The Adventures of Herr Baby

esterday; whe

icket-ball mad

nd up to show

iberty upsta

t mind. He used to think a good deal while he was going up and down stairs, and it was not his way to be often in a hurry. There was one thing he could not bear, and that was any one trying to carry him upstairs. Oh, that did vex him! His face used to get quite red, right up to the roots of his curly hair, and down to the edge of the big co

His face was grave, very grave, for inside the little house of which his two blue eyes were the windows, a great deal of work was g

like to see the sea. Auntie said over the sea i

he had not been speaking aloud he felt quite choked with all the names coming so fast. "And pussy, and the calanies, and the Bully, and Fritz's dormice, oh no, them couldn't all get in." Perhaps if Baby doubled up his legs underneath he might squeeze himself in, but that would be no good, he couldn't go sailing, sailing all over the sea by himself, like the old woman in "Harry's Nursery Songs," who went s

to open doors, and now and then he could manage it very well. But, alas, the nursery lock was too high up for him to get a good hold of it. He pulled, and pushed, an

er face was rosy and round, and she looked very kind. She would have liked to pick him up to make sur

ld-ach, H

not take

ther must do somesing to zem loc

rself. She was us

ll some day," she said.

made his all the funnier. But, any way, they understood each other. He was thinking over

got out of the cage, and he'll be out at the door in a

ery there was a great flurry. Celia, Fritz, and Denny were a

too bad. Fritz, you frightened h

knows me ever so much better

d Denny with triumph, "for

she gave a little scream. "He's off a

nt he did, and very proud Baby looked when he held up his two little fists, which he had made into a "mouse-trap

to 'the parson in the pulpit that couldn't s

ritz, who had a right to be heard, as he was the master a

g little animals, who were not little boys. And to tell the truth, it was not often he got a chance of petting his big brother's dormice. It was quite pretty to s

," he said. "Him would like to have a house all f

of their skins?" said Denny.

de Peepy-Snoozle into 'th

is prayers,'"

to E

ldn't pull off all their sweet little skins and

if you go on scrubbing him up and down with y

ck his face

lp this was safely done. Then Baby stood silent, slowly

d at last, turning upon Denny. "

was nine, that is twice his age, which by the by was a puzzle to Denny herself, for Celia had teased her one day by saying that

stand everything herself, was very quick

itz didn't mean as sharp as a knife. There's different

vely. He had his own w

, and him won't tell you somesing werry funny and d

were turn

darling, do tell us,

y a friendly p

llow, won't you?" he sa

e Peepy-'noozle, and 'cos you doesn't call him a goose-like gir

hought this

e, Baby," she said. "I th

call you a goose again if y

, especially on a girl! So he shut his little mouth tightly, knit his lit

aid at last, "but it's werry long and dedful w

" shouted

away-zeally away-over the sea-ded

ue wouldn't keep still even though she

ers under the little table, and mother and ganfather and auntie didn't know him were there, and ganfather said to mother somesing him couldn't understand-somesing about thit house, an

ption." This t

here Fritz's round chubby face got very red, "don't you think we've no right to let him tell,

enny could answer, Ba

ut him comed out from the little table and said him would like to tell the children hisself. And mother were dedful surprised, and so was ganfather and auntie. And then they all bursted out laughing and told him lots of things-

Denny looked first at him and then at each other. Th

like that," said Celia. "How lovely! I

ot, isn't it? I do hope there won't be any snakes. I'd

, or any of those places where there's lots of lions and tigers and s

a boy for shooting and guns and all that. It's setting a bad ex

ght and was sure she heard robbers, and begged Fritz to peep behind the swing-door in the long passage. And 'oh,' said this perso

with the tray for the nursery tea. She had left the room when the dormouse was caught, so she had not heard the wonderful

" said the children. "Did you kno

r head and lo

going to? Can you tel

countries can't be called by the same names everywhere. It makes geography ever so much harder. We've got to ca

ers," sa

ot to call them Dutch; and then, to make it more muddled still, Lisa calls her country Dutchland, and the people

ography?"

countries and all the place

o learn that

enny. "I only began it last year. O

us boat to see all zem countlies," said B

tick up for yourself. You'll be a gr

ed to all the children to come to tea; and as both Fritz and Denny were great hands at bread and butter, they fo

nd to which I am always delighted to receive an invitation, written in very round, very black letters, on very small sheets of paper. The nursery teas in Baby's nursery were not always quite what I like to see them, for Celia, Fritz, and Denny, and Baby too, had their tiresome days as well as their pleasant ones, and though they meant to be good to each other, they did not always do just what they meant, or really wished,

said

ou know what sort of a

aby; "and-and-what was the 'nother t

the others, "

wouldn't go 'cos they was fightened of frogses for

You've never taste

aid zem was

ugh at people that way. It's just nonsense-Thomas and Jones do

o indeed. Man eats goot, most goot tings, in mine country. Say, Herr B

-lots-and bootiful soup, all sweet, not like salty sou

s in your country,

to mine country we're going. Mine country is it colt, so colt; and your lady mamma

t too," said Celia

f up by the fire and sit shivering-no wonder you're cold. You

u said it was because I

s some girls, any way," sai

ade an end of two cups of tea and

sery a "good tea." Something was on his mind. He sat with one arm propped on the table, and his round head leaning on his hand, while the othe

ped on the table and his

d the piece of bread and

se.-

to E

aid Lisa, "eat

ook no

very easily frightened about her dear H

t any more, Baby? What are you thinking about? We're going to have honey on our last pie

besides that, she thought it would wake Baby out of his br

for he turned his blu

yet. Him doesn't sink he'll ever be at his last piece to-night;

ain in your head?" said his sister

y shaking his head, "no pa

" said all t

t strai

f what a dedful packing there'll be. All of everysing

It was mother. She often came up

hildren had

be it u

l times, go

mehow she had a way of putting things right again, and making them feel both how wrong and how silly it is to be cross and quarrelsome, that nobody else had. And she would just

a little squabbling; the children all greeted mot