Lalage's Lovers
by George A. Birmingham (1865–1950)
- Free to read
- 5 hours to read
- 23 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"Lalage's Lovers" by George A. Birmingham is a novel written in the early 20th century. The narrative follows the charming and spirited Lalage Beresford, a young girl navigating her unique world filled with playful antics and witty exchanges, particularly with her churchwarden friend, who finds himself drawn into her escapades and musings. The opening of the book introduces us to the protagonist Lalage, a lively fourteen-year-old girl, as she engages in mischievous and thought-provoking conversations with her friend, working through her complicated relationship with her governess, Miss Battersby, in the playful confines of a pigsty, a site representative of her free-spirited nature. This setting reveals Lalage's brazen character and her humorous yet insightful critiques of authority figures around her, particularly women like her governess, whom she nicknames "Cattersby" in a cheeky display of youthful irreverence. As the story unfolds, her interactions reflect her precociousness and the broader implications of how she navigates societal expectations while maintaining her individualism, laying the groundwork for her development throughout the novel.
Read the opening
Chapter I
I had, I suppose, some reason for calling on Canon Beresford, but I have totally forgotten what it was. In all probability my mother sent me to discuss some matter connected with the management of the parish or the maintenance of the fabric of the church. I was then, and still am, a church warden. The office is hereditary in my family. My son—Miss Pettigrew recommended my having several sons—will hold it when I am gone. My mother has always kept me up to the mark in the performance of my duties. Without her at my elbow I should, I am afraid, be inclined to neglect them. I am bored, not interested as a churchwarden should be, when the wall of the graveyard crumbles unexpectedly. I fail to find either pleasure or excitement in appointing a new sexton. Canon Beresford, our rector, is no more enthusiastic about such things than I am. He and I are very good friends, but when he suspects me of paying him a business visit he goes out to fish. There are, I believe, trout in the stream which flows at the bottom of the glebe land, but I never heard of Canon Beresford catching any of them.
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About this edition
This free edition of Lalage's Lovers by George A. Birmingham comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #23946, released 2008-01-23. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, British Literature.
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