Two Little Travellers

The transport ship is already waiting at Southampton Water, and tomorrow Captain Dene will sail for South Africa. Beneath Firgrove’s cedar, Darby and Joan cling to him so tightly that no one can find the words.

It is a golden September afternoon in the English countryside, with harvest fields beyond the lawn and a long sea journey waiting for their father. Darby, not yet seven, and five-year-old Joan are to stay at Firgrove with their great-aunts while Captain Dene goes to war. They would gladly follow him anywhere, even perched on a camel; instead, they must face his leaving—and the strict rules of Aunt Catharine, balanced by gentle Auntie Alice. The siblings have each other, but can that be enough when morning comes?

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