Bliss, and Other Stories

his hand he held a little to

en, "and I'll show you how the kings

eve him, and besides, the Trout

ed, smiling and holdin

ck's head? One f

y one, and he stuck the tomahawk in his belt and h

ny blood about," said Pip, "because the sight of blood makes him

" whispered Isabel. "We haven

he bank on the other side you were on the fringe of the paddocks. A little old stable in the first paddock had been turned into a fowl house. The fowls ha

eam was wide and shallow, but at others it tumbled into deep little pools with foam at the edges and quivering bubbles.

easts, and other ducks with the same dazzling bre

d look at the old admiral there with the green

egan to walk towards the fowl-house, lazy, his str

id-lid-lid-

e bank they streamed after him in a long waddling line. He coaxed them, pretending to throw the

ross the paddock, their heads thrust forward, their wings spread, turn

e stooped, seized two, one under each arm, and strode across to the children

ey haven't any teeth. They've only got those two l

" asked Pat. Pip let go of Snooker. "Won't I? Won

light when Pat gave the

d it flat across the stump, and almost at the same moment down came the little tomahawk and the

o scream. Even Isabel leaped about crying: "The blood! The blood!" Pip forgot all about his duck.

, put out a finger as if he wanted to touch it, shrank back ag

, began to laugh and pointed at the d

long spurt of blood where the head had been; it began to pad away without a sound

yelled Pip. He ran among the littl

It's like a funny little rai

her arms round his legs and butted her he

Put head back!

head away. She held on as hard as she could and sobbed: "Head

s tumbled over. It

but she would not let him look at her face. No, she pressed her fa

un. They stood round the dead duck. Rags was not frightene

t," he said. "Do you think it would keep

Bah! You baby." He whistl

up to Lottie, Lot

lways touching

to Kezia. "There's t

e raised her quivering face and looked. Pat wore little round gold ear-r

n and off?" she