Once upon a time there was a nice family.Its name was Avory, and it lived in an old house in Chiswick, where the Thames is so sad on grey days and so gay on sunny ones.
Mr.--or rather Captain--Avory was dead; he had been wounded at Spion Kop, and died a few years after.Mrs.Avory was thirty-five, and she had four children.The eldest was Janet, aged fourteen, and the youngest was Gregory Bruce, aged seven.Between these came Robert Oliver, who was thirteen, and Hester, who was nine.
They were all very fond of each other, and they rarely quarreled.(If they had done so, I should not be telling this story.You don't catch me writing books about people who quarrel.) They adored their mother.
The name of the Avories' house was "The Gables," which was a better name than many houses have, because there actually were gables in its roof.
Hester, who had funny ideas, wanted to see all the people who lived in all the houses that are called "The Gables" everywhere drawn up in a row so that she might examine them.She used to lie awake at night and wonder how many there would be."I'm sure mother would be the most beautiful, anyway,"she used to say.
History was Hester's passion.She could read history all day.Here she differed from Robert Oliver, who was all for geography.Their friends knew of these tastes, of course, and so Hester's presents were nearly always history books or portraits of great men, such as Napoleon and Shakespeare, both of whom she almost worshipped, while Robert's were compasses and maps.
He also had a mapmeasurer (from Mr.Lenox), and at the moment at which this story opens, his birthday being just over, he was the possessor of a pedometer, which he carried fastened to his leg, under his knickerbockers, so that it was certain to register every time he took a step.He kept a careful record of the distance he had walked since his birthday, and could tell you at any time what it was, if you gave him a minute or two to crawl under the table and undo his clothes.He could be heard grunting in dark places all day long, having been forbidden by Janet to undress in public.
Robert's birthday was on June 20, Hester's on November 8, and Janet's on February 28.She had the narrowest escape, you see, of getting birthdays only once in every four years; which is one of the worst things that can happen to a human being.Gregory Bruce was a little less lucky, for his birthday was on December 20, which is so near to Christmas Day that mean persons have been known to make one gift do for both events.None the less, Gregory's possessions were very numerous; for he had many friends, and most of them were careful to keep these two great anniversaries apart.
Gregory's particular passion just now was the names of engines, of which he had one of the finest collections in Europe; but a model aeroplane which Mr.Scott had given him was beginning to turn his thoughts towards the conquest of the air, and whereas he used to tell people that he meant to be an engine driver when he grew up, he was now adding, "or a man like Wilbur Wright."Most children have wanted to fly ever since "Peter Pan" began, and, as Idare say you have heard, some have tried from the nursery window, with perfectly awful results, having neglected to have their shoulders first touched magically; but Gregory Bruce Avory wanted to fly in a more regular and scientific manner.He wanted to fly like an engineer.To his mind, indeed, the flying part of "Peter Pan" was the least fascinating; he preferred the underground home, and the fight with the Indians, and the mechanism of the crocodile.For a short time, in fact, his only ambition had been to be the crocodile's front half.
Janet, on the other hand, liked Nana and the pathetic motherly parts the best; Robert's favourite was Smee, and often at meal times he used to say, "Woe is me, I have no knife"; while Hester was happiest in the lagoon scene.This difference of taste in one small family shows how important it is for anyone who writes a play to put a lot of variety into it.
Janet, the eldest, was also the most practical.She was, in fact, towards the others almost more of a younger mother than an elder sister.Not that Mrs.Avory neglected them at all; but Janet relieved her of many little duties.She always knew when their feet were likely to be wet, and Robert had once said that she had "stocking changing on the brain." She could cook, too, especially cakes, and the tradesmen had a great respect for her judgment when she went shopping.She knew when a joint would be too fat, and you should see her pointing out the bone!
Janet was a tall girl, and very active, and, in spite of her responsibilities, very jolly.She played hockey as well almost as a boy, which is, of course, saying everything, and her cricket was good, too.Her bowling was fast and straight, and usually too much for Robert, who knew, however, the initials of all the gentlemen and the Christian names and birthplaces of most of the professionals.Gregory could not bear cricket, except when it was his own innings, which he seemed to enjoy during its brief duration.Hester thought it dull throughout, so that Janet had to depend upon Robert and the Rotherams for the best games.
Janet had very straight fair hair, and just enough freckles to be pretty.
She looked nicest in blue.Hester, on the contrary, was a dark little thing, whose best frock was always red.
