Thus she endured a confinement of six weeks, without complaint, and in that time got all our clothes put into good order.
Francis had nearly betrayed our secret once, by asking his mamma to make him a mason's apron.

"A mason's apron!" said she; "are you going to build a house, child ?" "I meant to say a gardener's apron," said he.
His mamma was satisfied, and promised to comply with his request.
In the mean time, my three sons and I laboured assiduously to get the garden into order again, and to raise the terraces, which we hoped might be a defence against future storms.

Fritz had also proposed to me to construct a stone conduit, to bring the water to our kitchen-garden from the river, to which we might carry it back, after it had passed round our vegetable-beds.

This was a formidable task, but too useful an affair to be neglected; and, aided by the geometrical skill of Fritz, and the ready hands of my two younger boys, the conduit was completed.

I took an opportunity, at the same time, to dig a pond above the garden, into which the conduit poured the water; this was always warm with the sun, and, by means of a sluice, we were able to disperse it in little channels to water the garden.