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Chapter three of Five Children and It. This is a
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LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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Recording by Grandma Jenny, Five Children and It by E. Nesbit,
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Chapter three being Wanted. The morning after the children had
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been the possessors of boundless wealth and had been unable
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to buy anything really useful or enjoyable with it, except
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two pairs of cotton gloves, twelve penny buns, an imitation
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crocodile skin purse, and a ride in a pony cart.
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They awoke without any of the enthusiastic happiness which they
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had felt on the previous day, when they remembered how
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they had had the luck to find a samiad or
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sand fairy and to receive its promises to grant them
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a new wish every day. For now they had had
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two wishes, beauty and wealth, and neither had exactly made
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them happy. But the happening of strange things, even if
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they are not completely pleasant things, is more amusing than
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those times when nothing happens but meals, and they are
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not always completely pleasant, especially on the days when it's
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cold mutton or hash. There was no chance of talking
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things over before breakfast, because everyone overslept itself as it happened,
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and it needed a vigorous and determined struggle to get
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dressed so as to be only ten minutes late for breakfast.
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During this meal, some efforts were made to deal with
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the question of the samiad and an impartial so spirit.
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But it is very difficult to discuss anything thoroughly and
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at the same time to attend faithfully to your baby
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brother's breakfast needs. The baby was particularly lively that morning.
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He not only wriggled his body through the bar of
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his high chair and hung by his head, choking and purple,
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but he collared a tablespoon with desperate suddenness, hit cyril
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heavily on the head with it, and then cried because
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it was taken away from him. He put his fat
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fist in the bread and milk and demanded nam, which
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was only allowed for tea. He sang, He put his
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feet on the table. He clamored to go walky. The
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conversation was something like this, Look here about that sand fairy.
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Look out, He'll have the milk over. Milk removed to
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a safe distance, yes about that fairy, No lamb, dear
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give panther the narky poon. Then Cyril cried, nothing we
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have had yet has turned out he nearly had the
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mustard that time. I wonder whether we'd better wish hallo.
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You've done it now, my boy, And in a flash
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of glass and pink baby paws, the bowl of golden
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carp in the middle of the table rolled on its
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side and poured a flood of mixed water and goldfish
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into the baby's lap and into the laps of the others.
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Every one was almost as much upset as the goldfish.
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The lamb only remained calm when the pool on the
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floor had been mopped up and the leaping, gasping goldfish
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had been collected and put back in the water. The
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baby was taken away to be entirely re dressed by Martha,
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and most of the others had to change completely. The
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pinafores and jackets that had been bathed in goldfish and
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water were hung out to dry. And then it turned
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out that Jane must either mend the dress she had
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torn the day before or appear all day in her
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best petticoat. It was white and soft and frilly and
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trimmed with lace and fairy, very pretty, quite as pretty
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as a frock, if not more so. Only it was
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not a frock. And Martha's word was law. She wouldn't
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let Jane wear her best frock. And she refused to
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listen for a moment to Robert's suggestion that Jane were
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her best petticoat and call it a dress. It is
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not respectable, she said. And when people say that, it's
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no use anyone saying anything. You will find this out
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for yourselves some day. So there was nothing for it
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but for Jane to mend her frock. The hole had
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been torn the day before when she happened to tumble
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down in the high street of Rochester, just where a
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water cart had passed on its silvery way. She had
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grazed her knee, and her stocking was much more than grazed,
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and her dress was cut by the same stone which
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had attended to the knee and the stocking. Of course,
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the others were not such sneaks as to abandon a
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comrade in misfortune, So they all sat on the grass
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plot round the sun dial, and Jane darned away for
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dear life. The lamb was still in the hands of
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Martha having its clothes changed, so conversation was possible. Anthea
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and Robert timidly tried to conceal their inmost thought, which
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was that the Samiad was not to be trusted. But
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Cyril said, speak out, say what you've got to say.
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I hate hinting and don't know and sneakish ways like that.
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So then Robert said, as in honor bound, sneak yourself.
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Anthea and me weren't so goldfishy as you two were,
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so we got changed quicker, and we'd had time to
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think it over. And if you ask me, I didn't
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ask you, said Jane, biting off a needleful of thread,
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as she had always been strictly forbidden to do. I
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don't care who asks or who doesn't, said Robert. But
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Anthea and I think the Samiad is a spiteful brute.
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If it can give us our wishes, I suppose it
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can give itself its own, and I feel almost sure
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it wishes every time that our wishes shan't do us
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any good. Let's let the tiresome beast alone and just
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go and have a jolly good time of forts on
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our own. In the chalk pit. You'll remember that the
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happily situated house where the children were spending their holidays
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lay between a chalk quarry and a gravel pit. Syria
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and Jane were more hopeful. They generally were. I don't
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think the Samoyad does it on purpose, Cyril said, And
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after all, it was silly to wish for boundless wealth.
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Fifty pounds and two shilling pieces would have been much
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more sensible, and wishing to be beautiful as the day
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was simply donkeyish. I don't want to be disagreeable, but
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it was. We must try to find a really useful
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wish and wish it. Jane dropped her work and said,
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I think so too. It's too silly to have a
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chance like this and not use it. I never heard
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of any one else outside a book who had such
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a chance. There must be simply heaps of things we
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could wish for that wouldn't turn out dead sea fish
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like these two things have do. Let's think hard and
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wish something nice so that we can have a really
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jolly day. But there is left of it, Jane darned
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away again, like mad, for time was indeed getting on,
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and everyone began to talk at once. If you had
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been there, you could not possibly have made head or
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tail of the talk. But these children were used to
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talking by fours as soldiers march, and each of them
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could say what it had to say quite comfortably, and
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listen to the agreeable sound of its own voice, and
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at the same time have three quarters of two sharp
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ears to spare for listening to what the others said.
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That is an easy example of multiplication of vulgar fractions.
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But as I dare say, you can't even do that.
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I won't ask you to tell me whether three fourths
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times two equals eleven halves, but I will ask you
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to believe that this was the amount of ear each
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child was able to lend to the others. Lending ears
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was common in Roman times, as we learned from Shakespeare.
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But I fear I am getting too instructive. When the
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frock was darned, the start for the gravel pit was
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delayed by Martha's insisting on everybody's washing its hands, which
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was nonsense, because nobody had been doing anything at all
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except Jane. And how can you get dirty doing nothing?
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That is a difficult question, and I cannot answer it
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on paper. In real life, I could very soon show
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you or you me, which is much more likely. During
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that conversation in which the six years were lent, there
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were four children, so that sum comes right. It had
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been decided that fifty pounds in two shilling pieces was
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the right wish to have, and the lucky children, who
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could have anything in the wide world by wishing for it,
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hurriedly started for the gravel pit to express their wishes
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to the sam Yet Martha caught them at the gate
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and insisted on their taking the baby with them. Not
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I want him, indeed, why everybody'd want him a duck
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with all their hearts they would. And you know you
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promised Yerma to take him out every blessed day, said Martha.
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I know we did, said Robert and gloom. But I
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wish the lamb wasn't quite so young and small. It
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would be much better fun taking him out. He'll mend
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of his youngness with time, said Martha. And as for
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his smallness, I don't think you'd fancy carrying of him
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any more, however, Biggie was Besides, he can walk a bit,
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bless his precious fat legs. A ducky he feels the
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benefit of the new laid air, so he does a
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pet And with this and a kiss, she plumped the
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lamb into Anthea's arms and went back to make new
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pinafores on the sewing machine. She was a rapid performer
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on this instrument. The lamb laughed with pleasure and said
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walkie with panty, and rode on Robert's back with yells
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of joy, and tried to feed Jane with stones, and
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altogether made himself so agreeable that nobody could long be
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sorry that he was of the party. The enthusiastic Jane
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even suggested that they should devote a week's wishes to
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assuring the baby's future by asking such gifts for him
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as the good fairies give to infant princes in proper
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fairy tales. But Anthea soberly reminded her that as a
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sand fairy's wishes only lasted till sunset, they could not
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insure any benefit to the baby's later years, and Jane
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owned that it would be better to wish for fifty
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pounds and two shilling pieces and buy the lamb a
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three pound fifteen rocking horse like those in the Army
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and Navy stores. With part of the money it was
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settled that as soon as they had wished the money
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and got it, they would get mister Crispin to drive
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them into Rochester again, taking Martha with them if they
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could not get out of taking her, and they would
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make a list of things they really wanted before they started.
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Full of high hopes and excellent resolutions, they went round
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the safe slow cart road to the gravel pit. And
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as they went in between the mounds of gravel, a
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sudden thought came to them, and would have turned their
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ruddy cheeks pale if they had been children in a book.
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Being real, live children, it only made them stop and
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look at each other with rather blank and silly expressions.
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For now they remembered that yesterday, when they had asked
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the Samiad for boundless wealth, and it was getting ready
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to fill the quarry with minted gold of bright guineas
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millions of them, it had told the children to run
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along outside the quarry for fear they should be buried
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alive in the heavy, splendid treasure. And they had run,
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And so it happened that they had not had time
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to mark the spot where the Samoad was with a
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ring of stones as before. And it was this thought
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that put such silly expressions on their faces. Never mind,
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said the hopeful Jane. We'll soon find him. But this,
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though easily said, was hard in the doing. They looked,
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and they looked, and though they found their seaside spades,
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nowhere could they find the sand fairy. At last they
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had to sit down and rest, not at all because
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they were weary or disheartened, of course, but because the
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lamb insisted on being put down. And you cannot look
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very carefully after anything you may have happened to lose
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in the sand if you have an active baby to
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look after. At the same time, get some one to
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drop your best knife in the sand next time you
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go to the sea side, and then take your baby
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brother with you when you go to look for it,
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and you'll see that I am right. The lamb, as
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Martha had said, was feeling the benefit of the country air,
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and he was as frisky as a sand popper. The
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elder ones longed to go on talking about the new
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wishes they would have when or if they found the
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psamiad again, but the lamb wished to enjoy himself. He
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watched his opportunity and threw a handful of sand into
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Anthea's face, and then suddenly buried his own head in
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the sand and waved his fat legs in the air. Then,
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of course the sand got into his eyes, as it
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had into Anthea's, and he howled. The thoughtful Robbert had
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brought one solid brown bottle of ginger beer with him,
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relying on a thirst that never yet failed him. This
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had to be uncorked hurriedly, was the only wet thing
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within reach, and it was necessary to wash the sand
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out of the lamb's eyes somehow. Of course, the ginger
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beer hurt horribly, and he howled more than ever, and
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amid his anguish of kicking the bottle, was upset, and
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the beautiful ginger beer frothed out into the sand and
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was lost forever. It was then that Robert, usually a
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very patient brother, so far forgot himself as to say
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anybody would want him. Indeed, only they don't. Martha doesn't,
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not really, or she'd jolly well keep him with her.
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He's a little nuisance, that's what he is. It's too bad.
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I only wish everybody did want him with all their hearts.
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We might get some peace in our lives. The lamb
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stopped howling now, because Jane had suddenly remembered that there
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is only one safe way of taking things out of
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little children's eyes, and that is with your own soft,
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wet tongue. It is quite easy if you love the
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baby as much as you ought to. Then there was
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a little silence. Robert was not proud of himself for
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having been so cross, and the others were not proud
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of him either. You often noticed that sort of silence
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when someone has said something it ought not to, and
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everyone else holds its tongue and waits for the one
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who oughtn't to have said it is sorry. The silence
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00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:33.360
was broken by a sigh. A breath suddenly let out.
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00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:36.879
The children's heads turned as if there had been a
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string tied to each nose and someone had pulled all
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the strings at once, And everyone saw the sand fairy
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sitting quite close to them, with the expression which it
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used as a smile on its hairy face. Good morning,
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It said, I did that quite easily. Everyone wants him now.
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It doesn't matter, said Robert sulkily, because he knew he
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had been behaving rather like a pig. No matter who
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wants him, there's no one here too anyhow. In gratitude, said,
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00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:18.759
the sam yad is a dreadful vice. We're not ungrateful,
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Jane made haste to say, but we didn't really want
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that wish. Robert only said it. Can't you take it
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back and give us a new one. No, I can't,
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the sand fairy said, shortly, chopping and changing. It's not business.
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You ought to be careful what you do wish. There
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was a little boy once he'd wished for a plesiosaurus
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instead of an ichthiosaurus, because he was too lazy to
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remember the easy names of everyday things. And his father
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had been very vexed with him and had made him
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go to bed before tea time, and didn't let him
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out in the nice flint of boat along with the
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other children. It was the annual school treat next day,
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and he came and flung himself down near me on
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the morning of the treat, and he kicked his little
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prehistoric legs about and said he wished he was dead,
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And of course then he was, how awful, said all
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the children together only till sunset? Of course, the Sami
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had said. Still it was quite enough for his father
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and mother, and he caught it when he woke up
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00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:36.839
I can tell you he didn't turn to stone. I
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forget why, but there must have been some reason. They
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didn't know. Being dead is only being asleep, and you're
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bound to wake up somewhere or other, either where you
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go to sleep or in some better place. You may
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be sure he caught it giving them such a turn.
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Why he wasn't allowed to taste megatherium for a month
286
00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:02.440
after that, nothing but oysters and periwinkles and common things
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like that. All the children were quite crushed by this
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terrible tale. They looked at the Samoyad in horror. Suddenly,
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the lamb perceived that something brown and furry was near him. PuF, PuF, bully,
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he said, and made a grab. It's not a pussy.
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Anthea was beginning when the sand fairy leaped back. Oh
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00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:30.440
my left whisker, it said, don't let him touch me.
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He's wet. It's furs. Stood on end with horror, and
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indeed a good deal of ginger beer had been spilt
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on the blue smock of the lamb. The Samiad dug
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with its hands and feet and vanished in an instant
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and a whirl of sand. The children marked the spot
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with a ring of stones. We may as well get
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along home, said Robert. I'll say I'm sorry, but anyway,
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if it's no good, it's no harm, and we know
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where the sandy thing is for tomorrow. The others were noble.
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No one reproached Robert at all. Cyril picked up the lamb,
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00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:15.279
who was now quite himself again, and off they went
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by the safe cart road. The cart road from the
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gravel pits joins the road almost directly at the gate
306
00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:26.079
to the road. The party stopped to shift the lamb
307
00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:31.079
from Cyril's back to Robert's, and as they paused, a
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00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:35.319
very smart open carriage came in sight, with a coachman
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00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:38.960
and a groom on the box, and inside the carriage
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a lady, very grand indeed, with a dress all white,
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00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:47.519
lace and red ribbons, and a parasol all red and white,
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and a fluffy dog on her lap with a red
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ribbon round its neck. She looked at the children, and
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particularly at the baby, and she smiled at him. The
315
00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:01.680
children were used to this. The lamb was, as All's,
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00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:06.480
the servants said, a very taking child. So they waved
317
00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:09.319
their hands politely to the lady and expected her to
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00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:14.240
drive on, but she did not. Instead, she made the
319
00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:17.799
coachman stop, and she beckoned to Cyril, and he went
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00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.880
up to the carriage, and she said, what a dear
321
00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:25.559
darling duck of a baby. Oh, I should so like
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to adopt it. Do you think it's mother would mind?
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She'd mind very much, said Anthea shortly. Oh, but I
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00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:38.759
should bring it up in luxury. You know, I'm lady Chittenden.
325
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You must have seen my photograft in the illustrated papers.
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00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.799
They call me a beauty, you know, But of course
327
00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:51.799
that's all nonsense. Anyway, she opened the carriage door and
328
00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:57.240
jumped out. She had the wonderfullest red high heeled shoes
329
00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:01.920
with silver buckles. Let me hold him a minute, she said,
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00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:05.200
And she took the lamb and held him very awkwardly,
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00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:09.240
as if she was not used to babies. Then suddenly
332
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she jumped into the carriage with the lamb in her arms,
333
00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:17.200
and slammed the door and said, drive on. The lamb roared,
334
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the little white dog barked, and the coachman hesitated. Drive on,
335
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I tell you, cried the lady, and the coachman did, for,
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as he said afterwards, it was as much as his
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place was worth. Not to the four children, looked at
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00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:36.920
each other, and then with one accord, they rushed after
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the carriage and held on behind. Down the dusty road
340
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went the smart carriage, and after it a double quick
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00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:49.319
time ran the twinkling legs of the lamb's brothers and sisters.
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The lamb howled louder and louder, but presently his howls
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changed by slow degree to hiccupy gurgles, and then all
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was still, and they knew he had gone to sleep.
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The carriage went on, and the eight feet that twinkled
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00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:08.960
through the dust were growing quite stiff and tired. Before
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00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:12.480
the carriage stopped at the lodge of a grand park.
348
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The children crouched down behind the carriage, and the lady
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got out. She looked at the baby as it lay
350
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on the carriage seat and hesitated the darling. I won't
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disturb it, she said, and went into the lodge to
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talk to the woman there about a setting of buff
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Orpington eggs that had not turned out well. The coachman
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and footman sprang from the box and bent over the
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sleeping lamb. Fine boy, wish he was mine, said the coachman.
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He wouldn't favor you much, said the groom, sourly, too handsome.
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The coachman pretended not to hear. He said, wonder at her,
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I do really hate kids, got none of her own,
359
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and can't abide other folkses. The children, crouching in the
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00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:10.960
white dust under the carriage exchanged uncomfortable glances. Tell you what,
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the coachman went on, firmly blowed. If I don't hide
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00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:16.799
the little nipper in the hedge and tell her his
363
00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:20.680
brothers took him, then I'll come back for em afterwards.
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No you don't, said the footman. I've took to that
365
00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:29.319
kid so as never was. If anyone's to have em,
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00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:34.160
it's me. So there stole your cob. The coachman rejoined,
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you don't want no kids, and if you did, one
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00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:39.880
kid's the same as another to you. But I'm a
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00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:43.119
married man and a judge of breed. I knows a
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00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:46.480
first rate yearling. When I seize em, I'm a goin
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00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:50.799
to have em. And least said soonest mended I should
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00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:55.079
a thought, said the footman, sneeringly. You'd a most enough,
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00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:59.880
what with Alfred and Albert and Louise and Victor Stam
374
00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:05.400
and Helena, Beatrice and another. The coachman hit the footman
375
00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:09.799
in the chin. The footman hit the coachman in the waistcoat.
376
00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:13.880
The next minute the two were fighting here and there,
377
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:18.519
in and out, up and down and all over everywhere.
378
00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:21.759
And a little dog jumped on the box of the
379
00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:26.240
carriage and began barking like mad. Cyril, still crouching in
380
00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:29.559
the dust, waddled on bent legs to the side of
381
00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:34.160
the carriage. Farthest from the battlefield. He unfastened the door
382
00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:37.680
of the carriage. The two men were far too much
383
00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:41.640
occupied with their quarrel to notice anything. Took the lamb
384
00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:45.440
in his arms, and, still stooping, carried the sleeping baby
385
00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:48.839
a dozen yards along the road to where a style
386
00:25:49.079 --> 00:25:53.039
led into a wood. The others followed, and there, among
387
00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:56.440
the hazels and the young oaks and sweet chestnuts, covered
388
00:25:56.440 --> 00:26:00.319
by high strung scented bracken, they all lay hidden till
389
00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:03.440
the angry voices of the men were hushed at the
390
00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:06.680
angry voice of the red and white lady. And after
391
00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:11.480
a long and anxious search, the carriage at last drove away.
392
00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:16.559
My only hat, said Cyril, drawing a deep breath, as
393
00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:19.960
the sounds of the wheels at last died away. Every
394
00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:24.480
one does want him now, and no mistake that sam
395
00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:29.200
Yad has done us again, tricky brute. For any sake,
396
00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:32.960
Let's get the kid safe home. So they peeped out,
397
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:37.079
and finding on the right hand only a lonely white
398
00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.680
road and nothing but lonely right road on the left,
399
00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:46.039
they took courage and the road. Anthea, carrying the sleeping
400
00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:51.440
lamb Adventures, dogged their footsteps. A boy with a bundle
401
00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:54.160
of faggots on his back dropped his bundle by the
402
00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:58.400
roadside and asked to look at the baby, and then
403
00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:01.920
offered to carry him, but Anthea was not to be
404
00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:06.799
caught that way. Twice they all walked on, but the
405
00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:11.480
boy followed, and Cyril and Robert couldn't make him go
406
00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:16.359
away till they had more than once invited him to
407
00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:21.720
smell their fists. Afterwards, a little girl in a blue
408
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:26.160
and white checked pinafore actually followed them for a quarter
409
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:30.839
of a mile, crying for the precious baby, and then
410
00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:33.920
she was only got rid of by threats of tying
411
00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:36.599
her to a tree in the wood with all their
412
00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:40.440
pocket handkerchiefs, so that the bears can come and eat
413
00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:44.799
you as soon as it gets dark, said Cyril, severely.
414
00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:50.039
Then she went off crying. It presently seemed wise to
415
00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:53.440
the brothers and sisters of the baby, who was wanted
416
00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:58.200
by everyone, to hide in the hedge whenever they saw
417
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:02.119
any one coming, and thus they managed to prevent the
418
00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:08.160
lamb from arousing the inconvenient affection of a milkman, a
419
00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:12.119
stone breaker, and a man who drove a cart with
420
00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:15.200
a paraffin barrel at the back of it. They were
421
00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:19.920
nearly home when the worst thing of all happened. Turning
422
00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:24.119
a corner, suddenly they came upon two vans, a tent,
423
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:28.599
and a company of gypsies encamped by the side of
424
00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:32.480
the road. The vans were hung all round with wicker
425
00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:37.480
chairs and cradles, and flower stands and feather brushes. A
426
00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:41.640
lot of ragged children were industriously making dust pies in
427
00:28:41.720 --> 00:28:45.319
the road. Two men lay on the grass smoking, and
428
00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:48.799
three women were doing the family washing in an old
429
00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:53.000
red watering can with the top broken off. In a moment,
430
00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:58.759
all the gypsies, men, women and children surrounded Anthea and
431
00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:03.119
the baby. Let me hold him, little lady, said one
432
00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:07.319
of the gipsy women, who had a mahogany colored face
433
00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:11.599
and dust colored hair. I won't hurt a hair of
434
00:29:11.720 --> 00:29:17.480
his head the little picture. I'd rather not, said Anthea.
435
00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:21.880
Let me have it, said the other woman, whose face
436
00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:26.400
was also of the hue of mahogany and her hair
437
00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:31.400
jet black in greasy curls. I've nineteen of my own,
438
00:29:31.480 --> 00:29:36.440
so I have no, said Anthea bravely, but her heart
439
00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:40.359
beat so that it nearly choked her. Then one of
440
00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:45.000
the men pushed forward. Swelp me if it ain't, he cried,
441
00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:49.519
my own long lost child. Have he a strawberry mark
442
00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:53.400
on his left ear? No? Then he's my own Babby,
443
00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:58.519
stole from me in his innocent infancy. And I'm over
444
00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:02.559
and we'll not and have the lawyer. This time he
445
00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:07.200
snatched the baby from Anthea, who turned scarlet and burst
446
00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:12.119
into tears of pure rage. The others were standing quite still.
447
00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:15.920
This was much the most terrible thing that had ever
448
00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:19.599
happened to them. Even being taken up by the police
449
00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:24.960
in Rochester was nothing to this. Cyril was quite white,
450
00:30:25.319 --> 00:30:28.599
and his hands trembled a little, but he made a
451
00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:32.079
sign to the others to shut up. He was silent
452
00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.720
a minute, thinking hard, and then he said, we don't
453
00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:38.559
want to keep him. If he's yours. But you see
454
00:30:38.599 --> 00:30:41.720
he's used to us. You shall have him if you
455
00:30:41.799 --> 00:30:48.039
want him. No, no, cried Anthea, and Cyril glared at her.
456
00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:51.880
Of course we want him, said the woman, trying to
457
00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:55.720
get the baby out of the man's arms. The lamb howled,
458
00:30:56.279 --> 00:31:02.200
Oh he's hurt, shrieked Anthea, and Cyril, in a savage undertone,
459
00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:07.799
bade her stow it. You trust me, he whispered, Look here,
460
00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:12.680
he went on, he's awfully tiresome with people he doesn't know. Well,
461
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:15.559
suppose we stay here a bit till he gets used
462
00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:18.920
to you, and then when it's bedtime, I give you
463
00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:21.240
my word of honor. We'll go away and let you
464
00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:24.680
keep him if you want to. And then when we're
465
00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:27.599
gone you can decide which of you is to have him,
466
00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:31.839
as you all want him so much. That's fair enough,
467
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:35.400
said the man who was holding the baby, trying to
468
00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:39.119
loosen the red neckerchief which the lamb had caught hold
469
00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:43.720
of and drawn round his mahogany throat so tight that
470
00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:48.799
he could hardly breathe. The gypsies whispered together, and Cyril
471
00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:53.519
took the chance to whisper too. He said, sunset, we'll
472
00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:58.160
go away, then, and then his brothers and sisters were
473
00:31:58.359 --> 00:32:02.960
filled with wonder and admiration at his having been so
474
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:07.640
clever as to remember this. Oh do let him come
475
00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:10.799
to us, said Jane. We'll sit down here and take
476
00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:13.240
care of him for you till he gets used to you.
477
00:32:13.880 --> 00:32:18.039
What about dinner, said Robert. Suddenly the others looked at
478
00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:22.359
him with scorn. Fancy bothering about your beastly dinner when
479
00:32:22.359 --> 00:32:27.599
you're brooke, I mean the baby, Jane whispered hotly. Robert
480
00:32:27.680 --> 00:32:31.119
carefully winked at her and went on, you won't mind
481
00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:33.599
my just running home to get our dinner, he said
482
00:32:33.640 --> 00:32:36.200
to the gipsy, I can bring it out here in
483
00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:40.640
a basket. His brothers and sisters felt themselves very noble
484
00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:45.559
and despised him. They did not know his thoughtful, secret intention,
485
00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:50.400
but the gypsies did in a minute. Oh yes, they said,
486
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:53.240
and then fetch the police with a packet of lies
487
00:32:53.319 --> 00:32:57.000
about it being your baby instead of ours. Did you
488
00:32:57.079 --> 00:33:01.000
ever catch a weasel asleep? They asked? If you're hungry,
489
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:03.640
you can pick a bit along of us, said the
490
00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:09.559
light haired gipsy woman. Not unkindly here, LEVI that blessed
491
00:33:09.640 --> 00:33:12.680
kittle howl all his buttons off, give him to the
492
00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:14.799
little lady, and let's see if they can get him
493
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:18.640
used to us a bit. So the lamb was handed back,
494
00:33:19.160 --> 00:33:22.319
but the Gypsies crowded so closely that he could not
495
00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:28.680
possibly stop howling. Then the man with the red handkerchief said, here, Pharaoh,
496
00:33:28.920 --> 00:33:31.960
make up the fire, and you girls see to the pot.
497
00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:35.839
Give the kid a chance. So the gypsies, very much
498
00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:37.720
against their will, went off to their work, and the
499
00:33:37.799 --> 00:33:40.200
children and the lamb were left sitting on the grass.
500
00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:45.000
He'll be all right at sunset, Jane whispered, But oh,
501
00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:49.599
it is awful. Suppose they are frightfully angry. When they
502
00:33:49.640 --> 00:33:52.640
come to their senses, they might beat us or leave
503
00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:57.839
us tied to trees or something. No, they won't, Anthea said, Oh,
504
00:33:57.880 --> 00:34:01.319
my little lamb, don't cry any more. It's all right.
505
00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:07.079
Panty's got to ducky. They aren't unkind people, or they
506
00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:11.599
wouldn't be going to give us any dinner. Dinner, said Robert.
507
00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:15.159
I won't touch their nasty dinner. It would choke me.
508
00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:20.440
The others thought so too, then, But when the dinner
509
00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:23.639
was ready, it turned out to be supper, And happened
510
00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:27.000
between four and five they were all glad enough to
511
00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:30.840
take what they could get. It was boiled rabbit with onions,
512
00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:34.719
and some bird, rather like a chicken, but stringier about
513
00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:38.400
its legs and with a stronger taste. The lamb had
514
00:34:38.440 --> 00:34:41.480
bread soaked in hot water and brown sugar sprinkled on
515
00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:44.880
the top. He liked this very much, and consented to
516
00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:48.119
let the two gipsy women feed him with it as
517
00:34:48.119 --> 00:34:53.280
he sat on Anthea's lap. All that long afternoon, Robert
518
00:34:53.320 --> 00:34:56.480
and Cyril, and Anthea and Jane had to keep the
519
00:34:56.559 --> 00:35:00.639
lamb amused and happy while the gypsies looked eagerly on.
520
00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:04.320
By the time the shadows grew long and black across
521
00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:08.039
the meadows, he had really taken to the woman with
522
00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:11.719
the light hair, and even consented to kiss his hand
523
00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:14.920
to the children, and to stand up and bow with
524
00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:18.440
his hand on his chest like a gentleman to the
525
00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:23.880
two men. The whole gipsy camp was in raptures with him,
526
00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:27.000
and his brothers and sisters could not help taking some
527
00:35:27.159 --> 00:35:31.159
pleasure in showing off his accomplishments to an audience so
528
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:37.039
interested and enthusiastic. But they longed for sunset. We're getting
529
00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:41.960
in the habit of longing for sunset. Cyril whispered, how
530
00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:45.960
I do wish we could wish something really sensible that
531
00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:48.920
would be of some use, so that we should be
532
00:35:49.079 --> 00:35:53.639
quite sorry. When sunset came, the shadows got longer and longer,
533
00:35:53.679 --> 00:35:57.039
and at last there were no separate shadows any more,
534
00:35:57.599 --> 00:36:02.199
but one soft glowing shadow over everything. For the sun
535
00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:06.880
was out of sight behind the hill. But he had
536
00:36:06.920 --> 00:36:10.840
not really set yet. The people who make the laws
537
00:36:10.880 --> 00:36:14.880
about lighting bicycle lamps are the people who decide when
538
00:36:14.880 --> 00:36:18.440
the sun sets. He has to do it too to
539
00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:22.159
the minute, or they would know the reason why. But
540
00:36:22.639 --> 00:36:27.480
the gypsies were getting impatient. Now, young uns, the red
541
00:36:27.599 --> 00:36:31.519
handkerchief man said, it's time you were laying off your
542
00:36:31.559 --> 00:36:35.079
heads on those pillowses. So it is the kids all right,
543
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:37.800
an friendly with us now, So you just hand them
544
00:36:37.800 --> 00:36:40.320
over and sling that hook of yours like you said.
545
00:36:41.119 --> 00:36:44.440
The women and children came crowding round the lamb. Arms
546
00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:49.159
were held out, fingers snapped invitingly, friendly faces beaming with
547
00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:53.679
admiring smiles, but all failed to tempt the loyal Lamb.
548
00:36:54.440 --> 00:36:57.960
He clung with arms and legs to Jane, who happened
549
00:36:57.960 --> 00:37:01.599
to be holding him, and uttered the gloomiest roar of
550
00:37:01.679 --> 00:37:06.280
the whole day. It's no good, the woman said, hand
551
00:37:06.280 --> 00:37:10.239
the little poppet over, miss, We'll soon quiet him. And
552
00:37:10.440 --> 00:37:14.719
still the sun would not set. Tell her about how
553
00:37:14.760 --> 00:37:18.639
to put him to bed, whispered Cyril. Anything to gain
554
00:37:18.719 --> 00:37:21.679
time and be ready to bolt when the sun really
555
00:37:21.760 --> 00:37:25.039
does make up its silly old mind to set. Yes,
556
00:37:25.440 --> 00:37:28.559
I'll hand him over in just one minute. Anthea began
557
00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:32.360
talking very fast. But do let me just tell you.
558
00:37:32.840 --> 00:37:36.280
He has a warm bath every night and cold in
559
00:37:36.320 --> 00:37:39.360
the morning. And he has a crockery rabbit to go
560
00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:42.679
into the warm bath with him, and a little Samuel
561
00:37:42.719 --> 00:37:46.480
sang his prayers in a white china on a red
562
00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:50.400
cushion for the cold bath. And if you let the
563
00:37:50.519 --> 00:37:55.079
soap get into his eyes, the lamb la Keith said
564
00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:58.719
he he had stopped roaring to listen. The woman laughed,
565
00:37:59.239 --> 00:38:02.880
as if I'd ever bathed the baby. She said, come
566
00:38:02.920 --> 00:38:06.079
give us a hold of him. Come to Melia, my precious,
567
00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:12.320
go wagg uggsy, cried Lamb at once. Yes, but Anthea
568
00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:16.159
went on about his meals. You really must let me
569
00:38:16.239 --> 00:38:19.679
tell you. He has an apple or a banana every morning,
570
00:38:20.159 --> 00:38:22.800
and bread and milk for breakfast and an egg for
571
00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:27.360
his tea sometimes, And I've brought up ten, said the
572
00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:32.039
black ringleted woman. Besides the others, come, miss An, I'm over.
573
00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:34.960
I can't bear it no longer. I es must give
574
00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:37.639
him a hug. We ain't settled yet. Who's east to
575
00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:41.360
be Esther, said one of the men. Won't be you, Esther,
576
00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:45.360
w seven of em at your tail already. I ain't
577
00:38:45.400 --> 00:38:49.679
so sure o, that said Esther's husband. And ain't I
578
00:38:49.840 --> 00:38:52.360
nobody to have us? Ain? Neither said the husband of
579
00:38:52.440 --> 00:38:57.519
Miliam Zillah. The girl said, and me, I'm a single girl,
580
00:38:57.639 --> 00:39:00.320
and no one but I'm to look after. I got
581
00:39:00.440 --> 00:39:04.320
to have him. Hold your tongue, shut your mouth. Don't
582
00:39:04.360 --> 00:39:08.320
you show me no more of your impertinence. Everyone was
583
00:39:08.360 --> 00:39:14.119
getting angry. The dark gipsy faces were frowning and anxious looking. Suddenly,
584
00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:18.679
a change swept over them, as if some invisible sponge
585
00:39:19.159 --> 00:39:23.719
had wiped away these cross and anxious expressions and left
586
00:39:23.840 --> 00:39:27.559
only a blank. The children saw that the sun really
587
00:39:27.800 --> 00:39:31.639
had set, but they were afraid to move, and the
588
00:39:31.719 --> 00:39:36.039
gypsies were feeling so muddled because of the invisible sponge
589
00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:38.800
that had washed all the feelings of the last few
590
00:39:38.840 --> 00:39:41.960
hours out of their hearts that they could not say
591
00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:47.000
a word. The children hardly dared to Breathe suppose the Gypsies,
592
00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:50.360
when they recovered speech, should be furious to think how
593
00:39:50.400 --> 00:39:54.400
silly they had been all day. It was an awkward moment.
594
00:39:54.800 --> 00:39:59.400
Suddenly Anthea, greatly daring, held out the lamb to the
595
00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:04.079
red hang kerchief. Man. Here he is, she said. The
596
00:40:04.119 --> 00:40:07.679
man drew back. I shouldn't like to deprive you, miss,
597
00:40:07.840 --> 00:40:11.679
he said hoarsely. Anyone who likes can have my share
598
00:40:11.679 --> 00:40:14.800
of 'em, said the other man. After all, I've enough
599
00:40:14.800 --> 00:40:18.280
of my own, said esther. He's a nice little chap, though,
600
00:40:18.360 --> 00:40:22.079
said Amelia. She was the only one who now looked
601
00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:26.719
affectionately at the whimpering lamb. Zillah said, if I don't
602
00:40:26.719 --> 00:40:29.280
think I must have had a touch o the sun,
603
00:40:29.599 --> 00:40:33.119
I don't want him? Then shall we take him away?
604
00:40:33.480 --> 00:40:37.880
Said Anthea. Well suppose you do, said Pharaoh heartily, and
605
00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:41.519
we'll say no more about it. And with great haste,
606
00:40:41.719 --> 00:40:44.960
all the Gypsies began to be busy about their tents
607
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:48.719
for the night, all but Amelia. She went with the
608
00:40:48.800 --> 00:40:50.800
children as far as the bend in the road, and
609
00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:54.039
there she said, let me give him a kiss. Miss
610
00:40:54.519 --> 00:40:56.920
I don't know what made us go for to behave
611
00:40:57.000 --> 00:41:01.320
so silly us. Gypsies don't steal babies, whatever they may
612
00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:04.639
tell you when you're naughty. We've enough of our own, mostly,
613
00:41:05.239 --> 00:41:08.960
but I've lost all mine. She leaned toward the Lamb,
614
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:14.280
and he, looking in her eyes, unexpectedly put up a grubby,
615
00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:19.920
soft paw and stroked her face. Poor, poor, said lamb.
616
00:41:20.400 --> 00:41:23.119
And he let the gipsy woman kiss him. And what
617
00:41:23.320 --> 00:41:26.360
is more, he kissed her brown cheek in return, a
618
00:41:26.519 --> 00:41:30.159
very nice kiss, as all his kisses are, and not
619
00:41:30.280 --> 00:41:33.920
a wet one like some babies give. The gipsy moved
620
00:41:33.920 --> 00:41:37.440
her finger about on his forehead as if she had
621
00:41:37.480 --> 00:41:40.960
been writing something there, and the same with his chest,
622
00:41:41.079 --> 00:41:43.719
and his hands and his feet. And then she said,
623
00:41:44.440 --> 00:41:47.480
may he be brave and have the strong head to
624
00:41:47.559 --> 00:41:51.159
think with, and the strong heart to love with, and
625
00:41:51.280 --> 00:41:54.719
the strong hands to work with, and the strong feet
626
00:41:54.800 --> 00:41:58.920
to travel with, and always come safe home to his own.
627
00:41:59.719 --> 00:42:02.480
Then she said something in a strange language no one
628
00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:07.599
could understand, and suddenly added, well, I must be sayin
629
00:42:07.880 --> 00:42:11.719
so long, and glad to have made your acquaintance. And
630
00:42:11.800 --> 00:42:14.599
she turned and went back to her home the tent
631
00:42:14.840 --> 00:42:18.679
by the grassy roadside. The children looked after her till
632
00:42:18.719 --> 00:42:22.920
she was out of sight. Then Robert said, how silly
633
00:42:22.960 --> 00:42:27.159
of her. Even sunset didn't put her right? What rot
634
00:42:27.280 --> 00:42:31.159
she talked? Well, said Cyril, If you ask me, I
635
00:42:31.199 --> 00:42:35.760
think it was rather decent of her. Decent, said Anthea.
636
00:42:36.280 --> 00:42:39.679
It was very nice indeed of her. I think she's
637
00:42:39.719 --> 00:42:44.480
a dear. She's just too frightfully nice for anything, said Jane.
638
00:42:45.159 --> 00:42:49.400
And they went home very late for tea and unspeakably
639
00:42:49.480 --> 00:42:53.920
late for dinner. Martha scolded, of course, but the lamb
640
00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:57.280
was safe. I say it turned out we wanted the
641
00:42:57.360 --> 00:43:01.639
lamb as much as any one, said Robert later. Of course,
642
00:43:02.880 --> 00:43:05.920
But do you feel different about it now? The sunset,
643
00:43:06.719 --> 00:43:11.280
no set, all the others together, then it's lasted over
644
00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:16.599
sunset with us. No, it hasn't, Cyril explained. The wish
645
00:43:16.639 --> 00:43:20.880
didn't do anything to us. We always wanted him with
646
00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:25.360
all our hearts when we were our proper selves. Only
647
00:43:25.840 --> 00:43:30.239
we were all pigs this morning, especially you, Robert. Robert
648
00:43:30.360 --> 00:43:35.119
bore this much with a strange calm. I certainly thought
649
00:43:35.360 --> 00:43:38.719
I didn't want him this morning, said he. Perhaps I
650
00:43:38.880 --> 00:43:42.000
was a pig but everything looked so different when we
651
00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:46.280
thought we were going to lose him. End of Chapter three.
652
00:43:47.119 --> 00:43:52.880
Recording by Jenny Lundak, South Padre Island, Texas, in August
653
00:43:53.159 --> 00:44:03.719
two thousand eleven. Se
1
00:00:00.960 --> 00:00:05.400
Chapter three of Five Children and It. This is a
2
00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:10.599
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
3
00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:17.480
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
4
00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:23.519
Recording by Grandma Jenny, Five Children and It by E. Nesbit,
5
00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:29.600
Chapter three being Wanted. The morning after the children had
6
00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:34.799
been the possessors of boundless wealth and had been unable
7
00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:40.000
to buy anything really useful or enjoyable with it, except
8
00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:44.719
two pairs of cotton gloves, twelve penny buns, an imitation
9
00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:48.479
crocodile skin purse, and a ride in a pony cart.
10
00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:54.039
They awoke without any of the enthusiastic happiness which they
11
00:00:54.039 --> 00:00:58.079
had felt on the previous day, when they remembered how
12
00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:01.880
they had had the luck to find a samiad or
13
00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:05.799
sand fairy and to receive its promises to grant them
14
00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:09.640
a new wish every day. For now they had had
15
00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:15.840
two wishes, beauty and wealth, and neither had exactly made
16
00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:20.799
them happy. But the happening of strange things, even if
17
00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:25.000
they are not completely pleasant things, is more amusing than
18
00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:29.280
those times when nothing happens but meals, and they are
19
00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:33.280
not always completely pleasant, especially on the days when it's
20
00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:37.640
cold mutton or hash. There was no chance of talking
21
00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:43.159
things over before breakfast, because everyone overslept itself as it happened,
22
00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:48.040
and it needed a vigorous and determined struggle to get
23
00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:52.439
dressed so as to be only ten minutes late for breakfast.
24
00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:56.519
During this meal, some efforts were made to deal with
25
00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:00.400
the question of the samiad and an impartial so spirit.
26
00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:07.000
But it is very difficult to discuss anything thoroughly and
27
00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:10.759
at the same time to attend faithfully to your baby
28
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:16.479
brother's breakfast needs. The baby was particularly lively that morning.
29
00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:19.719
He not only wriggled his body through the bar of
30
00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:23.800
his high chair and hung by his head, choking and purple,
31
00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:29.319
but he collared a tablespoon with desperate suddenness, hit cyril
32
00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:32.800
heavily on the head with it, and then cried because
33
00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.919
it was taken away from him. He put his fat
34
00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.560
fist in the bread and milk and demanded nam, which
35
00:02:40.840 --> 00:02:44.439
was only allowed for tea. He sang, He put his
36
00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:49.800
feet on the table. He clamored to go walky. The
37
00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:54.960
conversation was something like this, Look here about that sand fairy.
38
00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:58.919
Look out, He'll have the milk over. Milk removed to
39
00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:04.120
a safe distance, yes about that fairy, No lamb, dear
40
00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:10.280
give panther the narky poon. Then Cyril cried, nothing we
41
00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:14.719
have had yet has turned out he nearly had the
42
00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:19.400
mustard that time. I wonder whether we'd better wish hallo.
43
00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:22.800
You've done it now, my boy, And in a flash
44
00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.520
of glass and pink baby paws, the bowl of golden
45
00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:29.919
carp in the middle of the table rolled on its
46
00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:33.840
side and poured a flood of mixed water and goldfish
47
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.360
into the baby's lap and into the laps of the others.
48
00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:41.800
Every one was almost as much upset as the goldfish.
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The lamb only remained calm when the pool on the
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floor had been mopped up and the leaping, gasping goldfish
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had been collected and put back in the water. The
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baby was taken away to be entirely re dressed by Martha,
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and most of the others had to change completely. The
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pinafores and jackets that had been bathed in goldfish and
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water were hung out to dry. And then it turned
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out that Jane must either mend the dress she had
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torn the day before or appear all day in her
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best petticoat. It was white and soft and frilly and
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trimmed with lace and fairy, very pretty, quite as pretty
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as a frock, if not more so. Only it was
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not a frock. And Martha's word was law. She wouldn't
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let Jane wear her best frock. And she refused to
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listen for a moment to Robert's suggestion that Jane were
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her best petticoat and call it a dress. It is
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not respectable, she said. And when people say that, it's
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no use anyone saying anything. You will find this out
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for yourselves some day. So there was nothing for it
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but for Jane to mend her frock. The hole had
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been torn the day before when she happened to tumble
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down in the high street of Rochester, just where a
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water cart had passed on its silvery way. She had
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grazed her knee, and her stocking was much more than grazed,
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and her dress was cut by the same stone which
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had attended to the knee and the stocking. Of course,
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the others were not such sneaks as to abandon a
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comrade in misfortune, So they all sat on the grass
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plot round the sun dial, and Jane darned away for
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dear life. The lamb was still in the hands of
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Martha having its clothes changed, so conversation was possible. Anthea
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and Robert timidly tried to conceal their inmost thought, which
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was that the Samiad was not to be trusted. But
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Cyril said, speak out, say what you've got to say.
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I hate hinting and don't know and sneakish ways like that.
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So then Robert said, as in honor bound, sneak yourself.
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Anthea and me weren't so goldfishy as you two were,
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so we got changed quicker, and we'd had time to
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think it over. And if you ask me, I didn't
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ask you, said Jane, biting off a needleful of thread,
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as she had always been strictly forbidden to do. I
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don't care who asks or who doesn't, said Robert. But
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Anthea and I think the Samiad is a spiteful brute.
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If it can give us our wishes, I suppose it
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can give itself its own, and I feel almost sure
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it wishes every time that our wishes shan't do us
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any good. Let's let the tiresome beast alone and just
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go and have a jolly good time of forts on
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our own. In the chalk pit. You'll remember that the
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happily situated house where the children were spending their holidays
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lay between a chalk quarry and a gravel pit. Syria
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and Jane were more hopeful. They generally were. I don't
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think the Samoyad does it on purpose, Cyril said, And
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after all, it was silly to wish for boundless wealth.
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Fifty pounds and two shilling pieces would have been much
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more sensible, and wishing to be beautiful as the day
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was simply donkeyish. I don't want to be disagreeable, but
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it was. We must try to find a really useful
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wish and wish it. Jane dropped her work and said,
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I think so too. It's too silly to have a
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chance like this and not use it. I never heard
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of any one else outside a book who had such
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a chance. There must be simply heaps of things we
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could wish for that wouldn't turn out dead sea fish
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like these two things have do. Let's think hard and
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wish something nice so that we can have a really
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jolly day. But there is left of it, Jane darned
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away again, like mad, for time was indeed getting on,
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and everyone began to talk at once. If you had
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been there, you could not possibly have made head or
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tail of the talk. But these children were used to
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talking by fours as soldiers march, and each of them
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could say what it had to say quite comfortably, and
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listen to the agreeable sound of its own voice, and
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at the same time have three quarters of two sharp
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ears to spare for listening to what the others said.
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That is an easy example of multiplication of vulgar fractions.
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But as I dare say, you can't even do that.
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I won't ask you to tell me whether three fourths
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times two equals eleven halves, but I will ask you
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to believe that this was the amount of ear each
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child was able to lend to the others. Lending ears
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was common in Roman times, as we learned from Shakespeare.
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But I fear I am getting too instructive. When the
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frock was darned, the start for the gravel pit was
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delayed by Martha's insisting on everybody's washing its hands, which
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was nonsense, because nobody had been doing anything at all
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except Jane. And how can you get dirty doing nothing?
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That is a difficult question, and I cannot answer it
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on paper. In real life, I could very soon show
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you or you me, which is much more likely. During
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that conversation in which the six years were lent, there
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were four children, so that sum comes right. It had
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been decided that fifty pounds in two shilling pieces was
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the right wish to have, and the lucky children, who
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could have anything in the wide world by wishing for it,
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hurriedly started for the gravel pit to express their wishes
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to the sam Yet Martha caught them at the gate
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and insisted on their taking the baby with them. Not
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I want him, indeed, why everybody'd want him a duck
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with all their hearts they would. And you know you
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promised Yerma to take him out every blessed day, said Martha.
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I know we did, said Robert and gloom. But I
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wish the lamb wasn't quite so young and small. It
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would be much better fun taking him out. He'll mend
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of his youngness with time, said Martha. And as for
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his smallness, I don't think you'd fancy carrying of him
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any more, however, Biggie was Besides, he can walk a bit,
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bless his precious fat legs. A ducky he feels the
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benefit of the new laid air, so he does a
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pet And with this and a kiss, she plumped the
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lamb into Anthea's arms and went back to make new
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pinafores on the sewing machine. She was a rapid performer
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on this instrument. The lamb laughed with pleasure and said
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walkie with panty, and rode on Robert's back with yells
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of joy, and tried to feed Jane with stones, and
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altogether made himself so agreeable that nobody could long be
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sorry that he was of the party. The enthusiastic Jane
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even suggested that they should devote a week's wishes to
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assuring the baby's future by asking such gifts for him
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as the good fairies give to infant princes in proper
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fairy tales. But Anthea soberly reminded her that as a
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sand fairy's wishes only lasted till sunset, they could not
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insure any benefit to the baby's later years, and Jane
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owned that it would be better to wish for fifty
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pounds and two shilling pieces and buy the lamb a
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three pound fifteen rocking horse like those in the Army
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and Navy stores. With part of the money it was
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settled that as soon as they had wished the money
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and got it, they would get mister Crispin to drive
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them into Rochester again, taking Martha with them if they
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could not get out of taking her, and they would
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make a list of things they really wanted before they started.
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Full of high hopes and excellent resolutions, they went round
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the safe slow cart road to the gravel pit. And
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as they went in between the mounds of gravel, a
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sudden thought came to them, and would have turned their
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ruddy cheeks pale if they had been children in a book.
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Being real, live children, it only made them stop and
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look at each other with rather blank and silly expressions.
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For now they remembered that yesterday, when they had asked
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the Samiad for boundless wealth, and it was getting ready
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to fill the quarry with minted gold of bright guineas
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millions of them, it had told the children to run
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along outside the quarry for fear they should be buried
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alive in the heavy, splendid treasure. And they had run,
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And so it happened that they had not had time
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to mark the spot where the Samoad was with a
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ring of stones as before. And it was this thought
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that put such silly expressions on their faces. Never mind,
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said the hopeful Jane. We'll soon find him. But this,
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though easily said, was hard in the doing. They looked,
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and they looked, and though they found their seaside spades,
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nowhere could they find the sand fairy. At last they
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had to sit down and rest, not at all because
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they were weary or disheartened, of course, but because the
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lamb insisted on being put down. And you cannot look
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very carefully after anything you may have happened to lose
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in the sand if you have an active baby to
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look after. At the same time, get some one to
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drop your best knife in the sand next time you
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go to the sea side, and then take your baby
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brother with you when you go to look for it,
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and you'll see that I am right. The lamb, as
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Martha had said, was feeling the benefit of the country air,
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and he was as frisky as a sand popper. The
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elder ones longed to go on talking about the new
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wishes they would have when or if they found the
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psamiad again, but the lamb wished to enjoy himself. He
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watched his opportunity and threw a handful of sand into
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Anthea's face, and then suddenly buried his own head in
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the sand and waved his fat legs in the air. Then,
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of course the sand got into his eyes, as it
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had into Anthea's, and he howled. The thoughtful Robbert had
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brought one solid brown bottle of ginger beer with him,
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relying on a thirst that never yet failed him. This
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had to be uncorked hurriedly, was the only wet thing
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within reach, and it was necessary to wash the sand
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out of the lamb's eyes somehow. Of course, the ginger
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beer hurt horribly, and he howled more than ever, and
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amid his anguish of kicking the bottle, was upset, and
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the beautiful ginger beer frothed out into the sand and
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was lost forever. It was then that Robert, usually a
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very patient brother, so far forgot himself as to say
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anybody would want him. Indeed, only they don't. Martha doesn't,
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not really, or she'd jolly well keep him with her.
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He's a little nuisance, that's what he is. It's too bad.
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I only wish everybody did want him with all their hearts.
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We might get some peace in our lives. The lamb
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stopped howling now, because Jane had suddenly remembered that there
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is only one safe way of taking things out of
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little children's eyes, and that is with your own soft,
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wet tongue. It is quite easy if you love the
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baby as much as you ought to. Then there was
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a little silence. Robert was not proud of himself for
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having been so cross, and the others were not proud
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of him either. You often noticed that sort of silence
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when someone has said something it ought not to, and
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everyone else holds its tongue and waits for the one
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who oughtn't to have said it is sorry. The silence
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was broken by a sigh. A breath suddenly let out.
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The children's heads turned as if there had been a
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string tied to each nose and someone had pulled all
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the strings at once, And everyone saw the sand fairy
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sitting quite close to them, with the expression which it
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used as a smile on its hairy face. Good morning,
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It said, I did that quite easily. Everyone wants him now.
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It doesn't matter, said Robert sulkily, because he knew he
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had been behaving rather like a pig. No matter who
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wants him, there's no one here too anyhow. In gratitude, said,
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the sam yad is a dreadful vice. We're not ungrateful,
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Jane made haste to say, but we didn't really want
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that wish. Robert only said it. Can't you take it
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back and give us a new one. No, I can't,
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the sand fairy said, shortly, chopping and changing. It's not business.
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You ought to be careful what you do wish. There
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was a little boy once he'd wished for a plesiosaurus
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instead of an ichthiosaurus, because he was too lazy to
267
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remember the easy names of everyday things. And his father
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had been very vexed with him and had made him
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go to bed before tea time, and didn't let him
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out in the nice flint of boat along with the
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other children. It was the annual school treat next day,
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and he came and flung himself down near me on
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the morning of the treat, and he kicked his little
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prehistoric legs about and said he wished he was dead,
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And of course then he was, how awful, said all
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the children together only till sunset? Of course, the Sami
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had said. Still it was quite enough for his father
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and mother, and he caught it when he woke up
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I can tell you he didn't turn to stone. I
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forget why, but there must have been some reason. They
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didn't know. Being dead is only being asleep, and you're
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bound to wake up somewhere or other, either where you
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go to sleep or in some better place. You may
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be sure he caught it giving them such a turn.
285
00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:58.119
Why he wasn't allowed to taste megatherium for a month
286
00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:02.440
after that, nothing but oysters and periwinkles and common things
287
00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:05.920
like that. All the children were quite crushed by this
288
00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:11.039
terrible tale. They looked at the Samoyad in horror. Suddenly,
289
00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:17.240
the lamb perceived that something brown and furry was near him. PuF, PuF, bully,
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00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:21.720
he said, and made a grab. It's not a pussy.
291
00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:26.039
Anthea was beginning when the sand fairy leaped back. Oh
292
00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:30.440
my left whisker, it said, don't let him touch me.
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00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:36.079
He's wet. It's furs. Stood on end with horror, and
294
00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:39.599
indeed a good deal of ginger beer had been spilt
295
00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:43.640
on the blue smock of the lamb. The Samiad dug
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00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:46.279
with its hands and feet and vanished in an instant
297
00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:50.000
and a whirl of sand. The children marked the spot
298
00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:53.400
with a ring of stones. We may as well get
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00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:58.359
along home, said Robert. I'll say I'm sorry, but anyway,
300
00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:02.119
if it's no good, it's no harm, and we know
301
00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:06.359
where the sandy thing is for tomorrow. The others were noble.
302
00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:11.759
No one reproached Robert at all. Cyril picked up the lamb,
303
00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:15.279
who was now quite himself again, and off they went
304
00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:18.559
by the safe cart road. The cart road from the
305
00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:23.279
gravel pits joins the road almost directly at the gate
306
00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:26.079
to the road. The party stopped to shift the lamb
307
00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:31.079
from Cyril's back to Robert's, and as they paused, a
308
00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:35.319
very smart open carriage came in sight, with a coachman
309
00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:38.960
and a groom on the box, and inside the carriage
310
00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:43.480
a lady, very grand indeed, with a dress all white,
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00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:47.519
lace and red ribbons, and a parasol all red and white,
312
00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:50.839
and a fluffy dog on her lap with a red
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00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:54.640
ribbon round its neck. She looked at the children, and
314
00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:58.440
particularly at the baby, and she smiled at him. The
315
00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:01.680
children were used to this. The lamb was, as All's,
316
00:21:01.720 --> 00:21:06.480
the servants said, a very taking child. So they waved
317
00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:09.319
their hands politely to the lady and expected her to
318
00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:14.240
drive on, but she did not. Instead, she made the
319
00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:17.799
coachman stop, and she beckoned to Cyril, and he went
320
00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.880
up to the carriage, and she said, what a dear
321
00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:25.559
darling duck of a baby. Oh, I should so like
322
00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:28.680
to adopt it. Do you think it's mother would mind?
323
00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:34.480
She'd mind very much, said Anthea shortly. Oh, but I
324
00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:38.759
should bring it up in luxury. You know, I'm lady Chittenden.
325
00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:43.319
You must have seen my photograft in the illustrated papers.
326
00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:46.799
They call me a beauty, you know, But of course
327
00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:51.799
that's all nonsense. Anyway, she opened the carriage door and
328
00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:57.240
jumped out. She had the wonderfullest red high heeled shoes
329
00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:01.920
with silver buckles. Let me hold him a minute, she said,
330
00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:05.200
And she took the lamb and held him very awkwardly,
331
00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:09.240
as if she was not used to babies. Then suddenly
332
00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.440
she jumped into the carriage with the lamb in her arms,
333
00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:17.200
and slammed the door and said, drive on. The lamb roared,
334
00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:22.640
the little white dog barked, and the coachman hesitated. Drive on,
335
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:26.960
I tell you, cried the lady, and the coachman did, for,
336
00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:30.160
as he said afterwards, it was as much as his
337
00:22:30.279 --> 00:22:33.759
place was worth. Not to the four children, looked at
338
00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:36.920
each other, and then with one accord, they rushed after
339
00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:41.079
the carriage and held on behind. Down the dusty road
340
00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:44.440
went the smart carriage, and after it a double quick
341
00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:49.319
time ran the twinkling legs of the lamb's brothers and sisters.
342
00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:54.480
The lamb howled louder and louder, but presently his howls
343
00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:59.640
changed by slow degree to hiccupy gurgles, and then all
344
00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.880
was still, and they knew he had gone to sleep.
345
00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:06.079
The carriage went on, and the eight feet that twinkled
346
00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:08.960
through the dust were growing quite stiff and tired. Before
347
00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:12.480
the carriage stopped at the lodge of a grand park.
348
00:23:13.160 --> 00:23:17.200
The children crouched down behind the carriage, and the lady
349
00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:20.519
got out. She looked at the baby as it lay
350
00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:25.039
on the carriage seat and hesitated the darling. I won't
351
00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:28.319
disturb it, she said, and went into the lodge to
352
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.359
talk to the woman there about a setting of buff
353
00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:36.440
Orpington eggs that had not turned out well. The coachman
354
00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:39.640
and footman sprang from the box and bent over the
355
00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:45.440
sleeping lamb. Fine boy, wish he was mine, said the coachman.
356
00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:52.119
He wouldn't favor you much, said the groom, sourly, too handsome.
357
00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:57.119
The coachman pretended not to hear. He said, wonder at her,
358
00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:01.359
I do really hate kids, got none of her own,
359
00:24:01.400 --> 00:24:05.279
and can't abide other folkses. The children, crouching in the
360
00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:10.960
white dust under the carriage exchanged uncomfortable glances. Tell you what,
361
00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:14.680
the coachman went on, firmly blowed. If I don't hide
362
00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:16.799
the little nipper in the hedge and tell her his
363
00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:20.680
brothers took him, then I'll come back for em afterwards.
364
00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:25.319
No you don't, said the footman. I've took to that
365
00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:29.319
kid so as never was. If anyone's to have em,
366
00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:34.160
it's me. So there stole your cob. The coachman rejoined,
367
00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:37.039
you don't want no kids, and if you did, one
368
00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:39.880
kid's the same as another to you. But I'm a
369
00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:43.119
married man and a judge of breed. I knows a
370
00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:46.480
first rate yearling. When I seize em, I'm a goin
371
00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:50.799
to have em. And least said soonest mended I should
372
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:55.079
a thought, said the footman, sneeringly. You'd a most enough,
373
00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:59.880
what with Alfred and Albert and Louise and Victor Stam
374
00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:05.400
and Helena, Beatrice and another. The coachman hit the footman
375
00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:09.799
in the chin. The footman hit the coachman in the waistcoat.
376
00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:13.880
The next minute the two were fighting here and there,
377
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:18.519
in and out, up and down and all over everywhere.
378
00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:21.759
And a little dog jumped on the box of the
379
00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:26.240
carriage and began barking like mad. Cyril, still crouching in
380
00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:29.559
the dust, waddled on bent legs to the side of
381
00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:34.160
the carriage. Farthest from the battlefield. He unfastened the door
382
00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:37.680
of the carriage. The two men were far too much
383
00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:41.640
occupied with their quarrel to notice anything. Took the lamb
384
00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:45.440
in his arms, and, still stooping, carried the sleeping baby
385
00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:48.839
a dozen yards along the road to where a style
386
00:25:49.079 --> 00:25:53.039
led into a wood. The others followed, and there, among
387
00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:56.440
the hazels and the young oaks and sweet chestnuts, covered
388
00:25:56.440 --> 00:26:00.319
by high strung scented bracken, they all lay hidden till
389
00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:03.440
the angry voices of the men were hushed at the
390
00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:06.680
angry voice of the red and white lady. And after
391
00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:11.480
a long and anxious search, the carriage at last drove away.
392
00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:16.559
My only hat, said Cyril, drawing a deep breath, as
393
00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:19.960
the sounds of the wheels at last died away. Every
394
00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:24.480
one does want him now, and no mistake that sam
395
00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:29.200
Yad has done us again, tricky brute. For any sake,
396
00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:32.960
Let's get the kid safe home. So they peeped out,
397
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:37.079
and finding on the right hand only a lonely white
398
00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.680
road and nothing but lonely right road on the left,
399
00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:46.039
they took courage and the road. Anthea, carrying the sleeping
400
00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:51.440
lamb Adventures, dogged their footsteps. A boy with a bundle
401
00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:54.160
of faggots on his back dropped his bundle by the
402
00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:58.400
roadside and asked to look at the baby, and then
403
00:26:58.440 --> 00:27:01.920
offered to carry him, but Anthea was not to be
404
00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:06.799
caught that way. Twice they all walked on, but the
405
00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:11.480
boy followed, and Cyril and Robert couldn't make him go
406
00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:16.359
away till they had more than once invited him to
407
00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:21.720
smell their fists. Afterwards, a little girl in a blue
408
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:26.160
and white checked pinafore actually followed them for a quarter
409
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:30.839
of a mile, crying for the precious baby, and then
410
00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:33.920
she was only got rid of by threats of tying
411
00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:36.599
her to a tree in the wood with all their
412
00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:40.440
pocket handkerchiefs, so that the bears can come and eat
413
00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:44.799
you as soon as it gets dark, said Cyril, severely.
414
00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:50.039
Then she went off crying. It presently seemed wise to
415
00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:53.440
the brothers and sisters of the baby, who was wanted
416
00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:58.200
by everyone, to hide in the hedge whenever they saw
417
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:02.119
any one coming, and thus they managed to prevent the
418
00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:08.160
lamb from arousing the inconvenient affection of a milkman, a
419
00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:12.119
stone breaker, and a man who drove a cart with
420
00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:15.200
a paraffin barrel at the back of it. They were
421
00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:19.920
nearly home when the worst thing of all happened. Turning
422
00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:24.119
a corner, suddenly they came upon two vans, a tent,
423
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:28.599
and a company of gypsies encamped by the side of
424
00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:32.480
the road. The vans were hung all round with wicker
425
00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:37.480
chairs and cradles, and flower stands and feather brushes. A
426
00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:41.640
lot of ragged children were industriously making dust pies in
427
00:28:41.720 --> 00:28:45.319
the road. Two men lay on the grass smoking, and
428
00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:48.799
three women were doing the family washing in an old
429
00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:53.000
red watering can with the top broken off. In a moment,
430
00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:58.759
all the gypsies, men, women and children surrounded Anthea and
431
00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:03.119
the baby. Let me hold him, little lady, said one
432
00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:07.319
of the gipsy women, who had a mahogany colored face
433
00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:11.599
and dust colored hair. I won't hurt a hair of
434
00:29:11.720 --> 00:29:17.480
his head the little picture. I'd rather not, said Anthea.
435
00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:21.880
Let me have it, said the other woman, whose face
436
00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:26.400
was also of the hue of mahogany and her hair
437
00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:31.400
jet black in greasy curls. I've nineteen of my own,
438
00:29:31.480 --> 00:29:36.440
so I have no, said Anthea bravely, but her heart
439
00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:40.359
beat so that it nearly choked her. Then one of
440
00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:45.000
the men pushed forward. Swelp me if it ain't, he cried,
441
00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:49.519
my own long lost child. Have he a strawberry mark
442
00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:53.400
on his left ear? No? Then he's my own Babby,
443
00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:58.519
stole from me in his innocent infancy. And I'm over
444
00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:02.559
and we'll not and have the lawyer. This time he
445
00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:07.200
snatched the baby from Anthea, who turned scarlet and burst
446
00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:12.119
into tears of pure rage. The others were standing quite still.
447
00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:15.920
This was much the most terrible thing that had ever
448
00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:19.599
happened to them. Even being taken up by the police
449
00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:24.960
in Rochester was nothing to this. Cyril was quite white,
450
00:30:25.319 --> 00:30:28.599
and his hands trembled a little, but he made a
451
00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:32.079
sign to the others to shut up. He was silent
452
00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.720
a minute, thinking hard, and then he said, we don't
453
00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:38.559
want to keep him. If he's yours. But you see
454
00:30:38.599 --> 00:30:41.720
he's used to us. You shall have him if you
455
00:30:41.799 --> 00:30:48.039
want him. No, no, cried Anthea, and Cyril glared at her.
456
00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:51.880
Of course we want him, said the woman, trying to
457
00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:55.720
get the baby out of the man's arms. The lamb howled,
458
00:30:56.279 --> 00:31:02.200
Oh he's hurt, shrieked Anthea, and Cyril, in a savage undertone,
459
00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:07.799
bade her stow it. You trust me, he whispered, Look here,
460
00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:12.680
he went on, he's awfully tiresome with people he doesn't know. Well,
461
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:15.559
suppose we stay here a bit till he gets used
462
00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:18.920
to you, and then when it's bedtime, I give you
463
00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:21.240
my word of honor. We'll go away and let you
464
00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:24.680
keep him if you want to. And then when we're
465
00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:27.599
gone you can decide which of you is to have him,
466
00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:31.839
as you all want him so much. That's fair enough,
467
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:35.400
said the man who was holding the baby, trying to
468
00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:39.119
loosen the red neckerchief which the lamb had caught hold
469
00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:43.720
of and drawn round his mahogany throat so tight that
470
00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:48.799
he could hardly breathe. The gypsies whispered together, and Cyril
471
00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:53.519
took the chance to whisper too. He said, sunset, we'll
472
00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:58.160
go away, then, and then his brothers and sisters were
473
00:31:58.359 --> 00:32:02.960
filled with wonder and admiration at his having been so
474
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:07.640
clever as to remember this. Oh do let him come
475
00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:10.799
to us, said Jane. We'll sit down here and take
476
00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:13.240
care of him for you till he gets used to you.
477
00:32:13.880 --> 00:32:18.039
What about dinner, said Robert. Suddenly the others looked at
478
00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:22.359
him with scorn. Fancy bothering about your beastly dinner when
479
00:32:22.359 --> 00:32:27.599
you're brooke, I mean the baby, Jane whispered hotly. Robert
480
00:32:27.680 --> 00:32:31.119
carefully winked at her and went on, you won't mind
481
00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:33.599
my just running home to get our dinner, he said
482
00:32:33.640 --> 00:32:36.200
to the gipsy, I can bring it out here in
483
00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:40.640
a basket. His brothers and sisters felt themselves very noble
484
00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:45.559
and despised him. They did not know his thoughtful, secret intention,
485
00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:50.400
but the gypsies did in a minute. Oh yes, they said,
486
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:53.240
and then fetch the police with a packet of lies
487
00:32:53.319 --> 00:32:57.000
about it being your baby instead of ours. Did you
488
00:32:57.079 --> 00:33:01.000
ever catch a weasel asleep? They asked? If you're hungry,
489
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:03.640
you can pick a bit along of us, said the
490
00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:09.559
light haired gipsy woman. Not unkindly here, LEVI that blessed
491
00:33:09.640 --> 00:33:12.680
kittle howl all his buttons off, give him to the
492
00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:14.799
little lady, and let's see if they can get him
493
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:18.640
used to us a bit. So the lamb was handed back,
494
00:33:19.160 --> 00:33:22.319
but the Gypsies crowded so closely that he could not
495
00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:28.680
possibly stop howling. Then the man with the red handkerchief said, here, Pharaoh,
496
00:33:28.920 --> 00:33:31.960
make up the fire, and you girls see to the pot.
497
00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:35.839
Give the kid a chance. So the gypsies, very much
498
00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:37.720
against their will, went off to their work, and the
499
00:33:37.799 --> 00:33:40.200
children and the lamb were left sitting on the grass.
500
00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:45.000
He'll be all right at sunset, Jane whispered, But oh,
501
00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:49.599
it is awful. Suppose they are frightfully angry. When they
502
00:33:49.640 --> 00:33:52.640
come to their senses, they might beat us or leave
503
00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:57.839
us tied to trees or something. No, they won't, Anthea said, Oh,
504
00:33:57.880 --> 00:34:01.319
my little lamb, don't cry any more. It's all right.
505
00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:07.079
Panty's got to ducky. They aren't unkind people, or they
506
00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:11.599
wouldn't be going to give us any dinner. Dinner, said Robert.
507
00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:15.159
I won't touch their nasty dinner. It would choke me.
508
00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:20.440
The others thought so too, then, But when the dinner
509
00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:23.639
was ready, it turned out to be supper, And happened
510
00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:27.000
between four and five they were all glad enough to
511
00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:30.840
take what they could get. It was boiled rabbit with onions,
512
00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:34.719
and some bird, rather like a chicken, but stringier about
513
00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:38.400
its legs and with a stronger taste. The lamb had
514
00:34:38.440 --> 00:34:41.480
bread soaked in hot water and brown sugar sprinkled on
515
00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:44.880
the top. He liked this very much, and consented to
516
00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:48.119
let the two gipsy women feed him with it as
517
00:34:48.119 --> 00:34:53.280
he sat on Anthea's lap. All that long afternoon, Robert
518
00:34:53.320 --> 00:34:56.480
and Cyril, and Anthea and Jane had to keep the
519
00:34:56.559 --> 00:35:00.639
lamb amused and happy while the gypsies looked eagerly on.
520
00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:04.320
By the time the shadows grew long and black across
521
00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:08.039
the meadows, he had really taken to the woman with
522
00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:11.719
the light hair, and even consented to kiss his hand
523
00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:14.920
to the children, and to stand up and bow with
524
00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:18.440
his hand on his chest like a gentleman to the
525
00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:23.880
two men. The whole gipsy camp was in raptures with him,
526
00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:27.000
and his brothers and sisters could not help taking some
527
00:35:27.159 --> 00:35:31.159
pleasure in showing off his accomplishments to an audience so
528
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:37.039
interested and enthusiastic. But they longed for sunset. We're getting
529
00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:41.960
in the habit of longing for sunset. Cyril whispered, how
530
00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:45.960
I do wish we could wish something really sensible that
531
00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:48.920
would be of some use, so that we should be
532
00:35:49.079 --> 00:35:53.639
quite sorry. When sunset came, the shadows got longer and longer,
533
00:35:53.679 --> 00:35:57.039
and at last there were no separate shadows any more,
534
00:35:57.599 --> 00:36:02.199
but one soft glowing shadow over everything. For the sun
535
00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:06.880
was out of sight behind the hill. But he had
536
00:36:06.920 --> 00:36:10.840
not really set yet. The people who make the laws
537
00:36:10.880 --> 00:36:14.880
about lighting bicycle lamps are the people who decide when
538
00:36:14.880 --> 00:36:18.440
the sun sets. He has to do it too to
539
00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:22.159
the minute, or they would know the reason why. But
540
00:36:22.639 --> 00:36:27.480
the gypsies were getting impatient. Now, young uns, the red
541
00:36:27.599 --> 00:36:31.519
handkerchief man said, it's time you were laying off your
542
00:36:31.559 --> 00:36:35.079
heads on those pillowses. So it is the kids all right,
543
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:37.800
an friendly with us now, So you just hand them
544
00:36:37.800 --> 00:36:40.320
over and sling that hook of yours like you said.
545
00:36:41.119 --> 00:36:44.440
The women and children came crowding round the lamb. Arms
546
00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:49.159
were held out, fingers snapped invitingly, friendly faces beaming with
547
00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:53.679
admiring smiles, but all failed to tempt the loyal Lamb.
548
00:36:54.440 --> 00:36:57.960
He clung with arms and legs to Jane, who happened
549
00:36:57.960 --> 00:37:01.599
to be holding him, and uttered the gloomiest roar of
550
00:37:01.679 --> 00:37:06.280
the whole day. It's no good, the woman said, hand
551
00:37:06.280 --> 00:37:10.239
the little poppet over, miss, We'll soon quiet him. And
552
00:37:10.440 --> 00:37:14.719
still the sun would not set. Tell her about how
553
00:37:14.760 --> 00:37:18.639
to put him to bed, whispered Cyril. Anything to gain
554
00:37:18.719 --> 00:37:21.679
time and be ready to bolt when the sun really
555
00:37:21.760 --> 00:37:25.039
does make up its silly old mind to set. Yes,
556
00:37:25.440 --> 00:37:28.559
I'll hand him over in just one minute. Anthea began
557
00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:32.360
talking very fast. But do let me just tell you.
558
00:37:32.840 --> 00:37:36.280
He has a warm bath every night and cold in
559
00:37:36.320 --> 00:37:39.360
the morning. And he has a crockery rabbit to go
560
00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:42.679
into the warm bath with him, and a little Samuel
561
00:37:42.719 --> 00:37:46.480
sang his prayers in a white china on a red
562
00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:50.400
cushion for the cold bath. And if you let the
563
00:37:50.519 --> 00:37:55.079
soap get into his eyes, the lamb la Keith said
564
00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:58.719
he he had stopped roaring to listen. The woman laughed,
565
00:37:59.239 --> 00:38:02.880
as if I'd ever bathed the baby. She said, come
566
00:38:02.920 --> 00:38:06.079
give us a hold of him. Come to Melia, my precious,
567
00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:12.320
go wagg uggsy, cried Lamb at once. Yes, but Anthea
568
00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:16.159
went on about his meals. You really must let me
569
00:38:16.239 --> 00:38:19.679
tell you. He has an apple or a banana every morning,
570
00:38:20.159 --> 00:38:22.800
and bread and milk for breakfast and an egg for
571
00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:27.360
his tea sometimes, And I've brought up ten, said the
572
00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:32.039
black ringleted woman. Besides the others, come, miss An, I'm over.
573
00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:34.960
I can't bear it no longer. I es must give
574
00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:37.639
him a hug. We ain't settled yet. Who's east to
575
00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:41.360
be Esther, said one of the men. Won't be you, Esther,
576
00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:45.360
w seven of em at your tail already. I ain't
577
00:38:45.400 --> 00:38:49.679
so sure o, that said Esther's husband. And ain't I
578
00:38:49.840 --> 00:38:52.360
nobody to have us? Ain? Neither said the husband of
579
00:38:52.440 --> 00:38:57.519
Miliam Zillah. The girl said, and me, I'm a single girl,
580
00:38:57.639 --> 00:39:00.320
and no one but I'm to look after. I got
581
00:39:00.440 --> 00:39:04.320
to have him. Hold your tongue, shut your mouth. Don't
582
00:39:04.360 --> 00:39:08.320
you show me no more of your impertinence. Everyone was
583
00:39:08.360 --> 00:39:14.119
getting angry. The dark gipsy faces were frowning and anxious looking. Suddenly,
584
00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:18.679
a change swept over them, as if some invisible sponge
585
00:39:19.159 --> 00:39:23.719
had wiped away these cross and anxious expressions and left
586
00:39:23.840 --> 00:39:27.559
only a blank. The children saw that the sun really
587
00:39:27.800 --> 00:39:31.639
had set, but they were afraid to move, and the
588
00:39:31.719 --> 00:39:36.039
gypsies were feeling so muddled because of the invisible sponge
589
00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:38.800
that had washed all the feelings of the last few
590
00:39:38.840 --> 00:39:41.960
hours out of their hearts that they could not say
591
00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:47.000
a word. The children hardly dared to Breathe suppose the Gypsies,
592
00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:50.360
when they recovered speech, should be furious to think how
593
00:39:50.400 --> 00:39:54.400
silly they had been all day. It was an awkward moment.
594
00:39:54.800 --> 00:39:59.400
Suddenly Anthea, greatly daring, held out the lamb to the
595
00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:04.079
red hang kerchief. Man. Here he is, she said. The
596
00:40:04.119 --> 00:40:07.679
man drew back. I shouldn't like to deprive you, miss,
597
00:40:07.840 --> 00:40:11.679
he said hoarsely. Anyone who likes can have my share
598
00:40:11.679 --> 00:40:14.800
of 'em, said the other man. After all, I've enough
599
00:40:14.800 --> 00:40:18.280
of my own, said esther. He's a nice little chap, though,
600
00:40:18.360 --> 00:40:22.079
said Amelia. She was the only one who now looked
601
00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:26.719
affectionately at the whimpering lamb. Zillah said, if I don't
602
00:40:26.719 --> 00:40:29.280
think I must have had a touch o the sun,
603
00:40:29.599 --> 00:40:33.119
I don't want him? Then shall we take him away?
604
00:40:33.480 --> 00:40:37.880
Said Anthea. Well suppose you do, said Pharaoh heartily, and
605
00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:41.519
we'll say no more about it. And with great haste,
606
00:40:41.719 --> 00:40:44.960
all the Gypsies began to be busy about their tents
607
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:48.719
for the night, all but Amelia. She went with the
608
00:40:48.800 --> 00:40:50.800
children as far as the bend in the road, and
609
00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:54.039
there she said, let me give him a kiss. Miss
610
00:40:54.519 --> 00:40:56.920
I don't know what made us go for to behave
611
00:40:57.000 --> 00:41:01.320
so silly us. Gypsies don't steal babies, whatever they may
612
00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:04.639
tell you when you're naughty. We've enough of our own, mostly,
613
00:41:05.239 --> 00:41:08.960
but I've lost all mine. She leaned toward the Lamb,
614
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:14.280
and he, looking in her eyes, unexpectedly put up a grubby,
615
00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:19.920
soft paw and stroked her face. Poor, poor, said lamb.
616
00:41:20.400 --> 00:41:23.119
And he let the gipsy woman kiss him. And what
617
00:41:23.320 --> 00:41:26.360
is more, he kissed her brown cheek in return, a
618
00:41:26.519 --> 00:41:30.159
very nice kiss, as all his kisses are, and not
619
00:41:30.280 --> 00:41:33.920
a wet one like some babies give. The gipsy moved
620
00:41:33.920 --> 00:41:37.440
her finger about on his forehead as if she had
621
00:41:37.480 --> 00:41:40.960
been writing something there, and the same with his chest,
622
00:41:41.079 --> 00:41:43.719
and his hands and his feet. And then she said,
623
00:41:44.440 --> 00:41:47.480
may he be brave and have the strong head to
624
00:41:47.559 --> 00:41:51.159
think with, and the strong heart to love with, and
625
00:41:51.280 --> 00:41:54.719
the strong hands to work with, and the strong feet
626
00:41:54.800 --> 00:41:58.920
to travel with, and always come safe home to his own.
627
00:41:59.719 --> 00:42:02.480
Then she said something in a strange language no one
628
00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:07.599
could understand, and suddenly added, well, I must be sayin
629
00:42:07.880 --> 00:42:11.719
so long, and glad to have made your acquaintance. And
630
00:42:11.800 --> 00:42:14.599
she turned and went back to her home the tent
631
00:42:14.840 --> 00:42:18.679
by the grassy roadside. The children looked after her till
632
00:42:18.719 --> 00:42:22.920
she was out of sight. Then Robert said, how silly
633
00:42:22.960 --> 00:42:27.159
of her. Even sunset didn't put her right? What rot
634
00:42:27.280 --> 00:42:31.159
she talked? Well, said Cyril, If you ask me, I
635
00:42:31.199 --> 00:42:35.760
think it was rather decent of her. Decent, said Anthea.
636
00:42:36.280 --> 00:42:39.679
It was very nice indeed of her. I think she's
637
00:42:39.719 --> 00:42:44.480
a dear. She's just too frightfully nice for anything, said Jane.
638
00:42:45.159 --> 00:42:49.400
And they went home very late for tea and unspeakably
639
00:42:49.480 --> 00:42:53.920
late for dinner. Martha scolded, of course, but the lamb
640
00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:57.280
was safe. I say it turned out we wanted the
641
00:42:57.360 --> 00:43:01.639
lamb as much as any one, said Robert later. Of course,
642
00:43:02.880 --> 00:43:05.920
But do you feel different about it now? The sunset,
643
00:43:06.719 --> 00:43:11.280
no set, all the others together, then it's lasted over
644
00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:16.599
sunset with us. No, it hasn't, Cyril explained. The wish
645
00:43:16.639 --> 00:43:20.880
didn't do anything to us. We always wanted him with
646
00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:25.360
all our hearts when we were our proper selves. Only
647
00:43:25.840 --> 00:43:30.239
we were all pigs this morning, especially you, Robert. Robert
648
00:43:30.360 --> 00:43:35.119
bore this much with a strange calm. I certainly thought
649
00:43:35.360 --> 00:43:38.719
I didn't want him this morning, said he. Perhaps I
650
00:43:38.880 --> 00:43:42.000
was a pig but everything looked so different when we
651
00:43:42.079 --> 00:43:46.280
thought we were going to lose him. End of Chapter three.
652
00:43:47.119 --> 00:43:52.880
Recording by Jenny Lundak, South Padre Island, Texas, in August
653
00:43:53.159 --> 00:44:03.719
two thousand eleven. Se
