Abroad

A widowed father decides to lift his spirits and those of his five children with a short excursion abroad. He gathers his lively troupe—Nellie, Dennis, Mabel, Rose, little Bertie, and their kindly schoolmistress Miss Earle—for a journey that begins on the bustling platform of Charing Cross and soon sweeps them across the Channel on a bright, steam‑powered ferry. The children’s excitement bubbles as they watch the sea stretch out beneath them, trading jokes about dolls and weather while glancing back at the familiar English shore.

Arriving in Boulogne, the group steps into a charming French seaside town, where a bustling buffet, a mischievous poodle, and a cozy hotel invite them to pause and savor the novelty of new sights and sounds. Evening settles over the harbor, and the children drift to sleep with dreams of French toys, fishing boats, and the gentle hum of distant steam‑pipes, each wondering what small wonders the next day will bring.