Publisher's Synopsis
ENEATH the porch of the country-seat called Tanglewood, one fine autumnal morning, wasassembled a merry party of little folks, with a tall youth in the midst of them. They had planned anutting expedition, and were impatiently waiting for the mists to roll up the hill-slopes, and for thesun to pour the warmth of the Indian summer over the fields and pastures, and into the nooks ofthe many-colored woods. There was a prospect of as fine a day as ever gladdened the aspect of thisbeautiful and comfortable world. As yet, however, the morning mist filled up the whole length andbreadth of the valley, above which, on a gently sloping eminence, the mansion stood.This body of white vapor extended to within less than a hundred yards of the house. It completelyhid everything beyond that distance, except a few ruddy or yellow tree-tops, which here and thereemerged, and were glorified by the early sunshine, as was likewise the broad surface of the mist.Four or five miles off to the southward rose the summit of Monument Mountain, and seemed to befloating on a cloud. Some fifteen miles farther away, in the same direction, appeared the loftierDome of Taconic, looking blue and indistinct, and hardly so substantial as the vapory sea thatalmost rolled over it. The nearer hills, which bordered the valley, were half submerged, and werespecked with little cloud-wreaths all the way to their tops. On the whole, there was so much cloud, and so little solid earth, that it had the effect of a vision.The children above-mentioned, being as full of life as they could hold, kept overflowing from theporch of Tanglewood, and scampering along the gravel-walk, or rushing across the dewy herbage ofthe lawn. I can hardly tell how many of these small people there were; not less than nine or ten, however, nor more than a dozen, of all sorts, sizes, and ages, whether girls or boys. They werebrothers, sisters, and cousins, together with a few of their young acquaintances, who had beeninvited by Mr. and Mrs. Pringle to spend some of this delightful weather with their own children atTanglewood. I am afraid to tell you their names, or even to give them any names which otherchildren have ever been called by; because, to my certain knowledge, authors sometimes getthemselves into great trouble by accidentally giving the names of real persons to the characters intheir books. For this reason I mean to call them Primrose, Periwinkle, Sweet Fern, Dandelion, BlueEye, Clover, Huckleberry, Cowslip, Squash-Blossom, Milkweed, Plantain, and Buttercup; although, to be sure, such titles might better suit a group of fairies than a company of earthly childr