The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Garth Nix, Joan Aiken, Andi Watson, Lizza Aiken

pantalets, which Harriet would have liked to try on. “But they look so fragile,” she said with a sigh, “I'd probably tear them.” So everything was replaced and they went downstairs, each with an armful of books.
    Later that evening, Harriet's mother found her sprawled on the drawing-room sofa looking at a book and then shutting it and muttering to herself.
    "You look as if you were learning poetry,” said Mrs. Armitage, glancing over her shoulder. “What, Latin! Good heavens, I have got diligent children. Incidentally I wish you'd find another tune to practice on the piano. I find myself singing that 'Lieber Augustin' all day long."
    That night, when Harriet went along to Mark's room at about midnight, she found him already at work reciting the principal parts of Latin verbs.
    "Mark knows his list of words very well, Harriet. I trust that you will also be able to earn your caraway biscuit,” remarked Miss Allison, and then, while Harriet lay on her imaginary back-board, the governess read them a long, boring chapter about the War of the Roses.
    "I generally start my pupils at the beginning of history, with William the Conqueror,” explained Miss Allison, “but your dear mother expressed a wish for you to study this period particularly."
    Afterwards Harriet recited her Latin and also earned a caraway biscuit. Then Harriet and Mark showed Miss Allison their invisible essays on Duty, and Harriet's point was proved. Miss Allison obviously saw them, even if the children didn't, and peevishly pointed out several spelling mistakes.
    "Mark, you will write out the word ‘ceiling’ fifty times,” she said. “That will be all for this morning, dears. Harriet, will you ask Anne to run up with a duster, and I will dust my room myself. And tell her that she forgot to sweep under the bed yesterday, though I reminded her particularly."
    "Mother,” said Mark one morning. “Can I change my bedroom? I'd much rather sleep in the room next to Harriet."
    "Well, if you do,” said his mother, looking at him acutely, “you must promise not to be popping in and out of each other's rooms all night. I thought I heard something last night.” But they gazed at her so innocently that she agreed and said they could change the things over themselves.
    "Just as well,” said Mark, when they were carrying sheets along the passage. “Do you know she hauled me out of bed last night and asked me what I thought I was doing sleeping on the schoolroom sofa?"
    "She is queer,” Harriet remarked thoughtfully. “I sometimes wonder if she really sees us at all. She obviously doesn't see the same furniture we do, because sometimes she uses tables and chairs that aren't there, and when she talks about our parents, she doesn't mean Mother and Father, because they never said anything to her about the War of the Roses."
    "And there's all this business about Anne and Cook, too. I suppose she sort of sees them all around. Poor old thing,” said Mark, tucking in a lump of blanket, “I'm getting quite fond of her."
    "You know, I'm sure she has something on her mind,” added Harriet. “She looks so worried at times, as if she was trying to remember things."
    It soon appeared that the children had something on their minds, too.
    "You both of you look dreadfully tired nowadays,” remarked Mrs. Armitage. “You aren't sickening for measles, are you? And don't you think you're overdoing this holiday work a bit? Surely you don't need to do all that Latin and History. The other afternoon when you were asleep on the lawn, Mark, I heard you muttering the dates of the kings of England in your sleep. Take a bit of rest from it. By the way, there's an Admiral Lecacheur coming to tea this afternoon—he lives in that little house on the river you've taken such a fancy to. If you want to get invited to have a look round it, you'd better put in an appearance."
    "Lecacheur?” said Mark vaguely. “I seem to know the name."
    "Yes, it's the family who lived here