another minute to see the places father has told us of."

We slipped out of bed and dressed, without arousing Dan, who was
still slumbering soundly, his mouth wide open, and his
bed-clothes kicked off on the floor. I had hard work to keep
Felix from trying to see if he could "shy" a marble into that
tempting open mouth. I told him it would waken Dan, who would
then likely insist on getting up and accompanying us, and it
would be so much nicer to go by ourselves for the first time.

Everything was very still as we crept downstairs. Out in the
kitchen we heard some one, presumably Uncle Alec, lighting the
fire; but the heart of house had not yet begun to beat for the
day.

We paused a moment in the hall to look at the big "Grandfather"
clock. It was not going, but it seemed like an old, familiar
acquaintance to us, with the gilt balls on its three peaks; the
little dial and pointer which would indicate the changes of the
moon, and the very dent in its wooden door which father had made
when he was a boy, by kicking it in a fit of naughtiness.

Then we opened the front door and stepped out, rapture swelling
in our bosoms. There was a rare breeze from the south blowing to
meet us; the shadows of the spruces were long and clear-cut; the
exquisite skies of early morning, blue and wind-winnowed, were
over us; away to the west, beyond the brook field, was a long
valley and a hill purple with firs and laced with still leafless
beeches and maples.