We and the World, Part I

tle boys made

ittle boys

ery

at once. Everybody said it was "time we were sent so

m, who always backed me up, said, "And me too." For which piece of swagger we forfeited our suppers; but when we went to b

ula, we were "seeing how naughty we could be." I think we were genuinely anxious to see this undesirable climax; in some measure as a matter of experiment, to which all boys are prone, and in which dangerous experiments, and experiments likely to be followed by explosion, are naturally preferred. Partly, too, from an irresistible impulse to "raise a row," and take one's luck of the results. This craving t

d stoppers, like other pickles, and I wonder that mothers and cook

ed by her severe dress, close widow's cap and straight grey hair, and have discovered that the outline of her face was absolutely beautiful, and I might possibly have detected, what most people failed to detect, that an odd unpleasing effect, caused by the contrast between her gener

at do you think of

ted for this bravado period of our existence-"I think she's like our old white he

lled up and down the room with a supp

ee! Lack-a-daisy-dee!" and he wriggled about af

dear!" said o

y, took another, and yet another, each one soothing my feelings to the extent by which it shocked my

hat's the matter?

having emitted another, to which I flattered myself Jem's had been as n

to school, but it was against our principles at that tim

girlhood, and who was visiting her at this unlucky stage of our career. Having failed to cope with us directly, she adopted the plan of talking

ch to Miss Martin as to a stock of wood-lice which I had collected, and which I was arranging on the carpet that Jem might see how they roll themselves into smooth tight balls when you tease them. But at last she talked so that we cou

possible, from sheer willin

e to be a bur

quietly and politely. But when we go

egularly hectors over mothe

, doesn't she

't kno

ing-table. Jem, run like a good chap and see, and if ther

the wood-lice out again. There were twelve nice little b

ut all the powder, it might smo

when I put the wood-li

re she opens it," I said, as we r

tight. Oh, Jack! Jack! How many d

became of the wood-lice, for, for some reason, she k

as that she had not profited by my mother's sound advice to send all his "rubbishy odds and ends" (the irregularity and ricketiness and dustiness of which made my mother shudder) to be "sold at the nearest auction-rooms, and buy some good solid furniture of the cabinet-maker who furnished for everybody in the neighbourhood, which would be the cheapest in the long-run, besides making the rooms look like other people's at last." That she evaded similar recommendations of paperhangers and upholsterers, and of wall-papers and carpets, and curtains with patterns that would "stand," and wea

the wainscot this was covered with a dark sombre green tint, and along the upper edge of this, as a border all round the room, the school-mistress had painted a trailing wreath of white periwinkle. The border was painted with the same materials as the walls, and with very rapid touches. The white flowers were skilfully relieved by the dark ground, and the varied tints of the leaves, from the deep eve

the walls was somewhat cheered by coloured maps and prints, and the school-mistress's chair (an old carved oak one that had been much revived by bees-wax and turpentine since the miser's days) stood on the left-hand side of the window-under "Keep Innocency," and looking towards "Peace at the last." I know, for when we were all writing or something of that sort, so that she could sit still, she used to sit with her hands folded and look up at it, which was what made Jem and me think of the old white hen that turned up it

, and at last his father brought him in a light cart down from the moors, to look at it; and when he got him out of the cart, he carried him in. He was a big

said-"How deliciously cool!"-and the boy stared all round with his great eyes, and then he lifted

t so well with lying down. And he told me one day that when his back was very bad, and he got the fidgets and could not keep still, he used to fix his eyes on "Peace," wh

e burglars that we made a raid on the walnuts that autumn. I do no

force the hedge and climb the trees; that the said trees grew directly under the owner's bedroom window, which made the chances of detection hazardously great; and that walnut juice (as I have mentioned before) is of a peculiarly unaccommodating na

ar black mas

t know where we should get them, nor,

I, "you must duck your head, remember; but i

sn't; she told me so on Saturday. But she says we're never to touch it, all the same, for you n

course she might load it if s

rder," said Jem, who seemed rather troubled by the thought of t

ers makes as much noise as ours, it'll be heard all the way here.

yside weeds of our favourite lane, that we were soaked to the knees before we began to force the hedge. I did not think that grass and wild-flowers could have held so much wet. By the time that we had crossed the orchard, and I w

that I was very glad we had come when we did, for that there certain

hem," said I, al

; and spurred by this discovery to fresh enthusia

d I, "and beat, and you ca

joint undertakings, and after giving me "a leg up" to an available bit of footho

ed down a lot of leaves and twigs, and two or three walnuts; the sun had got up at last, but rather slowly, as if he found the morning chillier than he expected, and a few rays were darting here and

" said the sc

e? I took a hasty step downwards at the thought. Or was it the blunderbuss? In my sudden move I slipped on the dew-damped branch, and cracked a rotten one with my elbow, which made an appalling crash

y tumble having brought me into a more exposed

ally but stoutly, hoping that

ingly announced, "No, it's me," and was picking the bits of

particularly clear one, and we could hear it quite well. "I got a basketful on purpose f

and began to descend. It came slowly and unsteadily, and we had abundant leisure to watch it, and also, as we looked up, to discover what it was that had

d. Indeed, the knob into which it was twisted at the back was much of the colour as well as of the size of a tangled reel of dirty white cotton. But Mrs. Wood's hair was far more abundant than our mother's, and it was darker underneath than on the top-a fact which was more obvious when the knot into which it was gathered in her neck was no longer hidden. Deep brown streaks were mingled

Wood's face. I was very much absorbed in looking at her, but I could not forget our p

m, shall you

nt to know,

led. "No; I don't think you'll do it

rt to be magnanimous, for I would much rather sh

em, "isn't she pret

h their green coats reeking with black bruises. But we could not have left the basket behind, so we put our

ever in all our lives felt so mean as on that o

were far from being utterly hardened, and the school-mistress's generosity weighed heavily upon ours. Repentance and the desire to make atonement seem to go pretty naturally together, and in my case th

earned that he was "courting" (as his third wife) a lady of our parish. His former wives are buried in our churchyard. Over the first he had raised an obelisk of marble, so costly and affectionate that it had won the hearts of his neighbours in general, and of his second wife in particular. When she died the gossips wondered whether the Major would add her name to that of her predecessor, or "go to the expense" of a new monument. He erected a second o

Major," we naturally called

never like jokes about people who are dead. And for that matte

y like the little brewer himself, and said, "And why shouldn't they both be alive? Fancy

y impetus during the rest of my sentence, I crossed the parlour as a catherine-wheel under my mother's nose. It was

er about those dangerous tricks of yours. And it quite shock

pockets of his blouse, and turning them up to see how soon

ng imperfectly from Dr. Watts's Scripture Catechism, "An

hat was Abel. Jacob was I

re!" And, avoiding to fight about Jacob's wives with Jem, who was pertinacious and said very odd things, my

ttle hens some other names. Poo

eedling ways. He took his hands from his pockets, flung his arms recklessly round her clean collar, and began stroking (or pooring, as we called it) her

gave in before

about the bantams after the

ond of the 'Major and

d, Jack, if you want them for your very o

's not that. I thought we might give them to Mrs. Woo

nut pickle now," s

y handsome pre

ze at the Agricu

eats 'em into a froth and fee

had the bantams," sighed Jem, who was really devoted

em this after

objection. She would have given her own head off her shoulders if, by ill-luck, any passer-

Jem and I were not going to recall a gift, so she took th

so different that I could not keep my eyes off her whilst she was talking, though I knew quite well how rude it is to stare. And my head

, to my great relief, changed the subject, by saying, "We were ve

ing of her old chair and smiled, and said v

ogged us, I e

rts: 'If you begin by stealing nuts, you'll end by being transported.' Do you think Jack and I shall end by

ad been shut, for there was a little bit open, with nothing but white to be seen. She was still rather red, and she di

ng, "Let's find Mary Anne!" fled into

dripping tin she ran to the parlour. We followed in time to see her stoop

e down, ma'

ook her up in her brawny arms, and laid her on "Crip

and then hurried home to my mother, who put on her bonnet

cks," she explained to my father; "she can neither move nor speak, and yet she hears everything,

this one on?"

oys did nothing to frighten her, eh? Are you sure

ly denied, and J

notion that we had been to blame. I gave one look into the strawberry jam pot, and finding it empty, said my grace and added, "Women are a

either,"