
In a bustling early‑twentieth‑century household, the nursery erupts into a whirlwind of toys, spilled tea, and shrieking children. Six‑year‑old Jill watches with a mischievous sparkle as her brother Jack devises a new prank, binding their youngest sister, Bumps, in a tangle of towels and pillow‑cases. The chaos peaks when a careless tumble sends plates crashing and a tiny terrier darting through the mess, drawing the startled attention of the household’s young master, Captain Willoughby.
Amid the uproar, Jill’s infamous red bag—always at her side—becomes the unlikely focus of the day’s drama, hinting at secrets and small rebellions that ripple through the family’s routine. As the frazzled nurse rushes back to restore order, the children’s antics force the adults to confront their own boredom and the thin line between harmless fun and cruel play. The scene sets the stage for a spirited tale of childhood imagination, sibling rivalry, and the quirky charm of a bygone domestic world.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (220K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Betty Haertling, Joel Erickson, Michael Ciesielski, David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2011-08-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

d. 1929
Best remembered for lively children's stories with a strong Christian message, this late Victorian and Edwardian writer produced a long stream of popular books that stayed in print for decades. Her fiction often blends adventure, family life, and gentle moral lessons in a way that still feels warm and readable.
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