They have never met their grandmother, even though Ralph is fourteen now, Sylvia thirteen, and Molly about a year and a half younger. More than seven years ago their mother died, and since then they have been living with their father, whose profession obliges him often to change his home. Now he is heading for India -- and the children are to spend several years with their grandmother and aunt, who live in the south of France.
There are tears shed at parting with Papa, and a good many more bestowed on the rough coat of Shag, the pony, and the still rougher of Fusser, the Scotch terrier; but the delights of the change and the bustle of the journey soon drown all melancholy thoughts. And meeting their grandmother -- that proves to be the greatest delight them all.
Mary Louisa Molesworth (1836-1921), author of The Tapestry Room, tells of long days of adventure and education for the three children learning life in a new country, in Grandmother Dear.
