Willie and Lucy abroad

Willie and Lucy abroad by Agnes Giberne is a Christian children’s travel tale from the Victorian era, likely the late 19th century. It follows two English siblings on their first journey across the Channel to Switzerland, using their adventures among lakes and mountains to teach gentle lessons about gratitude to God, obedience, humility, and moral growth. The story traces Willie and Lucy’s trip with their parents and Nurse from Dover to Calais and Paris, then over the Jura to the Lake of Geneva. An old gentleman on the steamer links the beauty of sea and mountains to God’s love; in Geneva the children marvel at the Rhone and, once the weather clears, at the Dent du Midi. Daily walks and scrambles bring small trials and lessons: Willie’s selfish choice of a walk and a careless splash that soaks Nurse; a mule ride up to Glion, where he learns perspective about “little” and “big” mountains; a comic attempt at rowing that teaches humility; and a dangerous fall that prompts his mother’s grateful prayer and a tender talk about salvation, echoed in the hymn “Just as I am.” The visit includes vineyards, a row on the lake, the castle of Chillon, and a glimpse of soldiers at Lausanne. Returning home content, Willie resolves to tackle his lessons “with all his might,” carrying with him awe for the mountains and a clearer sense of faith and duty.

Summary written by Project Gutenberg, by machine.