Peterkin

g her. It was partly, I suppose, because it amused me-we had nothing much to take us up just then: there was no skating that winter

nd Peterkin's head was so stuffed and crammed with fairy stories that at

up to the ceiling, and called out that I had learnt how to fly, I don't believe he would have been startled; or if I had shown him a purse with a piece of gold in i

little girl did not strike

-room to mamma. Blanche and Elf were already there when we came in, and they, and mamma too, were full of questions about how we'd enjoyed ourselves,

p he was quite fast asleep, and if he hadn't been, I cou

it the next m

know I was awake. And when at last I did-it's really no good trying to go to sleep again when you feel there's somebody fidgeting to talk to you-

ar what he had to say. I suppose it was a kind of love of adventure that made me join him in his fancies and pl

ited to mind m

at my first snort, 'I am so

. I should have slept another half-hour i

on, in a 'smoothing-you-down' tone

now that he is getting big and sensible. He always understands what you say, however you say it, or half say it

'how queer and lucky it is that the old lady is going away for

my grunt, but

earth do

of course, that she should have to go to London. For if she wa

don't say "we." I haven't promised to join you. Most likely I'll do m

e others. And you can't do that, of course, as I've trusted you. It's word of honour, you see, thoug

nd tell me, without such a lo

ill show as we go on-I'm certain you'll help me, Gilley. You remember the prince in

all that,' I

any one hearing. That's the first thing. We will tell her what the parrot say

erest and half belief in his fancies that Peterkin managed to put into me. '

be sure if she was a little girl or an old woman; or made her nose so long that it trails on the floor. No, I don't think it's that,' he added, after stopping to think a minute. '

home in your pocket, if you waited till the magic ti

unless we could make her understand at the mouse time that we were friends. We ca

nything else,' I said; 'but I'm sure I don

Nobody would wonder at us if they saw we were looking at him. And very likely we'd see something, as she lives in the very next-door house. P'raps s

ld not have heard her talking so much if she were. I think she

likely she only comes downstairs for her dinner a

t by then. And besides that, except for going to tea to Mrs. Wylie's, we'd never get leave to be out by ourselv

im for it: he quite felt, I fancy, as if he was one of his favourite fairy-tale princes. And in the queer way I have spoken of already, he somehow made me feel

after my last speech, staring be

said q

how. I daresay she comes downstairs in the middle of the day, too, for she's sure

e in for our own dinner

school,' said he hopefully. 'And a very little talking would do at the first beginning. Then we could

t? Out with

d get any. They're very dear to buy, I'm afraid, and we haven't any of our own. T

errace, or the invisible princess, or the parr

e cheerfully, 'I had

lly seemed any good,' for I rather liked the idea of giving t

rinned wit

ou would be. Oh, bother! here's nurse coming, a

ill Mrs. Wylie's out of the way. And she said, "the end of the week"; that means Satur

my words as

terkin, too,' she said. 'I really don't thin

o much longer somehow, and we had to have our hair very neat, and all like that, because we generally went down to th

about Peterkin's plans. He did not get the least tired of them, and I didn't,

and I helped him to polish it up. It was really more interesting than any of his fairy stories, f

ecause mamma said something one day about having had a letter from her. Nothing to do with the little girl,

of Lindsay Square, once or twice in the last few days. I used to get there about a quarter or twenty minutes to one. We were supposed to leave school not la

was lost may have seemed so. And she was always awfully glad for us to be fond of each other. She used to say she hoped we'd grow up 'friends' as well as brothers, which

Pete want to get into the way of coming to meet me. Still, we were

we got a chance, without risking coming in too late for our dinner. We had taken care never to be late, up till now, for fear of Peterkin's coming to meet me being put a stop to; but we hadn't pretended that we would come straight home, and once or twice we had done a little shopping together, and more than once we had spent several minutes in s

m school as fast as I could, though of course-I think it nearly always happens

of poor old Pete eagerly watching for me at the corner of Lindsay Square. He did not dare to come farther, b

im time to be d

or Rock Terrace at least, if we hurry now. Don't speak-it only wastes your breath,' for in those days, with being so plump a

got over the ground pretty fast, only pulling up when we

d if we hear the Polly we can stop short, as if we were notici

kin n

is cage out on the balcony,' he

ht. The ca

see anything. The parrot was in the front of the cage, staring down, and I'm almost certai

nd just now there was nothing of the kind in view-that even common talking could have been heard. 'Don't speak or seem to see him. Th

ing to come back again just as we had gone. And I could be positive that the creature saw us a

and the only exciting part is when you come upon stratagems-succeeded. As we got close up to the parrot's house, next door to Mother Wylie's, you understand, and, of course,

Poll, his round eyes glaring at us, I felt c

e began, of cour

back. 'Good morning, P

he went on. 'I say

ng tone, which he understood, and beg

screeched, very loudly. Pete