for his lot; opened the white gate in\u003cbr\u003ethe tall green hedge, and after closing it carefully, began to walk\u003cbr\u003eacross the drenched grass, a couple of soft-eyed, mousy-skinned Alderney\u003cbr\u003ecows slowly raising their heads to stare at him, munching the grass the\u003cbr\u003ewhile, and then coming to meet him, lowing softly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ah, Dewnose!  Ah, Bessy,\" he said, pulling the great flapping ears of\u003cbr\u003eeach in turn, and inhaling the puffs of warm, sweet-scented breath as he\u003cbr\u003epassed, the cows watching him for a few moments, and then, evidently\u003cbr\u003ethinking fresh dewy grass preferable to the best of curates, they\u003cbr\u003eresumed their quiet \"crop crop\" of the verdant meal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe meadow crossed, another gate led back into the garden, where a long\u003cbr\u003eglass-house stood with open door inviting the Reverend Arthur to enter\u003cbr\u003eand breathe the warm, deliciously-scented air.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47081739288816,"sku":"2940012769275","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940012769275_p0.jpg?v=1763572365","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940012769275","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}