Dickory Dock
1891
When Peter and Flossy learn their mother plans to send their orphaned baby cousin to the workhouse, they make a desperate choice: steal away into the night with the infant, their mongrel dog at their heels. What follows is a tense adventure through Victorian streets as two children try to keep Dickory Dock alive and hidden, willing to face anything rather than abandon her to the grim institution. Their journey leads them to Mrs. Ross, a grieving mother who lost her own child and has since lived in quiet despair. Into her aching arms, the children place Dickory Dock, and something miraculous unfolds: a found family, healing where there was grief, a baby saved not from the world but into it. L. T. Meade wrote with sharp understanding that children can love with ferocity and clarity that adults often lack, and this late-Victorian tale lets that truth shine through its simple, earnest narrative. For readers who cherish stories about chosen family, about the audacious love of children, and about small rescues that matter most.
