
Janet steps into a grand yet oddly solemn dining room, the new guest of the Graham household. The house is full of children—six of them ranging from a precocious three‑year‑old to a brooding sixteen‑year‑old—yet the atmosphere feels more like a rehearsal than a celebration. As she surveys the bustling servants, the impatient nurse‑maid, and the weary mother juggling endless appointments, Janet senses both the warmth of a busy family and the quiet tension that underlies their everyday life.
Within these walls, the Graham children each carry their own quirks: a mischievous little girl who rebels against her caretaker, a teenage boy whose aloofness hides deeper thoughts, and a mother whose graceful poise masks constant worry. For Janet, the move promises new friendships, unexpected responsibilities, and a chance to discover her place in a world that expects young girls to grow into both kindness and competence. The story gently follows her first steps toward belonging, learning the rhythms of a household that is as demanding as it is endearing.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (269K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: D. Appleton and Company, 1902.
Credits
Beth Baran, Sue Clark and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Books project.)
Release date
2021-08-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1866–1945
Raised largely at home because of poor health, she became a prolific American writer whose stories, poems, and Catholic writing were especially popular with young readers. Her work blends warm family storytelling with faith, history, and everyday moral questions.
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