Lolla

FOR some time after she came to Dorchester, Lolla's health continued steadily to improve. She lost the heavy, languid look she had worn in the morning, had a good appetite not only for her breakfast, but for all her other meals, slept well, and ran about all day long as lively as a kitten. She had an hour and a half of lessons in the morning, which she said to Mr. Locke, and half an hour of sewing with Aunt Delight after dinner; and the rest of the time she was encouraged to play in the open air as much as she pleased. She found her way down to the beach, where she was never weary of the marvel of seeing the tide come in and go out. She learned the way to the few shops in the neighbourhood, so that she could do errands; and-greatest pleasure of all-she went several times to Savin Hill.

Savin Hill is like a large mountain seen through the wrong end of the telescope. It has caves and precipices, rocks and cliffs, all made of a stone which looks very much indeed like petrified plum-pudding. There are evergreen trees called savin, Virginia creepers, and a slender, thorny vine with glossy leaves, very pretty to look at and very impossible to get through.