The first edition of this book is dated 1901. The edition used is dated 1908. The publisher was The Religious Tract Society, 4 Bouverie St, London. The number of pages is 287.

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General information

This is another excellent book by Mrs de Horne Vaizey, dating from the end of the nineteenth century. While of course it is dated in its references to the world around its actors, yet nevertheless their emotions are well-described, and no doubt are timeless.

In some ways the world around the people in the book is recognisable today, in a way which a book written thirty or forty years before would not have been. They have electricity, telephones, trains, buses, and many other things that we still use regularly today. Of course one major difference is that few people today have servants, while middle-class and upper-class families of the eighteen nineties would certainly have had them.

Today we travel by aeroplane, while in those days, and indeed for much of my own life, we travelled by ship and train. It was normal when travelling back to England from India to disembark at Marseilles, and come on to the Channel Ports by train, perhaps even spending a week or two in Italy, en route. I have done it myself.

So it is not so very dated after all. But I do think there is a real value in reading the book. Oddly enough, I think that a boy would benefit from reading any of the author’s books, more than a girl would, because it would give him an insight into the girlish mind which he could not so easily otherwise obtain. And as the young ladies of this book are trying to sort out whom they should marry, matters do get quite girlish.

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Contents

Chapter I.
It was mid-January, and at home in England the ground was white with snow, but the sun shone down with brazen glare on the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, along which a P and O steamer was gliding on its homeward way.

Chapter II.
Hector Darcy knitted his brows, and started in bewilderment at the little figure before him.

Chapter III.
A fortnight later the passengers on board the steamer were congratulating themselves on having accomplished half their journey, and being within ten days’ sail of England.

Chapter IV.
The next two weeks passed away all too quickly. The latter part of the voyage had been chill and stormy, so that when Marseilles was reached, Hector Darcy was seized with a conviction that it would be injudicious for him to risk the dangers of an English spring, and that wisdom pointed out a preliminary sojourn in the sunny South.

Chapter V.
The next day the Savilles lost no time in consulting the agent who had been commissioned to advertise for houses on their behalf, and he in his turn presented them with a list of a dozen places which were for sale, eight of which were obviously unsuitable, and none in the very least like Peggy’s ideal abode.

Chapter VI.
The next morning was devoted to another house-hunting expedition, unsuccessful as its predecessor, while in the afternoon came a fresh excitement, in the shape of a call from Arthur’s “chief,” accompanied by his wife and daughter.

Chapter VII.
Two evenings later Peggy edged her way out of the crowd at Mrs. Rollo’s reception, and sat down in a corner with a gasp of relief.

Chapter VIII.
Ten minutes later Peggy emerged from behind the cluster of palm-trees, and laid her hand on Rob’s arm to accompany him to the refreshment-room below.

Chapter IX.
Rob went back to The Larches next day, faithful to a decision expressed to Peggy at the reception.

Chapter X.
Four days before Peggy left town she had an amusing encounter with one of her old friends.

Chapter XI.
When Peggy had been staying a week at the vicarage, her parents came down from town on a two days’ visit, especially arranged to give them an opportunity of looking over Yew Hedge.

Chapter XII.
Rob received Peggy’s confession of her latest gardening exploit with a roar of good-natured laughter.

Chapter XIII.
The pre-occupation of Peggy’s manner during the next week was easily attributed to the responsibility of superintending the settling down in the new house.

Chapter XIV.
On the night of Peggy’s arrival in London, Eunice voluntarily made several remarks at the dinner-table; at breakfast next morning she took a distinct part in the conversation, and at lunch, meeting the roll of Peggy’s eyes, she laughed aloud, nor seemed the least alarmed at the unexpected sound.

Chapter XV.
Rosalind gave a little sob and flicked her handkerchief across her eyes.

Chapter XVI.
When Peggy was dressing for dinner that evening a knock came to her door, and Arthur’s voice demanded entrance.

Chapter XVII.
A week after her return to Yew Hedge, Peggy was on her way to tea at the vicarage, when she was joined by Rob Darcy, who jumped over a wall at her approach, and exhibited an extraordinary amount of surprise at seeing her, considering how long he had been on the outlook for just such an event.

Chapter XVIII.
The glance of shamed apprehension which Esther cast at Peggy as she appeared upon the threshold afforded immense delight to those who watched the meeting between the two girls.

Chapter XIX.
For the next few weeks Esther’s approaching marriage seemed to engross attention to the exclusion of every other topic.

Chapter XX.
Two days before Eunice was expected at Yew Hedge, Peg was summoned from the garden to receive a mysterious visitor, and stared in bewilderment to see Rosalind herself awaiting in the drawing-room.

Chapter XXI.
It is a well-known axiom that misfortunes never come singly, and if those misfortunes are brought about by our own carelessness, they are none the less easy to bear.

Chapter XXII.
Rob stayed behind after Peggy left the room, and had a long talk with his brother.

Chapter XXIII.
When the vicarage was reached a reconnoitre round the garden discovered the murmur of voices in the schoolroom, and marshalled by Arthur the three visitors crept silently forward until they were close upon the window, when Eunice hung modestly in the rear, while her companions flattened their faces against the panes.

Chapter XXIV.
The next morning Peggy and Eunice converted the library into a work-room, and cut out their blouses by the aid of paper patterns borrowed from Mrs. Saville’s maid.

Chapter XXV.
A week later Arthur’s picnic came off under circumstances of unusual éclat.

Chapter XXVI.
In another moment all the members of the party had left their seats, and were standing by Rob’s side, gazing disconsolately at the lost boat.

Chapter XXVII.
Peggy’s faith was justified, for though the way was long, and the current often swept him aside, Rob struggled on gallantly until, after what seemed an interminable period of suspense, his friends saw him clamber into the boat as she lay on the sandbank.

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