Five Children and It

ns, an imitation crocodile-skin purse, and a ride in a pony-cart, they awoke without any of the enthusiastic happiness which they had felt on the previous day when they remembered how they had had t

s, is more amusing than those times when nothing happens but meals, and they are no

pirit, but it is very difficult to discuss anything thoroughly and at the same time to attend faithfully to your baby brother's breakfast needs. The Baby was particularly lively that morning. He not only wriggled his body through the bar of his high chair, and hung by his head, choking and purple, but he collared a tablesp

and-fairy - Look out! - h

ed to a sa

- No, Lamb dear, give

e had yet has turned out - He n

s and pink baby-paws, the bowl of golden carp in the middle of the table rolled on its side, and

d to change completely. The pinafores and jackets that had been bathed in goldfish-and-water were hung out to dry, and then it turned out that Jane must either mend the dress she had torn the day before or appear all day in her best petticoat. It was white and soft and frilly, and trimmed wit

e say that, it's no use anyone's saying anything

ay. She had grazed her knee, and her stocking was much more than grazed, and her dress was cut by the same stone which had attended to the knee and the stocking. Of course the others were not such sneaks as to aband

their inmost thought, which was that the Ps

say - I hate hinting, and "don't k

and me weren't so goldfishy as you two were, so we got changed q

off a needleful of thread as she had

us our wishes I suppose it can give itself its own, and I feel almost sure it wishes every time that our wishes shan't do us

se where these children were spending their holi

e more hopeful - t

h. Fifty pounds in two-shilling pieces would have been much more sensible. And wishing to be beautiful as the day was

ed her wor

ad such a chance; there must be simply heaps of things we could wish for that wouldn't turn out Dead Sea fish, like these tw

it had to say quite comfortably, and listen to the agreeable sound of its own voice, and at the same time have three-quarters of two sharp ears to spare for listening to what the others said. That is an easy example in multiplication of vulgar fractions, but, as I daresay you can't

h was nonsense, because nobody had been doing anything at all, except Jane, and how can you get dirty doing nothing? That is a di

n two-shilling pieces was the right wish to have. And the lucky children, who could have anything in the wide world by just wishing for it, hurriedl

with all their hearts they would; and you know you promis

wish the Lamb wasn't quite so young and smal

as. Besides he can walk a bit, bless his precious fat legs, a ducky! He feels the benefit of the new-laid air, so he does, a pet!' With this and a ki

s back with yells of joy, and tried to feed Jane with stones, and altogether mad

er fairy-tales, but Anthea soberly reminded her that as the Sand-fairy's wishes only lasted till sunset they could not ensure any benefit to the Baby's later years; and Jane owned that it

went in between the mounds of gravel a sudden thought came to them, and would have turned their ruddy cheeks pale if they had been children in a book. Being real live children, it only made them stop and look at each other with rather blank and silly expressions. For now they remembered that yesterday, when they had asked the Psammead for boundless wealth, and it was getting ready to fill the qua

the hopeful Jane, '

ey looked and they looked, and though they found their

nnot look very carefully after anything you may have happened to lose in the sand if you have an active baby to look after at the same time. Get someone to drop y

risky as a sandhopper. The elder ones longed to go on talking about the new wishes they w

en suddenly burrowed his own head in the sand and waved his fat legs in the air.

rriedly - it was the only wet thing within reach, and it was necessary to wash the sand out of the Lamb's eyes somehow. Of course the ginger hurt horribly, and

lly a very patient brother, s

ly well keep him with her. He's a little nuisance, that's what he is. It's too bad. I only

y one safe way of taking things out of little children's eyes, and that is with your

were not proud of him either. You often notice that sort of silence when someone has said something it oug

The children's heads turned as if there had been a string tied

uite close to them, with the expression w

'I did that quite easily!

knew he had been behaving rather like a pig. 'No ma

d the Psammead, 'i

we didn't REALLY want that wish. Robert only just sa

he was too lazy to remember the easy names of everyday things, and his father had been very vexed with him, and had made him go to bed before tea-time, and wouldn't let him go out in the nice flint boat along with the other chil

aid the childr

hy - but there must have been some reason. They didn't know being dead is only being asleep, and you're bound to wake up somewhere or other, either where you go to sleep or in some better pla

e. They looked at the Psammead in horror. Suddenly the L

ofy,' he said,

ea was beginning, when t

it said; 'don't let h

ndeed a good deal of the ginger-beer had

ds and feet, and vanished in

ed the spot with

ay I'm sorry; but anyway if it's no good it's no harm

all. Cyril picked up the Lamb, who was now quite hi

gravel-pits joins the

all white lace and red ribbons and a parasol all red and white - and a white fluffy dog on her lap with a red ribbon round its neck. She looked at the children, and particularly at the Baby, and she smiled at him. The children were used to this, for the Lam

! Oh, I SHOULD so like to adopt it!

much indeed,' sai

n. You must have seen my photograph in the illustrated papers. They ca

h-heeled shoes with silver buckles. 'Let me hold him a minute,' she said. And

riage with the Lamb in her arms and s

tle white dog barked, an

he coachman did, for, as he said afterwards,

e carriage and held on behind. Down the dusty road went the smart carriage, and after

howls changed by slow degree to hiccupy gurgles, and

tired before the carriage stopped at the lodge of a grand park. The children crouched down behind the

into the lodge to talk to the woman there about a setti

sprang from the box and b

he was mine,' s

much,' said the groom

retended not t

Hates kids. Got none of her own,

white dust under the carriage,

don't hide the little nipper in the hedge and tell her his

took to that kid so as never was. If an

's the same as another to you. But I'm a married man and a judge of breed. I knows a firs

d a'most enough. What with Alfred, an' Albert, an' Louise

the next minute the two were fighting here and there, in and out, up and down, and all over

nything - took the Lamb in his arms, and, still stooping, carried the sleeping baby a dozen yards along the road to where a stile led into a wood. The others followed, and there among the hazels and young oaks and sweet chestn

last died away. 'Everyone DOES want him now - and no mistake! That Sammyadd

white road, and nothing but lonely white road on the left, the

then she was only got rid of by threats of tying her to a tree in the wood with all their pocket-handkerchiefs. 'So that the bears can come and eat you as soon as it gets dark,' said Cyril severely. Then she went off crying. It presently seemed wise, to the brothers and sisters of the Baby, who was wanted by everyone, to hide in the hedge whenever they saw anyone coming, and thus they managed to prevent the Lamb from arousing the inconvenient affection of a milkman, a stone-breaker, and a man who drove a cart with

ipsies, men, women, a

and t

en, who had a mahogany-coloured face and dust-coloured ha

r not,' sa

s also of the hue of mahogany, and her hair jet-black,

, but her heart beat so t

the men pu

erry mark on his left ear? No? Then he's my own babby, stolen from me in hin

hea, who turned scarlet and b

ven being taken up by the police in Rochester was nothing to this. Cyril was quite white, and his hands tremb

yours. But you see he's used to us.

Anthea - and Cyr

men, trying to get the Baby out of t

hea; and Cyril, in a savage u

e we stay here a bit till he gets used to you, and then when it's bedtime I give you my word of honour we'll go away and let y

e Lamb had caught hold of and drawn round his mahogany throat so tight that he could hardly breathe. The g

illed with wonder and admiration at his

'See we'll sit down here and take care o

orn. 'Fancy bothering about your beastly dinner when your br - I mean when

get our dinner?' he said to the gipsy;

secret intention. But the gipsies did in a minute. 'Oh yes!' they said; 'and then fetch the police wi

oman, not unkindly. 'Here, Levi, that blessed kid'll howl all his buttons off. G

ded so closely that he could not possibly stop ho

kid a chanst.' So the gipsies, very much against their will, went off to

ul! Suppose they are frightfully angry when they come to their sen

ore, it's all right, Panty's got oo, duckie!) They aren't unk

won't touch their nasty

d on the top. He liked this very much, and consented to let the two gipsy women feed him with it, as he sat on Anthea's lap. All that long hot afternoon Robert and Cyril and Anthea and Jane had to keep the Lamb amused and happy, while the gipsies looked eagerly on. By the time the shadows grew long and black across the meadows he had really 'taken to' the woman with the li

d. 'How I do wish we could wish something really sensible, that woul

ng; for the sun was out of sight - behind the hill - but he had not really set yet. The people who make the laws about lighting b

es were getti

your heads on your pillowses - so it is! The kid's all right and friendly with

friendly faces beaming with admiring smiles; but all failed to tempt the loyal Lamb. He clung with ar

man said, 'hand the li

oon qui

the sun wo

l; 'anything to gain time - and be ready to bolt when

bath every night and cold in the morning, and he has a crockery rabbit to go into the warm bath with him, and little Samuel

he - he had stoppe

ath'd a babby!' she said. 'Come - give us

!' replied th

me tell you he has an apple or a banana every morning, and bread

, 'besides the others. Come, miss, 'and 'im over - I

hose he's to be, Esther

er, with seven of 'em

of that,' said

to have a say neither

el

a single girl - and no one but 'im

yer to

your m

me no more of

ious-looking. Suddenly a change swept over them, as if some invisible spong

ipsies were feeling so muddled, because of the invisible sponge that had washed all t

e gipsies, when they recovered speech, should be

Anthea, greatly daring, held out th

e is!'

uldn't like to deprive yo

have my share of him

got enough of my

Amelia. She was the only one who now loo

't think I must have h

t want

take him away

id Pharaoh heartily, 'and

their tents for the night. All but Amelia. She went with the

e so silly. Us gipsies don't steal babies, whatever they may tell you whe

oking in her eyes, unexpectedly put up

very nice kiss, as all his kisses are, and not a wet one like some babies give. The gipsy woman moved her finger about on his

the strong hands to work with, and the strong feet to travel with, and always come safe home to h

e made your acquaintance.' And she turned and went

after her till she w

ly of her! Even sunse

t she t

you ask me, I think it w

was very nice indeed of h

ghtfully nice for a

nd unspeakably late for dinner. Martha s

we wanted the Lamb as

rt,

cour

ifferent about it

all the oth

sted over sun

l explained. 'The wis

him with all our he

were all pigs this mo

ore this much wit

said he. 'Perhaps I was a pig. But everything looked s