Daisy

In Short

Marshall Saunders’s Daisy is a brief nineteenth-century novella set in a Canadian boarding house where a lonely, neglected child fixes her devotions on Roland Robertson, a young bank clerk drifting toward reckless living. When an accidental fall during a late-night encounter leaves Daisy dangerously ill with fever, Roland faces the consequences of his choices. Her slow recovery and enduring trust awaken his conscience, putting him on a settled path toward adulthood. Brief, direct, and unpretentious, the book captures how small, quiet acts of affection can redirect a life that has lost its way.

The Story

The narrative opens at Mrs. Drummond’s tired boarding house in a prosperous Canadian town. Roland Robertson, a young English bank clerk who has recently arrived, is already showing the strain of attempts to "see life" with fast companions. He sits at the breakfast table pale, heavy-eyed, and indifferent to his food. The only child in the house—Daisy, a curious, willful girl neglected by her mother and suspicious of most people—suddenly single-outs Robertson, declaring her fondness for him before the assembled boarders and demanding a seat on his knee. Though embarrassed by the attention, Robertson accepts her, having secretly kissed and given a picture to the child days earlier because she reminded him of a deceased sister.

Daisy’s attachment grows rapidly. She follows Robertson through the halls, watches his every move, and coaxes him into spending evenings looking through books instead of going out to theatres or taverns. On Sunday, she begs him to take her for a walk, which leads them both into a church service—a place neither has frequented lately. Yet Robertson’s habits are not easily broken. Late one evening, after slipping out with his companions, he returns home intoxicated. Daisy, having waited up for him in fear that he was lost, runs into the hall to ask for a good-night kiss. Ashamed and confused, Robertson roughly shoves her away. Daisy falls, striking her head against the floor and drifting into unconsciousness.

By morning, the child is seized with a dangerous fever, repeating in her delirium the sharp word Robertson uttered when he pushed her. For days her life hangs in the balance. Believing she will not survive the night, the nurse allows Robertson into the room to say goodbye. Kneeling by the bed, he listens as Daisy feebly asks if he will carry her down to breakfast in the morning and whether he will join her in heaven. When he cannot answer, the emotional strain causes him to faint beside her bed.

Daisy does not die; her fever breaks, beginning a long period of convalescence. Moved by her survival and horrified by how close he came to causing her death, Robertson breaks away from his old companions, fills his leisure time with outdoor sports, reading, and caring for Daisy. Her presence gradually brightens the whole boarding house, softening even her tired mother. Years later, after Mrs. Drummond’s death and Daisy’s departure for an English school, the narrator returns to find Robertson an established, honorable man, waiting for the spring when he will return to England and bring Daisy home as his wife.

How It Unfolds

A child makes her choice At the boarding house table, little Daisy startles the other residents by pointing out the new clerk, Roland Robertson, announcing her affection for him, and climbing straight into his lap.

The Sunday walk Daisy coaxes Robertson into taking her out for a morning stroll, leading him straight into a local church service where she sits upright while he naps in the pew.

A middle-of-the-night disaster Returning late and intoxicated from an evening with friends, Robertson shoves Daisy aside when she runs out to welcome him, causing her to strike her head and sink into a fever.

The bedside promise Believing Daisy is dying, Robertson kneels at her bedside to comfort her, but breaks down when the semi-conscious child refuses to go to heaven unless he promises to come along.

A quiet recovery The fever breaks, and during Daisy’s long recovery Robertson carries her everywhere, abandons his night-life habits, and devotes his spare time to her care.

Years bring their answer Years later, the narrator returns to find Robertson a prosperous, steady man, keeping Daisy’s photograph and pressed flowers in his coat pocket as he prepares to travel to England for her.

The People

• Daisy wants affection, attention, and someone to belong to. Neglected by her mother and solitary by nature, she fixes her loyalty entirely on Robertson, demanding his presence and driving his transformation through her simple, unyielding trust.
• Roland Robertson is a young bank clerk from England who wants acceptance and excitement, but finds himself drifting into poor habits and compromised character. His shame over injuring Daisy breaks his self-indulgent pattern, forcing him to grow into a responsible, compassionate man.
• Mrs. Drummond is the weary, overworked landlady who wants only to keep her establishment running and her accounts balanced. Her impatience with Daisy gradually softens as she witnesses the child's influence on the household.
• The Narrator is an observant fellow boarder who quietly watches the relationship form, offers unheeded advice, and returns years later to see the lasting outcome of Daisy’s intervention.

In Its Own Voice

“She never romped like other children, never prattled; indeed, she rarely spoke at all, so we were all attention as she pointed to young Robertson with her spoon, and said in a clear, babyish voice, ‘Dat’s a berry fine-lookin’ boy, mamma.’”

The narrator describes Daisy’s sudden, unexpected declaration at the breakfast table, which begins her attachment to the young clerk.

“He was not fit to kiss her and he knew it. He turned his head from her, and in tones harsher than he really meant said, ‘Go away, Daisy.’”

Robertson hesitates on the landing late at night, caught between his intoxication and the child’s innocent greeting.

“Surprised and bewildered, she shook off for an instant her coming lethargy. ‘Woland,’ she said sharply, ‘I sha’n’t go to heaven widout you.’”

From her sickbed, Daisy insists on Robertson’s presence even as she hovers near death.

What It's Really About

Daisy examines how personal reformation often relies less on self-discipline than on responsibility toward another human being. The story argues that moral decline begins quietly through small compromises, but can be checked when a person is forced to see their impact on someone who trusts them completely. Saunders contrasts the artificial warmth of late-night companionability with the plain, demanding realities of household affection. Underneath the Victorian sentiment lies a straightforward observation about vulnerability: the child’s utter defenselessness becomes the very force that restrains the adult’s worst impulses.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate short, traditional nineteenth-century moral tales—such as those by Hesba Stretton or Mrs. O.F. Walton—will find Daisy a quick, sincere entry in the genre. Written by Marshall Saunders, the Canadian author best known for her classic animal novel Beautiful Joe, this early novella shares her characteristic concern for the neglected and vulnerable.

The story does carry the clear marks of its era. Modern readers will notice the heavy use of transcribed baby talk (“Woland,” “fwicasseed chicken,” “berry good”), which can feel exaggerated on the page, alongside a conventional Victorian belief in the redeeming power of childhood innocence. The romantic resolution between a former guardian figure and a young woman returning from school also reflects nineteenth-century narrative patterns that read differently today.

Yet the story moves with admirable speed and precision. It avoids prolonged sermonizing, letting the simple sequence of events carry its weight. What remains with the reader is the clear portrayal of a life turned around not by a grand sermon, but by the persistent, unglamorous demands of a child who refused to leave a young man to his own devices.