The Phoenix and the Carpet

s just when she understood things. But of course she did not always understand things. No one understands everything, and mothers are not angels, though a good many of

he wishing carpet and the Phoenix. And Anthea, whose inside mind was made so that she was able to be much more uncomfortable tha

id she to the Phoenix; 'and if she doesn'

he golden bird. 'And she w

lid-and she asked her mother whether she might come and do them in the drawing-room-'so as to be quiet,' she

swimming through a sea of x's and y's and z's. Moth

ear,' sai

-a-duck,'

id Anthea. 'I kn

Well, I wouldn't take her back

Anthea. 'May I tell you a

signed expression. As you know, a resigned expressio

w, that came in the carpet; we put it in the fire and it hatc

ow do be quiet. I've got a lot of letters to write. I'm going t

x y z, and mother's

put down the pen to lick an envelope, 't

ice Eastern things for my bazaar,' said mother. 'I pr

aid Anthea, '

little impatiently, for she

mb hasn't whooped since, and we took cook because she was so tiresome, and then s

now I love to hear the things you

,' said Anthea

et,' said mother, gently. And t

away for long

er, 'and daddy's anxious abo

Saturday,' the Lamb's e

ied. 'And daddy's got to go to Scotlan

aid Anthea, fervently

t talk any more, there's a treasure! My head's going

ew cook who looked so like a frightened rabbit that no one had the hea

k's rest, and asked that it might not be disturbed. And i

ns in the evening by a sudden promise to mother, exacted in the agitation of parting, that they would not be out after six at night, except on Saturday, when they were to go to the bazaar, and were pledged to put o

see the Lamb

uld frighten mother out of her wits, if not into a fit. So they sat on the c

arpet, take us somewhere where we can see

Lamb,' said

carpet of brown pine-needles. There were green pine-trees overhead, and a swift clear little stream was running as fast as ever it could between steep banks-and there, sitting on

Robert, gloomily; 'mother will se

l carpet had no

d and looked straight at t

Cyril whispered:

ble to have mother looking straight at them, and her f

Just as if she didn't love us-as if we were somebody else's children, and

said Anthea, a

ed towards the carpet, shrieking, 'Panty, own P

-he looked such a darling, with his blue three-cornered hat all on on

ve you-and you, and you,

en the boys thumped their bab

reen colour, and she was staring at the Lamb as if she thought h

to mother,' she cried, and j

ld have felt them; and to feel what you can't see is the worst sort of gh

miserable silence. 'It feels just

she was safe. You cannot leave your mother to go green in the face in a distant pinewood, f

dren returned to the carpet, and

l, 'at least, not with my own family. It would be diff

four dwelt fondly on the d

,' said Jane; 'the house is

put in. 'I saw something in a book the other da

l. 'India's coral or Greenland's icy, don't you know; not

he said, "Get Indian things for my bazaar;" but I

said Robert. 'We'll go the fi

orning, the first

nix, so they sat on the beaut

aar. Will you please take us where peop

shape of the domes and roofs; and besides, a man went by on an elephant, and two English soldiers went along the road, talking like in Mr Kipling's boo

ad to take off their London-in-Novembe

thes of the people in the streets were stranger

d Cyril. 'How on earth are we to

aid Jane; 'I'm sure they are. Wha

carpet, but the others stopped him,

re we could get Indian things for b

h was ju

in a turban came up to them and bowed deeply. He sp

o you lose yourselves, and do you desire to sell carp

gh crooked streets to the ranee's palace. I am not going to describe the ranee's palace, because I really have never seen

arkling with tinsel and gold and jewels. And the brown, turbaned gentleman stood behind a sort of carved screen, and inter

asked t

interpreter interpreted. The queen

story, and you tell it all th

mself. He warmed to his work, and told the tale of the Phoenix and the Carpet, and the Lone Tower, and the Queen-Cook, in language that grew insens

that she had said, 'Little one, thou art a heaven-born teller of t

ly!' cried Ja

imes, and then cleare

of the cheap things in the bazaar. Tell her I want them to sell again

t and clothe the naked with its price,'

-day at our bazaar, and no one would buy a turquoise necklace at an English b

ittle pretty things, and her ser

elephant to carry them a

faces, she shall see a magic thing. We and the carpet and all these brass trays a

id with ivory lotus-flowers. And they washed their faces and hands in silver basins. Th

ere at the bazaa

ft with their mouths open, gazing at the bare space on the in

ed with the incident; which, indeed, has given the ladies o

had while the little pretty things were being bought, and the gas in the schoolroom was

d Cyril. 'We should have been awfully

warmer washing in India. I shouldn'

the point where the corners of two stalls met. The floor was littered wit

t the end, displacing a sideboard-cloth adorned with a tasteful pattern of blue geraniums. The girls got out unobserved, so did Cyril; but Robert, as he cautiously emerged, wa

derstand that what she was walking on was not a schoolroom floor, or even, as she presently supposed, a dropped pin-cushion, but the living hand of a suffering child. When she became

e more in anger than in sorrow. 'Come out! whatever do yo

g at the things

'will never make you successful in life. T

' said Jane. 'Tha

e rude,' said Mrs Bid

the listening crowd that all the treasures piled on the carpet were mother's contributions to the bazaar. No one would believe it; and if

friends had disappointed her, and who hoped that these mig

aid, 'With pleasure, don't mention it,'

rised.' She turned to the crowd. 'There is no entertainment here,' she said sternly. 'A very naughty little boy has accidentally hurt hims

th fury, heard a nice curate say, 'Poor little be

r the stall with some Benares bras

smarsh. 'Then Charles has

posited behind MY stall. Some unknown donor who does good by stealth, and w

ner,' said poor Miss Peasmarsh, ti

st and mingled with the crowd. Their feelings w

iff-star

I'm hoarse with gassing to t

very, very nas

ne, 'She isn't very nice, and Miss Peasmarsh

t Anthea did it. A large piece of pale blue

s are for pretty, nice Miss Peasmarsh's stall.' She thought of adding, 'There is nothing for Mrs Biddle;' but she saw that this migh

lergymen and heavy ladies could get to the corner without creeping under stalls, the blue paper was discovered, and all the s

. 'It looks to me like the work of a lunatic. And saying yo

stall, that had been SO neglected, was surrounded by people who wanted to buy, and she was glad to be helped. The children noted that Mrs Biddle had not more to do in the way of selling than she could manage qui

n, and when Miss Peasmarsh and the girls had sold every single one of the little pretty things from the Indian bazaar, far, far away, Anthea and Jane went off with the boys to fish in the

joined them before they had had more than three cakes each. It was a merry party, and the cu

one could possibly eat any more, and the curate was talk

d Miss Peasmarsh gaily; 'thanks to yo

s the carpet,

e carpet. I've sold even that. Mrs Biddle gave me ten shilli

don't HAVE carpets. We had coo

aughed, and looked at him as though she had never dreamed that any one COULD be so amusing. But the

eir wretchedness did not make them forget their manners, as it does som

s such a jolly time;' for the curate had stood fish-ponds, and bran-pies, and phonographs, and the chorus of singing

about-you will let it be directly

Anthea could drag her away, 'What

d looked very pretty ind

o take a trip to the

e you on the wishing

it for that. I must go to the Fortunate Islands before t

id Jane: 'his aprons would come in so useful. Wou

hat they drag

ter not recall the incident to her mind, and so make her angry again. Anthea and Jane

te Cyril less than she would hate the others, so the oth

that carpet. Would you sell

aid Mrs Biddle. 'G

yril, all too plainly, the hopelessness o

Anthea, I don't care what you say. It's our own carpet. It wouldn't be burglary. It would

aph simply made a horrid noise, so that you could hardly hear yourself speak. And the people were buying things they couldn't possibly want, and it all seemed very stupid. And Mrs Biddle had bought t

it was far beyond their proper bedtime. And when it was ten the people who had bough

azaar as long as ever I live. My hand is swollen as big as a pu

o seemed to have a ri

ver now; you had

ed about in the greasy mud till Mrs Biddle came out and was driven away in a cab with the many things she hadn't sold, and the few things she had bought-among others the

hung on behind the cab till it reached Mrs Biddle's house. When

dashing rescue acts-till we've given her

condition that Anthea would not make any silly fuss about

they were asking for Mrs Biddle they saw her. She was in the dining-room, and she had al

it for her servants' b

to them, and was smoothing down the carpet with the same boot that had trampled on the hand of Robert. So that

Once more her face grew violet-a deep, dark violet. 'You wicked daring little things!' she cr

nly wanted to ask you to let us have the carpet.

rs Biddle, and her voic

horrid,' said

at booted foot of hers. 'You r

ne; but Jane pushed fo

carpet,' she said, 'you

lves home,' said

d be there too, and raving mad as lik

ood temper,' cried Anthea, suddenly. '

, and from violet to mauve, and from mauve t

a funny idea! Why shouldn't I

k, and not on Mrs Biddle alone. The c

yril. 'I see that now. I'm sorry w

shall have the carpet, my dears, if you've taken such a fancy

the bazaar,' said Anthea; 'but it really IS our nursery carp

ive the extra ten shillings; so you take your carpet and we'll say no more about it. Have a p

said Robert. 'I

. 'I'm delighted to be able to give any

up the carpet, and the boys

ea, and she and Mrs Biddle

il as they went

u feel just as if it was REAL-her being so jolly

was covered up with crossness and tirednes

y,' said Jane; 'she isn't u

he was never anything like so disagreeable as she was before, and she sent a lovely silver tea-pot and a kind letter to Miss