The Happiness of Hazelbrook

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. In the poor but loving Lawrence cottage at Hazelbrook, Mrs. Lawrence keeps her family together through hard work, faith, and strict economy after her husband Ben's death. Each child has a place in the household: Ben tends the garden, the younger boys go to school, baby Esther brings mischief and affection, and Nelly, bedridden and sickly, endures her suffering with patient cheerfulness and spiritual strength. Against this quiet order stands Katie, clever and capable but often restless, careless, and tempted to neglect duty whenever her mother is away. A morning errand for a shirt leads Katie into a chain of small disobediences that grow into larger trouble, from a wasted day and lost cotton to shame and remorse. Her struggle deepens when Fanny Price tempts her to sneak off to the fair at Oakfield, where Katie is drawn into a coarse, deceitful crowd and sees too late that she has been valued more for her money than her company. Fleeing home in distress, she is caught in a violent thunderstorm, struck by lightning, and brought back gravely ill. As the family prays through the night, Mrs. Lawrence's sorrow is joined by mercy and forgiveness, while Mabel Tracy's gentle visits to Nelly offer a brighter counterpoint of Christian hope, compassion, and springtime faith.