ELF

An excerpt from the beginning of:

CHAPTER I.

The rain was coming down—an endless, ceaseless drizzle, a grey chilly Scotch mist. Things in general looked as cheerless and dismal as possible, and it was the eve of Elf's birthday.

Elf stood looking out into the deplorable view from the window, and thinking. She had something unusual to think about: she had been told she could invite any one she chose to dine with her the following day.

Her grandfather sat silently beside the fire at some distance from her, occupied also with his thoughts, and forgetful of her presence. All at once he was roused by her voice, clear and distinct, from the distant window, almost in the darkness.

"I'll have the man in the moon and the baker."

"What is that, Elf? What are you saying?"

"You told me, grandfather, I could invite any one I pleased to dine with me, and I have made up my mind I'll have the man in the moon and the baker."

Elf's grandfather was placed in a somewhat difficult position as to keeping his word. Certainly Elf—the dear delight and only remaining happiness in his life—was a difficulty, and a growing difficulty, to him. And as it turned out on her sixth birthday she had no visitors, she and her grandfather, as usual, dined alone.

It was a very happy, uneventful day, and she spent some time in conversation with her owl. This little brown owl was a great pet of hers; she had had it for some time, since it had been brought to her a baby owl, and, being cold weather at the time, she had insisted on keeping it indoors in a drawer. Elf was allowed to do pretty much as she pleased, and no one interfered between her and the owl, who remained in the drawer. As time went on he began to grow rather tall for it, and when the drawer was opened, up went his head, and he looked solemnly right and left, but he never moved till he had permission, always returning when the order was given to do so, and when the drawer was going to be shut he knew the movement of Elf's arms, and before it began to move he ducked down his head between his shoulders, and sat humped up, looking at her out of his right eye, and waiting to be shut up.

He was often allowed to be out about the room, but he did not care for this very much, and grew up to be an owl of a retiring disposition, and a great thinker.

A year afterwards, when Elf's seventh birthday came round, she was for the first time away from home on a week's visit to two distant relatives—elderly ladies—and she did not enjoy the visit at all. The old ladies intended to be very kind and good, but scarcely knew how to* set about it, having had no experience with children; and this particular child was such a strange one, with all sorts of old-fashioned ways and manners she had learned from her only companion, her grandfather. Away from home, her one idea was, everything he did was right, and everything he did not do wrong.

On this particular birthday—a Sunday morning—Elf had been unable to learn by heart some verses in a little book about the sacrifices of the Jews. It was printed in large letters, but the words were very difficult, and the meaning beyond her comprehension. Her great-aunts, as the old ladies were called, believed the only difficulty lay in "a perverse spirit," and in "obstinacy ;" and she was called "a naughty girl," and told she must remain alone in a room, and learn these verses whilst they went to church.

Before the door closed, Aunt Miranda heard a clear little voice remark, "Aunt, does God like sacrifices?"

Aunt Miranda desired her to attend to the verses, and she would understand, whilst Aunt Betty added the remark, " Little girls must not ask questions."

Aunts gone. Only solitude, verses, mysteries! and Elf, who was very forward with reading, puckered up her little forehead as a silence fell over the room and over the house.

Time came when the service ended. The old ladies returned from church. On entering the house, Aunt Miranda turned to Aunt Betty, and said, "My dear, what an extraordinary odour there is about the house; Pah !—pah! Is it burning feathers, or wool, or what is it?

"The child!" said Aunt Betty, with sudden fear, rushing towards the door she had closed on the " perverse spirit."

The room was filled with a most unpleasant odour, but her fears were relieved, for from the midst of it sprang a slight agile figure to meet her, crying, "Oh! aunt, I am going to make a sacrifice! God will forgive me! I am going to make a sacrifice!"

Elf had made all preparations for burning the unfortunate canary,...