Homepage
Login
Profile
BookClubs
dmBox
Read Ebook: A Gallery of Children by Milne A A Alan Alexander Willebeek Le Mair H Henri Tte Illustrator
Font size:
Background color:
Text color:
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page
Ebook has 232 lines and 10539 words, and 5 pages
One night when they were fast-asleep-like-good-children, Wilhelmina said:
"I'm very clever, I can hear in the dark I'm so clever."
"I'm as clever as anything," said William. "I'm too clever."
"I can hear snails breathing," said Wilhelmina.
"I can hear snails not breathing," said William.
Wilhelmina thought again.
"I can hear somebody out of the window calling Billy," she said.
"I told him to do it," said William.
"I'm going to see what he wants," said Wilhelmina....
"Yes, I am," said Wilhelmina....
"Shall I?" said Wilhelmina....
"He meant you," said William. "He says it in a different sort of voice when he means me."
"You're afraid to go," said Wilhelmina.
"I'm not afraid, but he gets very angry when the wrong person goes."
"He has a long red cap with a tassel on it," said Wilhelmina.
"He has a long beard and green stockings," said William.
"I'm going to see him," said Wilhelmina firmly.
"So am I going to see him."
"I'll go if you'll go."
"I'll go if you'll go."
"Let's both go."
"Yes, let's both go."
Very unwillingly they got out of bed, and stood, hand in hand, on the nursery floor.
"I can't hear him now," said Wilhelmina hopefully.
"Nor can I can't hear him," said William at once.
"Yes, I can," said Wilhelmina unexpectedly, "because I'm so clever I hear so well."
"So can I," said William quickly.
They moved a little closer to the window.
"He doesn't know, because his face is turned the wrong way round, so he's never quite sure."
"I knew his face was the wrong way round," said Wilhelmina hurriedly, "but I thought perhaps he had an Ooglie man with him to tell him."
William wondered anxiously what an Ooglie man was. So did Wilhelmina.
"No," said William. "He hasn't. Not this one."
"I'm not afraid," said both together. Tremblingly they pushed open the window, and leant out....
MISS WATERLOW IN BED
This is Miss Waterlow in bed.
Mrs. Waterlow is kissing her good-night, and saying:
"God bless you and keep you, my darling darlingest, my sweetheart, my little baby one."
Miss Waterlow gives a little far-away smile. She is thinking:
"I know a funny thing to think when I'm alone."
Mrs. Waterlow is looking at her as if she could never stop looking, and saying:
Miss Waterlow is thinking:
"I shall pretend I'm big as the moon, and nobody can catch me I'm so big. Isn't that funny?"
"Good-night, beloved. Sleep well, my darling darlingest."
Miss Waterlow is remembering something ... something very beautiful ... but it all happened so long ago that she has forgotten the beginning of it before she remembers the end.
"Oh, my lovely, when you look like that you make me want to cry. What are you thinking of, darlingest?"
Miss Waterlow won't tell.
Yet perhaps for a moment Mrs. Waterlow has been there, too.
"God bless you, my lovely," she says, and puts out the light.
Miss Waterlow is alone.
Miss Waterlow at this time was one. It is a tremendous age to be, and often she would lie on her back and laugh to think of all the babies who were None. When she was six months old, Mr. Waterlow, who was a poet, wrote some verses about her and he slipped them proudly into Mrs. Waterlow's hand one evening. Owing to a misunderstanding, they were used to wedge the nursery window, which rattled at night; and though they wedged very delightfully for some time, Mr. Waterlow couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Mrs. Waterlow was, of course, as sorry as she could be when she understood what had happened, but it was then too late. As Mr. Waterlow said: Once you have bent a piece of poetry, it is never quite the same again. Fortunately for all of us, two lines at the end, torn off so as to make the wedge the right thickness, have survived. They go like this:
She practised now.
Add to tbrJar First Page Next Page