A Flat Iron for a Farthing

ne for a drive in the carriage with Aunt Maria, and the others, with myself, were playing in the garden; Mi

nated by him. Beauty has a strong attraction for children, and the depth of his weeds invested him with a melancholy interest, which has also great charms for the young. Then, to crown all, he mourned the loss of a young mother-an

looking to where Rubens and I played upon the

your dog?

my dog," I

Sir Lionel. "Did you teach hi

id I. "Rubens, shake

know my name

old me,"

Polly?" Sir L

of course he did not kno

my co

our name?

old

e Polly?" h

h," I sai

of some grown-up person's manner

are not in l

y, for I had had enough of tha

be friends." And friends we became. "Call me Leo, and I'll

), he was often unintentionally inconsiderate. In those days my affection waited willingly upon his; but I know now that in a quiet amiable way he was selfish. I was blessed myself with an easy temper, and at that time it had ample opportunities of accommodating itself to the whims of my friend Leo and my cousin Polly. Not that Polly was like Sir Lionel in

bled systematically, and were never eithe

al rule; and if her sway became intolerable, I complained and bewail

the morning. In the afternoon Polly and I (sometimes accomp

not play at dolls," the only part assigned me in the puppet comedy was to take the dolls' dirty clothes to and from an imaginary wash in a miniature wheelbarrow. I did for some time assume the character of dolls' medical man with considerable success; but having vaccinated the kid arm of one of my patients too deeply on a certain occasion with a big pin, she suffered so severely from loss of bran that I was v

d the precautionary measure of a grating, a bit of paper which was rolled up in Polly's hand escaped from her grasp, and floated down into the street. In a moment Polly and I were standing on the window-ledge, peering down-to the best of our ab

tic amusement, which, in advance of

re we fastened up little fragments of cinder in pieces of writing-paper, and having secured them tidily with string, we dropped these parcels through the iron bars as into a post-office. It was a breathless moment when they fell through space like shooting s

our windows, there were sure to be one or more pedestrians who, with varying expressions of conscientious responsibility, unprincipled appropriation, or mere curio

fectually by ringing the bell and handing in to the footman "something which had been accidentally dropped f

on to the window-seat that I might drop it successfully (and quite clear of the area) into the street. Just as I dropped it, there passed an elderly gentleman very precisely dressed, with a gold-headed cane, and a very well-brushed hat. Pop! I let the cinder parcel fall on to his beaver, from which it rebounded to

he matter

lly; "it's the old g

room to be scolded by Aunt Maria. Every afternoon we dreaded the arrival of "the old gentleman next door" to

had given up the practice in our fright, but had some

putting away our playthings preparatory to being dressed to go down to dessert, a large

resent for you, Re

ur name on it,

have no doubt, did I. We cut the string, we tore off the first thick covering. The present, wh

done up," said I, cut

aid Polly, decisively; "that's

fth was a sixth, and under the sixth was a seventh. We were just on the point of giving it up in despair when we came to a box. With some difficulty we got the lid open, and took out one or two folds of p

d taken in had looked so thoroughly and completely so. We were both on the eve of crying, and both ende

quite de

-post" was

or the good of his health in the garden of the square, and he sometimes took an evening stroll in the same place for pleasure. Somehow or other he had made a speaking acquaintance with Miss Blom

n's hat to drop our best parcel on to, if I had known

de lived Sir Lionel Damer. He was staying with his guardian, an old Colonel Sinclair; and when my father came up to town he and

ts, their cats and dogs, their carriages, and even their tradesmen. If one of the neighbours changed his milkman, or there came so much as a new muffin man to the square, we were all agog. One day I saw Polly upon our perch, st

it?" sai

t know,

ndy hair. Neither of us had seen him before. Having the good fortune to see him return to Colonel Sinclair's house, about two hours later, I hurried with the news to Polly; and we resolved to get to see Leo as soo

t when Leo saw us he gave a scanty nod and went off in the opposite direction, leaning on the arm of the strang

. But when he treats me like that, I do

anger, and next day Leo came to us in

devoted tones. But Polly only took up her doll, and wit

Leo myself, and we were

e," he said. "Colonel Sinclair has

glad?"

the tutor. He was here yesterday. You saw him with me. He is going

for my not having joined her in snubbing the capricious Sir Lionel. As for him, he was very restless under Polly's displeasure, and finally apologized,

of Aunt Maria, and took us (Leo and all) to places of amusement. With him we went to the Zoological Gardens. The monkeys attracted me indescribably, and I seriously proposed to my father to adopt one or two of them

could neither speak to you nor understand you when you spoke to him would be a very po

talk at first," said I;

to whom she was holding out a biscuit, repeating as she did so, "Ta!" in that expectant tone

say, 'Ta,'"-(and as I spoke I did so to a highly intelligent little gentleman who sat close to the bars of the cage

s, I regret to say, precisely what the little gentleman did. I was quite taken aback; but as we turned round, to my infinite delight, the undutifu

! children

good case. But the question which now remains is, whether

emarks was too great to admit of

he elephant extended his trunk as usual, but instead of directing it towards the bun, he deliberately snatched the black velvet cap from Leo's head and swallowed it with a grunt of displeasure. Leo was first frightened, and then a good deal annoyed by the universal roar of laughter which his misfortune occasioned. But he was a good-tempered

much from my cousins and from Leo of its delights-and of the harlequin, columbine, and clown. But my fath