In a Quiet Village Author:Sabine Baring-Gould General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1900 Original Publisher: Isbister Subjects: Fiction / General Fiction / Classics Fiction / Literary Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typ... more »os or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: "So sorry, Bella; I couldn't help it," said he. " De-li-ci-ous!" said Bella. " I beg your pardon ? " " I was speaking to Mr. MacSweeny." " I only want to say that I was unavoidably detained." " The jam is strawberry," said Bella. "Whole strawberries, from our own garden," said MacSweeny. "I'm very fond of strawberries," observed Bella. "So am I," said the Scotch gardener. "Have some more. I'll remember you in the strawberry time and send you up the first dish I ripen. Of course, I ripen 'em early -- in the greenhouse. You shall have some -- as soon as they are fit to be picked." " How good of you, Mr. MacSweeny!" " Not at all; I live but to oblige, and you" -- he looked round at her -- "for you I would do anything." " Bella," said Tom over her chair, " I really could not help it." " Will you please to move, Mr. Mountstephen; you are jogging my chair." " Do you like grapes ? " asked MacSweeny. " I rather flatter myself on my grapes. I am able to keep them, too, so well. My large white Muscats -- but there, you shall have some. I'll send you up a really choice bunch. I think the second sitters down are coming in now. Miss Isabella, if you have done, we will rise and let the others take ourplaces. Here, you, Mountstephen, can have my seat. If you have brought Mary Mauduit I have no doubt she can have Miss Frowd's chair." Poor Tom did not enjoy his supper, and that over, when he sought Isabella to tender his excuses, she deliberately...« less