Kilmeny of the Orchard 
     
    
   
   
    
     books of biography and travel. She did 
     
     not know what a novel meant and had 
     
     never heard of one. Curiously enough, 
     
     she was well informed regarding politics 
     
     and current events, from the weekly 
     
     paper for which her uncle subscribed. 
     
    

    
     “I never read the newspaper while 
     
     mother was alive,” she wrote, “ nor any 
     
     poetry either. She taught me to read and 
     
     write and I read the Bible all through 
     
     many times and some of the histories. 
     
     After mother died Aunt Janet gave me all 
     
     her books. She had a great many. Most 
     
     of them had been given to her as prizes 
     
     when she was a girl at school, and some 
     
     of them had been given to her by my 
     
     father. Do you know the story of my 
     
     father and mother? ” 
     
    

    
     Eric nodded. 
     
    

    
     “ Yes, Mrs. Williamson told me all 
     
     about it. She was a friend of your 
     
     mother.” 
     
    

    
     “ I am glad you have heard it. It is so 
     
     sad that I would not like to tell it, but yOu 
     
    

    
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