diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h.zip | bin | 0 -> 935566 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/34205-h.htm | 2599 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 0 -> 65413 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs01.jpg | bin | 0 -> 76060 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs02.jpg | bin | 0 -> 74693 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs03.jpg | bin | 0 -> 71096 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs04.jpg | bin | 0 -> 73351 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs05.jpg | bin | 0 -> 72679 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs06.jpg | bin | 0 -> 63379 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs07.jpg | bin | 0 -> 68698 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs08.jpg | bin | 0 -> 72609 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs09.jpg | bin | 0 -> 67752 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs10.jpg | bin | 0 -> 74784 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs11.jpg | bin | 0 -> 63005 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205-h/images/gs12.jpg | bin | 0 -> 60574 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205.txt | 2529 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 34205.zip | bin | 0 -> 40179 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 |
20 files changed, 5144 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/34205-h.zip b/34205-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9bde27c --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h.zip diff --git a/34205-h/34205-h.htm b/34205-h/34205-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bf672a1 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/34205-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2599 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Some Little People, by George Kringle</title> + <style type="text/css"> + +body { + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + + h1,h2,h4 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; +} + +hr.l1 {width: 15%; margin-top: 6em; margin-bottom: 0em;} +hr.l2 {width: 15%; margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 1em;} +hr.l3 {width: 60%; margin-top: 6em; margin-bottom: 6em;} + +.pagenum { + visibility: hidden; + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; +} + +.left25 {margin-left: 25%;} + +.r2 {margin-top: 2em;} +.r6 {margin-top: 6em;} + +.center {text-align: center;} + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + +.figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; +} + + hr.full { width: 100%; + margin-top: 3em; + margin-bottom: 0em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + height: 4px; + border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ + border-style: solid; + border-color: #000000; + clear: both; } + pre {font-size: 85%;} + </style> +</head> +<body> +<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Some Little People, by George Kringle, +Illustrated by Kate Greenaway</h1> +<pre> +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre> +<p>Title: Some Little People</p> +<p>Author: George Kringle</p> +<p>Release Date: November 3, 2010 [eBook #34205]</p> +<p>Language: English</p> +<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> +<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOME LITTLE PEOPLE***</p> +<p> </p> +<h4>E-text prepared by eagkw, Suzanne Shell,<br /> + and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> + (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> + from page images generously made available by<br /> + Internet Archive/American Libraries<br /> + (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/americana">http://www.archive.org/details/americana</a>)</h4> +<p> </p> +<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> + <tr> + <td valign="top"> + Note: + </td> + <td> + Images of the original pages are available through + Internet Archive/American Libraries. See + <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/somelittlepeople00kriniala"> + http://www.archive.org/details/somelittlepeople00kriniala</a> + </td> + </tr> +</table> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p> </p> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="400" height="632" alt="Cover" title="" /> +</div> + +<p class="left25"> +<b>TABLE OF CONTENTS</b>.<br /><br /> + +<a href="#CHAPTER_I"><b>CHAPTER I.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_II"><b>CHAPTER II.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_III"><b>CHAPTER III.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_IV"><b>CHAPTER IV.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_V"><b>CHAPTER V.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_VI"><b>CHAPTER VI.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_VII"><b>CHAPTER VII.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII"><b>CHAPTER VIII.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_IX"><b>CHAPTER IX.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_X"><b>CHAPTER X.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XI"><b>CHAPTER XI.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XII"><b>CHAPTER XII.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII"><b>CHAPTER XIII.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV"><b>CHAPTER XIV.</b></a><br /> +<a href="#Transcribers_Note"><b>Transcriber's Note.</b></a><br /> +</p> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs01.jpg" width="600" height="342" alt="Some little people." title="" /> +</div> + +<h1 class="r2">SOME LITTLE PEOPLE</h1> + +<h4 class="r6">BY</h4> + +<h2>GEORGE KRINGLE</h2> + +<hr class="l1" /> +<p class="center"><i>ILLUSTRATED</i></p> +<hr class="l2" /> + +<p class="r6 center">NEW YORK</p> +<p class="center">DODD, MEAD & COMPANY</p> +<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Publishers</span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> + +<p class="center">Copyright, 1881,</p> +<p class="center">by</p> +<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Dodd, Mead & Company.</span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> +<h1>SOME LITTLE PEOPLE.</h1> + +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth Lillibun lived a hundred miles from London. If she had not +lived a hundred miles from London, it is likely you would never have +heard of her. She would have liked it better had somebody else lived +where she did instead of herself. 'Lisbeth was a very little girl when +she found out that she lived a hundred miles from London. So was Dickon, +her brother, very little when he found it out, but he did not care so +much about it; indeed I think he did not care at all.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth always remembered the day upon which she found it out. She +could not quite count a hundred herself at the time; she could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> count +ten, but had not learned to count a hundred. She had heard Gorham count +a hundred, and knew that it was a great many more than ten. She thought +that ten was a great many. She knew that ten miles must be a great way; +she had several times walked a mile. She had walked a mile the day she +discovered that it was a hundred miles to London. A hundred miles, she +knew, was a very great way.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had concluded that she would like to live in London; that she +would live in London; that London was the only proper place for any body +to live. This was why she did not like to discover that London was a +hundred miles away. But how she came to know anything about London, or +to think it was the only proper place to live, I shall not pretend to +say.</p> + +<p>She had gone a long way from home, that day, with Dickon; as I said, she +had gone a mile. It was a pleasant mile, straight across the fields, but +they should not have gone so far. Mother was at the mill; Gorham had +gone to school; Trotty was asleep. Dickon and 'Lisbeth wanted to do +something, or see something, so they wandered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> over the fields for a +mile. If they had not gone so far, 'Lisbeth would not have heard about +the distance to London; she would have been more happy had she not gone +so far; she would not have heard the men, with the packs on their backs, +reading the mile-stone. She should not have gone so far from home; we +generally come to some grief when we do something which is not quite +right. 'Lisbeth did.</p> + +<p>Dickon wished to show her the flowers blooming by the way; he wished to +show her the bees buzzing in the flowers; he wished to show her the bird +warbling on the post, but she was looking at the two men with the packs +on their backs; she was looking at them plodding along the way. They +grew smaller and smaller to her eyes. They became but specks. They +disappeared.</p> + +<p>She thought she would see them again in London. She would ask them how +they got there, and how they liked it. So Dickon watched the bees, a +long while, by himself, and looked at the pretty flower-hearts; and the +bird warbled on the post, but 'Lisbeth knew not a thing about it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p> + +<p>Everything looked more happy than 'Lisbeth; the grass that grew under +foot, and the contented little weeds that nodded and dozed in the sun, +and the flowers that hung just where they grew, with the most +comfortable little faces, and the bird that warbled on the post.</p> + +<p>Indeed, as to the bird, it might have been thought that he did not +admire 'Lisbeth's serious face, that he was too happy himself to be +looking at any one who was not as happy as he was, for, though at first, +with head turned toward her, he ruffled his throat, and swayed from side +to side as he sung and sung, he suddenly grew mute, eyed 'Lisbeth with +one eye and then with the other, and like a bird who had made up his +mind, turned his back upon her, still standing on the post, and lifted +his head, and ruffled his throat, and filled the air with his sweet +notes, without so much as turning an eye toward 'Lisbeth as she stood.</p> + +<p>Everything looked more comfortable than 'Lisbeth. Do you know why +'Lisbeth did not look comfortable? If you cannot think why it was +to-day, perhaps you may be able to do so to-morrow.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> If you cannot think +why it was this morning, perhaps you may be able to do so by this +evening. Indeed, I think you will know without waiting to think a +minute.</p> + +<p>Dickon filled her hands with flowers—they were such sweet flowers, with +such pretty tender faces; every one had something on its lips to say as +it looked up. Did you ever guess what the flowers were trying to say +loud enough for you to hear? I think they all say something to us; some +of us cannot hear what they say, some of us cannot guess what they say. +The flowers looked brightly up at 'Lisbeth; they did not look +discontented, even though they were broken; they did not complain as she +carried them away; they did not even turn to look reproachfully at +Dickon who had broken them from their stems. They were very bright +flowers.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth wished many times to know if Dickon thought the men with the +packs had reached London. She asked him so many times, that at length he +laughed quite aloud, and yet she knew well enough that the men had to +walk a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> hundred miles; she and Dickon had walked but one. So she laughed +too, when Dickon laughed, and they both began chasing the butterflies +that waved their beautiful wings over the field, their wings beautiful +as the faces of the flowers; the wings which changed colors as they +fanned them in the sun; the pretty wings which changed color every +moment and which shone like flower petals sprinkled with gold.</p> + +<p>When they were tired of chasing butterflies they remembered that Trotty +might be awake; that Gorham might have come home; that mother might have +come from the mill, and have been looking for them; so they began +chasing each other instead of chasing the butterflies, and it seemed to +be much the best thing to do, for as they chased each other they came +nearer to the door at home. Indeed they should have thought of this +before, for as they came bounding around the house, startling the +swallows under the eaves, Trotty was tumbling from the cradle, and +mother was hastening toward the door.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth did not forget that it was a hundred miles to London; she never +forgot it. She did not forget the two men with the packs on their backs. +At the same time she could not forget that a hundred was a great many. +'Lisbeth told her mother that they could all put packs on their backs +and go to London, that she wanted to live in London; but her mother only +laughed, she did not want to go to London to live at that time; she did +not want to walk a hundred miles with a pack on her back.</p> + +<p>After this 'Lisbeth felt very much discouraged; she had believed that +everybody would like to live in London; she did not know how to manage. +If 'Lisbeth had been more like the flowers she would have been contented +to grow just where she found herself; but she was not like the flowers; +she was not like them at all. She thought a great deal about getting to +London. I am not sure that 'Lisbeth thought enough about it to find out +how she would like getting to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> London if mother did not go along; that +is a part which I am almost sure that 'Lisbeth did not think about, but +she was very determined about getting there.</p> + +<p>She invited Gorham to go with her, but Gorham knew better than to try to +do that; he knew that London was a great way off; that he could not go +unless mother went too; he knew that 'Lisbeth was very silly indeed. But +'Lisbeth did not believe Gorham when he told her all this; she had an +opinion of her own. She and Dickon used to play "going to London" every +day, but this did not suit 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>There were five mothers who went to the mill every day. 'Lisbeth +concluded to ask the little boys and girls belonging to these mothers to +go to London with her. Then she concluded she would only ask the boys; +boys would not get frightened and run away; they would not let anybody +pick her up and put her in a bag; Dickon was a boy; she knew all about +boys; she was afraid the girls would get put in bags. She told the girls +they should not go. She stamped her foot at them; they should not go. +Indeed I do not believe they wanted to go, but the boys did; they +liked it. They all concluded to start at once.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs02.jpg" width="550" height="336" alt="There were seven of them." title="" /> +</div> + +<p>There were seven of them beside Dickon. Dickon carried a basket, as well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> +as a stick with a rag upon it which they called a flag. 'Lisbeth carried +a flag too and walked in front. Nobody was ever so proud in starting for +London; nobody was ever so well pleased, or so little afraid of what +might happen on the way, nor at the end of the way, nor at the end of +the whole affair. Nobody who thought so much of going to London, ever +forgot so entirely to think about what was to be done when they got +there; what was to be done for a supper, for a penny, for a roof, for a +bed, for a second dress or pair of trousers, for a mother! Nobody +remembered anything but that they were on the way to London.</p> + +<p>They went a mile. They went across the fields, between clover tops and +sweet grasses, and flowers with pleasant faces; they marched, and then +forgot to march. 'Lisbeth knew the way to the mile-stone, she knew which +way the men had turned when they came to the forked road beyond. She +remembered watching them out of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> sight. 'Lisbeth was sure she knew the +way to London. They went beyond the forks of the road; they went a great +way. The little boys began to find out that they had gone a great way. +They began to look back for the church steeple, but it was gone; they +began to look back for the mill; but there was none. They began to be +afraid. 'Lisbeth was not afraid. She did not expect to see the church +steeple. She did not expect to see the mill; she did not want to see +them. She did want to see London.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth looked so happy that the little boys forgot to march, and all +drew up closer, and closer to 'Lisbeth; they were sure she must have +something to be happy about. Nobody liked to say he did not feel happy, +yet nobody was happy but 'Lisbeth. All these boys usually were very +happy, can you tell me why they did not feel happy now? Dickon was the +first to find out that everybody was keeping very close to 'Lisbeth; +that nobody looked pleased but 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>"It's a dreadful way to London," said Dickon.</p> + +<p>"I s'pose it is, Dickon; but don't be 'scouraged,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> said 'Lisbeth, +striding on faster and faster. If she had seen a church spire ahead she +would have believed she saw a London spire.</p> + +<p>"S'pose we don't go to London," said Dickon, coming to a halt.</p> + +<p>"Well, s'pose we don't!" said almost all the voices, some high and some +low; but 'Lisbeth almost gasped, "We will! we must! We've gone a +dreadful way, we cannot go back any more."</p> + +<p>But the little boys were bigger than 'Lisbeth; they knew now that she +had made a mistake; they thought she might make a mistake about getting +to London; they began to think they had made a mistake themselves.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth stood stamping in the road; she stood stamping and crying as +hard as she could, but even Dickon began running toward the mile-stone, +and what could she do but turn around and run too? She could do nothing +else. She ran as fast as her feet would take her, but her feet were +tired. The boys' feet were not as tired; the most of them were bigger +than hers; they were bigger and not so tired, so they ran faster.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was left somewhere, I do not know<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> where; left away off on the +road carrying her flag, and trotting along at a great rate by herself. +This was what she got by taking the boys. She sighed over her mistake, +and she concluded that even Dickon would not have cared had she been +packed in a bag, and, indeed, it seemed he did not.</p> + +<p>To be sure Dickon remembered her after a while, and ran as fast as he +could to find her, and see that she was all safe and give her a kiss +under her funny little hat to make it all right. But 'Lisbeth felt +herself hurt beyond measure, as well she might; only, if people will +make mistakes they must take the consequences. If people will choose the +boys when they should choose the girls, what can they expect; and if +they will want to grow in London instead of wanting to grow where God +put them, what can they expect? If we want to be very comfortable we +must be contented where we find ourselves.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2> + +<p>The boys did not run very, very long before they saw the mill, and the +steeple; they chased along the path in high glee after that, and did a +great many things beside chasing along the path. But they all got home +so long before the mothers came from the mill, that the mothers never +knew that they had ever started for London until they were told. You may +be sure they were glad that their boys had at length remembered what a +naughty, foolish thing they were doing.</p> + +<p>But how the girls laughed! You may well know that the girls were pleased +enough to see the boys come back. They laughed because the boys had been +silly enough to start, and they laughed because they pretended to be +amused at their coming back after they had started, but you and I know +that they were glad enough that they did come back.</p> + +<p>As to 'Lisbeth, she held her head very high when the girls met her. She +did not like being laughed at. They asked her a great many questions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> +about London, and asked her why she did not stay, and how she liked the +boys for company. It was very trying. Anybody but 'Lisbeth would have +cried, or flown in a passion, but 'Lisbeth did not do either. So then +the girls stopped laughing at her, and talked of something else. +'Lisbeth would not talk of anything else. She was not contented enough +in the place where she grew to talk of anything else yet. She believed +the girls would have done better than the boys; that she had made a +mistake.</p> + +<p>Everybody liked 'Lisbeth. She was not always doing naughty, foolish +things like going to London, so the girls were ready to listen to her. +She told them how the boys had behaved, and what she thought of them, +and how determined she was to go to London, and how she believed that +the girls would have behaved better, and invited them to start with her +the very next day; and if there ever was a silly little girl in all the +world, it was 'Lisbeth.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs03.jpg" width="600" height="354" alt="They were a pretty party." title="" /> +</div> + +<p>The girls talked to their mothers that night about 'Lisbeth's +invitation, which was just the proper thing to do. The mothers were +sorry that <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>'Lisbeth was not better contented in the place where she +found herself; they were so sorry that they concluded to try to make her +better contented, so they told the big girls that they might go, but the +very little ones must stay at home. A couple of little ones stole away +with the rest and came to great trouble afterward, but the larger girls +went with 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was delighted the next day when the girls said that they would +go; she had been thinking so much about it that she was unhappy.</p> + +<p>You should have seen them the next day when they started. They were a +pretty party. 'Lisbeth carried no stick this time, but a little basket, +and generally managed to keep in front. There were ten of them. I think +the old mile-stone would have laughed if it could, when it saw so many +sweet faces bend over it to read about the miles, but then, of course, +it could not.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had walked so far, and run so much the day before, that she was +tired a little soon; she was even very tired indeed, by the time she +reached the mile-stone. No one else thought of being tired, they had +been quietly playing at home<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> the day before. 'Lisbeth did not say that +she was tired, yet she really was.</p> + +<p>The girls' hands were full of flowers, their baskets and arms were full +of flowers; they made balls of flowers and played with them as they +walked. They left the mile-stone far away; they left the mill and the +steeple far out of sight; they came to fields which were new to them. +'Lisbeth grew more tired at every step.</p> + +<p>"We must hurry and get there," said 'Lisbeth, and they all hurried; but +they could every one hurry faster than 'Lisbeth without getting so +tired; all except the little naughty ones who stole away, but even they +were not as tired as 'Lisbeth, they had not walked so far and been so +tired the day before.</p> + +<p>"I know we've come a dreadful long way," said 'Lisbeth; but nobody +seemed to think so, they all went on as fast as they could. 'Lisbeth +went on as fast as she could.</p> + +<p>"I 'most think we've come a hundred miles," said 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>"Oh no, we have not come many miles at all; it will take us all +to-night, and to-morrow, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> next night, and more days and nights +besides," said one of the girls, and the rest were all sure it would.</p> + +<p>"A hundred miles won't take that many days."</p> + +<p>"Yes they will; they will take longer," said one girl, and the rest said +so too.</p> + +<p>"But we will want supper."</p> + +<p>"We cannot have any."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was not pleased.</p> + +<p>"We must have some."</p> + +<p>"We cannot have any till we get to London."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was sure they must have some, but could not think in such a +minute how to get it.</p> + +<p>"We will fish some up," said 'Lisbeth, looking at the water.</p> + +<p>But nobody had any fish-hooks, though there was the water and perhaps +the fish.</p> + +<p>"We will flim in and catch some," but nobody would allow 'Lisbeth to +swim in and catch some.</p> + +<p>"We will get some supper from a house."</p> + +<p>"We have no money."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth looked down as she walked. She was perplexed.</p> + +<p>"We cannot have supper to-night, nor to-morrow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> night, nor the next +night; nor breakfast, nor dinner." 'Lisbeth looked up and smiled; she +thought they were making sport about it, but the girls' faces were quite +serious; besides, she began to wonder herself where supper and dinner +would come from.</p> + +<p>"We must hurry most dreadful; the sun is skimming down low," said +'Lisbeth; indeed it began to look late.</p> + +<p>"Oh we will walk all night, and all day, and to-morrow night, and the +next day and night and—"</p> + +<p>"I won't," said 'Lisbeth, very decidedly.</p> + +<p>"You must."</p> + +<p>"I won't; I'm most dreadful tired now."</p> + +<p>"There's no house to sleep in; no, not even in London."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth looked up at the girl in distress, then off in the distance.</p> + +<p>"Not even in London!" repeated 'Lisbeth; "not even in London."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth wanted to stand still.</p> + +<p>"Come along!" said several voices; but 'Lisbeth did not wish to come +along, and the little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> girls who were naughty and stole away were crying +as hard as they could cry.</p> + +<p>"You must; you wanted to go, and we started, and you must go."</p> + +<p>"But I'm tired; I want to think a minute."</p> + +<p>"The sun is almost down."</p> + +<p>"I want to go home," said 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>"We want to go to London, and if you do not go now you can never go."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth stood up very tall. She was very grave. She looked straight +ahead of her.</p> + +<p>"I will go back; I will never go," said 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>Then they all went back, and 'Lisbeth never knew how pleasant home was, +how good supper was, how dear mother was, how long a hundred miles must +be, till she had managed to get back and fly into mother's arms, and eat +mother's supper, and go to bed in the nice comfortable place where she +belonged.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was very sick and very sore, and very uncomfortable for many +days after trying to get to London, and did not forget very soon how far +a hundred miles must be.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth did not talk any more about London for a great while after +that. She may have thought about it, but she did not do any more. She +talked about other things. And she grew tall much faster, I have no +doubt, than she would have done in London. The country air was good, and +made her grow fast. You will see in the picture that she looks taller +than she did when she stood thinking by the mile-stone. As she stood +there, that day, she was listening to Philip McGreagor, a little boy who +lived down the road, and Dickon was listening too.</p> + +<p>Dickon and 'Lisbeth were dressed in their very best clothes. 'Lisbeth's +dress was quite new. A very pretty blue with dark speckles. Dickon was +sorry they had on their best clothes after listening to Philip. Philip +was going to be rich. He had found a pearl in a mussel in a brook; why +should he not find a million?</p> + +<p>Why could not 'Lisbeth find a million?</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth thought she could find a million; she thought she might be +as rich as Philip; then she could go to London.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs04.jpg" width="575" height="352" alt="Listening to Philip McGreagor." title="" /> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>'Lisbeth and Dickon had been told not to go beyond the roller which laid +on the pathway at a little distance from the house. Mother was home. It +was a holiday. She wanted her children under her eyes. Besides, she had +dressed them in their very best clothes. She bought those clothes; she +had made them; she was a little bit proud of them.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth forgot the roller; forgot the mother home from the mill; forgot +the very best clothes; forgot everything but the mussels and the brook, +and Dickon forgot them too. There must be mussels in the brook, and +pearls in the mussels. They would wade for them; they could see them at +the bottom of the stream. They ran along the road to the woods; along +the wood's path to the brook. Dickon took off his shoes. 'Lisbeth forgot +to take off her shoes. They waded along in the water.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth at first held the blue dress out of the water; then she forgot +to hold it out of the water; then she slipped on a stone, and fell in,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> +and Dickon slipped, and splashed in the water in trying to keep her up; +and the water, which had been clear as crystal, threw up its mud in +indignation. They climbed out of the mud upon the grass, and looked at +each other.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had lost her shoes. Dickon looked at his own. They were all he +had of his very best rig. How could they ever get home? Dickon tried to +wipe the mud off, to wring it out, but 'Lisbeth would not be wrung out; +she said she did not mind. But she did mind, because she would not walk +or sit down, or do anything for a few minutes but stand and look. Then +she told Dickon to come with her. He came, and they went down to +Dillon's cottage.</p> + +<p>"Please, Mr. Dillon, put me in the wheelbarrow," said 'Lisbeth. But +Dillon only stopped smoking his pipe to laugh.</p> + +<p>"Please, Mr. Dillon, very fast put me in a wheelbarrow," said 'Lisbeth, +growing excited, "and roll me home." And Mr. Dillon did.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth's mother looked from the door. She saw the wheelbarrow; she saw +Dillon's coat over something in the wheelbarrow. And other people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> +looked from their doors and saw them too. 'Lisbeth's mother was not +pleased when she saw what was in the wheelbarrow, and 'Lisbeth was no +nearer getting to London than she had been before, because they were +poorer instead of richer. 'Lisbeth's mother cried over the spoiled +clothes. 'Lisbeth felt very badly about them, so did Dickon, but feeling +badly did not bring them back. They were nothing, from that time, but +stained, and washed, and faded clothes instead of brand new ones.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth thought about the clothes so much that she concluded she should +try to do something to buy more. She began to think she was getting big +enough. She contrived a great many ways, but she could not seem to +decide upon anything.</p> + +<p>There was an old hogshead under the walnut tree, very high and old. When +she had anything very important to think about she liked to climb up and +sit on the top of the hogshead. She never allowed anybody to sit there +with her. She climbed up on the hogshead and sat very still, thinking +how to manage about the new clothes.</p> + +<p>Suddenly she had a pleasant thought; she believed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> she had a thought +that would answer. She jumped up and down so suddenly and so hard that +the hogshead tried to move its head out of the way. It was scarcely +polite for 'Lisbeth to jump so hard on its head. It did move its +head—or a part of it—and 'Lisbeth sat inside the hogshead instead of +outside of it.</p> + +<p>The mother found her there when she came home. Had 'Lisbeth picked the +beans, as mother had told her to do, instead of trying to think about +doing something else, she would not have been obliged to sit in the +hogshead's mouth, nor to have eaten her porridge without beans.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth was awake bright and early next day; she had business to attend +to.</p> + +<p>Mother told her to be a good girl and take care of Trotty. 'Lisbeth said +she would. I suppose she thought she would, but she forgot Trotty very +soon, for she saw neighbor Gilham across the hill driving his sheep.</p> + +<p>Away she went running and skipping. She could scarcely wait to get to +neighbor Gilham; but she was obliged to wait, for the path across the +field and up to the hill was quite winding; she was obliged to follow +the path.</p> + +<p>"Good morning," said 'Lisbeth, at length coming near neighbor Gilham.</p> + +<p>"Good morning," said he; "what brought you so far from home?"</p> + +<p>"I came on business," said 'Lisbeth; "very important."</p> + +<p>"Indeed! where are you going?"</p> + +<p>"Nowhere. I'm going to be a sheep-boy. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> made up my mind to 't +yesterday, only I got in the hogshead."</p> + +<p>"And whose sheep are you going to mind?"</p> + +<p>"Yours. I want to get money to buy a new dress, because I tumbled in the +mud and spoiled my blue speckled, and I want to get rich to go to +London."</p> + +<p>"Hi! hi! that is it; and you are going to be a sheep-boy?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir, please go home."</p> + +<p>"I cannot have a sheep-boy with skirts, he must have pants; the sheep +would not like a sheep-boy with skirts."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth hung down her head; she began pulling some berries which grew +among the brambles. She did not say another word to Mr. Gilham; she only +ran down the path. Mr. Gilham giggled a little to see her go. Mr. Gilham +fell asleep; fell, rather into a doze. It did not seem to him many +minutes from the time when he saw her run down the path, till he heard +her say: "Please go home, sir."</p> + +<p>"Who are you?" said Mr. Gilham, rousing up.</p> + +<p>"I'm the sheep-boy 'Lisbeth Lillibun."</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs05.jpg" width="600" height="371" alt="I'm the sheep-boy 'Lisbeth Lillibun." title="" /> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>"I cannot have a sheep-boy in borrowed trousers," said Mr. Gilham, very +decidedly; "it would not do."</p> + +<p>"Yes it would! Dickon said I might borrow 'm; yes it would do very much +indeed."</p> + +<p>Mr. Gilham was so positive that it would not do that 'Lisbeth began to +cry.</p> + +<p>"Sheep-boys never cry, never," said Mr. Gilham, and 'Lisbeth wiped her +eyes as fast as she could.</p> + +<p>"Please to go home very fast," said 'Lisbeth, but Mr. Gilham only +laughed, which made 'Lisbeth very uncomfortable.</p> + +<p>"Please to don't laugh so much," said 'Lisbeth; "more people 'n me tend +to business."</p> + +<p>"Sheep-boys must keep big dogs away; they would kill the sheep."</p> + +<p>"Yes, when I see 'm coming."</p> + +<p>"Sheep-boys must drive away men; they would steal the sheep."</p> + +<p>"Yes; of course," said 'Lisbeth, trying to look very tall.</p> + +<p>"Sheep-boys must keep away lions, and tigers, and bears."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Did you ever drive away any tigers and lions and bears, Mr. Gilham?" +inquired 'Lisbeth, looking straight in his eyes.</p> + +<p>"I never did, but my sheep-boy must; that is what I want a sheep-boy +for."</p> + +<p>"He can't if there are none," said 'Lisbeth, looking very wise.</p> + +<p>"But there might be."</p> + +<p>"I don't think there might be."</p> + +<p>"But if there should be?"</p> + +<p>"I'll—run and tell you," said 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>Neighbor Gilham decided that this would never do, and 'Lisbeth thought +him unreasonable enough, but she felt half inclined to stamp her foot at +him, and tell him to go home, but he looked so big and idle; he looked +too big and idle to get home. She thought it was a pretty business, and +so it was. She concluded that she had gone into the hogshead's mouth for +nothing, and so she had.</p> + +<p>She had much better been picking beans that afternoon, to put in her own +mouth, but people who are not contented with doing the right thing in +the right place, often fall into worse places<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> than the hogshead's +mouth, and get into more business than they care to find.</p> + +<p>"Please to tell me what I'm going to do?" inquired 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>"You are going to run home and mind Trotty," replied neighbor Gilham.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was indignant enough.</p> + +<p>"Dickon can mind Trotty; he's mind'n her now. I'm not a minder."</p> + +<p>"I thought you did not look like a minder. Sheep-boys are all minders, +every one of them, so run home."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth stood looking at him over her shoulder. She was too indignant +for words.</p> + +<p>"If you want to grow rich," said neighbor Gilham, a little bit sorry for +her—a little bit sorry not to help her in getting into business—"if +you want to get rich, go hunt in all the flowers between here and home; +maybe you'll find one with a gold heart."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth looked over her shoulder at him again very fiercely, and did +not say a word; then she walked down the path. She would not let +neighbor Gilham see her hold up the flower cups and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> look in, or unroll +the buds to peep toward the heart; she would not let him see her, but +she did it for all that.</p> + +<p>When she began she did not know when to stop. She hunted and hunted and +looked and looked. She found the sweetest bells among the grass, but she +never knew that they were sweet at all, she was only looking in every +bell for gold. She found the brightest flower faces looking up at her, +but never knew that they were bright. She tossed them away from her. She +found neither pence nor pounds. She found the prettiest flower-lips +trying to speak to her, as she bent over them, but she heard nothing +that they said, she heard not a breath; she scarcely saw that the lips +were pretty at all. Had she heard they would have told her to be content +with the flower hearts, just as she found them; that they would give her +themselves with their bright faces and patient hearts, which were better +than hard hearts of gold. They would have told her to be content with +growing where she was, and never to think about the world beyond the +mile-stone, for contentment is better than gold itself. They would have +told her to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> mind Trotty, and pick beans, and help mother, which was the +dearest, best, and happiest work she could ever find; but 'Lisbeth would +not hear, she would not hear at all.</p> + +<p>She did not know that neighbor Gilham could see her from the hill. She +forgot all about Gilham; she forgot all about mother and Trotty; forgot +everything which she should have remembered, though she found no gold. +Neighbor Gilham should never have sent her hunting for what he knew she +could not find, he should not have told her to hunt for gold in the +flower-hearts; he should have rather told her to listen to the lesson of +the flowers and be content.</p> + +<p>But neighbor Gilham did not tell her this, and she did not think of it, +and though she came home no richer, she was hustled to bed before +twilight and for her supper had neither porridge with nor porridge +without the beans.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2> + +<p>When 'Lisbeth's mother came home from the mill and found out how matters +were going; when 'Lisbeth came home in Dickon's suit, from hunting for +gold, she felt very certain that 'Lisbeth was not as good as many little +girls were, and this made her sigh very deeply. Then she tried to think +how to make her better; she scarcely knew how to begin, but she thought +the best way, perhaps, would be to send her to school with Gorham, and +let Dickon, who was a better "minder" than 'Lisbeth, take care of +Trotty.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was not pleased at all. She did not think she would like to go +to school, but her mother did not ask her opinion; it was not worth +while.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth went to school the next morning. The school teacher smiled at +'Lisbeth when she came in. 'Lisbeth did not smile; she looked very +serious indeed.</p> + +<p>"How do you do, my dear?" said the teacher.</p> + +<p>"I do what I like, ma'am, most times," said 'Lisbeth. This was very +improper, but 'Lisbeth did not know it; she believed she had answered +correctly.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs06.jpg" width="600" height="345" alt="'Lisbeth went to school the next morning." title="" /> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>Miss Pritchet was not pleased, she only said, "Sit down, my dear," and +'Lisbeth sat down.</p> + +<p>By and by Miss Pritchet told 'Lisbeth to come stand by her, and 'Lisbeth +came.</p> + +<p>"What have you been learning, little girl?" inquired Miss Pritchet.</p> + +<p>"I've been learning the way all around the country, and how to spike +minnows in the mill race, and—"</p> + +<p>"Tut, tut!" said Miss Pritchet. "I mean have you been learning to read +and write and spell?"</p> + +<p>"No 'm, I never learned those at all, only to spell."</p> + +<p>"Then you will like to learn I know; you will like to learn lessons."</p> + +<p>"Is there anything about London in 'm?"</p> + +<p>"About London?"</p> + +<p>"Yes 'm. London is a hundred miles away. I learned that a time ago."</p> + +<p>"When you can read you can learn more about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> London if you wish to; you +will find it in the books."</p> + +<p>"Yes 'm I want to," said Lisbeth. "I wish to live there."</p> + +<p>"You must learn to be satisfied where you are," said Miss Pritchet; "you +must not want to go to London."</p> + +<p>"I mean to."</p> + +<p>"I thought you were a good little girl; good little girls are satisfied +here."</p> + +<p>"Are they?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, they are; you must be satisfied here."</p> + +<p>"But I don't mean to be."</p> + +<p>"Oh!" said Miss Pritchet.</p> + +<p>"I mean to get to London very fast," continued 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>"Little girls who do not like to live where they find themselves often +come to great trouble," said Miss Pritchet, with the corners of her +mouth all drawn down.</p> + +<p>"Maybe I may like to grow where I find myself when I get to London," +said 'Lisbeth a little despairingly.</p> + +<p>"You are not a very good little girl, I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> afraid," said Miss Pritchet, +but 'Lisbeth could not think why Miss Pritchet said such a thing.</p> + +<p>"Get your book now and come spell."</p> + +<p>"Yes 'm," said 'Lisbeth, like the best little girl that ever was.</p> + +<p>"Can you spell?"</p> + +<p>"Yes 'm. Is London in this book? it begins with an L."</p> + +<p>"Tut! tut!" said Miss Pritchet, "let me hear you spell that line."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth spelled, she spelled better than Miss Pritchet had imagined.</p> + +<p>"That is a nice little girl. Now take your book and go learn this next +line."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth took the book and sat down to spell. She got along nicely for a +little way; then she came to the word aisle. She did not like the +appearance of it. She did not like it at all. She ran up to Miss +Pritchet's desk.</p> + +<p>"What does this spell?" she inquired.</p> + +<p>"That is aisle," said Miss Pritchet.</p> + +<p>"Aisle!" repeated 'Lisbeth; "I do not like spelling aisle with a i s l +e; I like i l e."</p> + +<p>"Hush, my dear."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> + +<p>"But I don't like it," persisted 'Lisbeth. "If I don't like it I don't."</p> + +<p>"Go and sit down at once," commanded Miss Pritchet.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth went and sat down. She learned every word but aisle. 'Lisbeth +was a very foolish little girl not to learn aisle.</p> + +<p>"Come here, my dear," said Miss Pritchet; she gave 'Lisbeth the words. +'Lisbeth spelled them very well. Then said Miss Pritchet, "aisle—"</p> + +<p>"I did not learn it," said 'Lisbeth. "I said I did not like it and I +don't."</p> + +<p>"But you must learn it, if you like it or not."</p> + +<p>"I must?" said 'Lisbeth, in astonishment.</p> + +<p>"Of course you must; we all must do a great many things which we do not +like."</p> + +<p>"I don't mean to," said 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>Miss Pritchet was astonished.</p> + +<p>"You must."</p> + +<p>"What must I do beside learning to spell aisle?"</p> + +<p>"Nothing now!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Oh," said 'Lisbeth, reassured; "I thought you said we must all do a +great many things."</p> + +<p>"Go sit down this minute," commanded Miss Pritchet, and 'Lisbeth sat +down, and she learned aisle, but she did not get home until very late, +because Miss Pritchet said that such a very improperly behaved child +should never go home at a proper time, from her school; but 'Lisbeth +could not see, with all her trying, what she had been improper about. +Had she learned aisle, though she did not want to? Certainly she had.</p> + +<p>Besides being perplexed about this, she was a little vexed with Miss +Pritchet about something else. She had been given to understand that +there was something about London in the books. She had been spelling +words half the day and had not come to London. She spelled and spelled, +but did not come to London. She felt herself imposed upon; she felt +herself very much imposed upon.</p> + +<p>"Please find London," asked 'Lisbeth at length of Miss Pritchet.</p> + +<p>"London indeed? Not for such an improper little girl. You must stop +thinking about London,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> I say. You will be sorry if you do not stop. You +must."</p> + +<p>"I must?" said 'Lisbeth, a little meekly. "I must, must I?"</p> + +<p>But as she said it her voice sounded very much as though it said, "If I +cannot, how can I?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, you must;" and 'Lisbeth went and sat down to think about it.</p> + +<p>This was 'Lisbeth's first day at school and she had a great many more +days at school, and learned a great many things every day, but one thing +she did not manage to learn at all—to stop thinking about London.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth did not find any word in her lesson the next day which she did +not like. She spelled them over, and concluded that she liked them all +pretty well. One word she looked at quite hard before she concluded that +she liked them all, but she found out that she did not object to it. She +spelled them so nicely that Miss Pritchet was quite pleased, and +'Lisbeth had a little more time than she had the day before, to look +around and find out what next was to be done.</p> + +<p>Jemmy Jenkins sat next to her; he was older than 'Lisbeth, but that did +not make any matter; he whispered to 'Lisbeth behind his slate. She +thought after this that she knew Jemmy Jenkins better than anybody else.</p> + +<p>At recess she and Jemmy Jenkins had a great deal of fun and jumped over +Miss Pritchet's garden plot seventeen times each, without getting in the +middle of it more than twice.</p> + +<p>"Say, Jemmy," said 'Lisbeth, "I think this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> flower plot would look nice +with its roots stuck up."</p> + +<p>"How?" inquired Jemmy, ready for anything new and agreeable.</p> + +<p>"This way," replied 'Lisbeth, and she seized a pretty marguerite in +bloom, dug it up with a stick, and planted it upside down; the stick to +which it was tied for support she propped under it to keep the roots in +the air, for the marguerites have little tender stems.</p> + +<p>Nobody happened to see. Jemmy thought this would be very nice. He ran +and got the spade, and took out his knife to cut sticks, and they soon +turned Miss Pritchet's plants upside down, with the flowers in the +ground, and the roots in the air, and nobody caught them at it. They +washed off the mud at the pump, and then the bell rang and they all went +in to school.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs07.jpg" width="600" height="381" alt="He ran and got the spade." title="" /> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>Miss Pritchet looked from the window; she caught a glimpse of the garden +plot; she caught a glimpse of the roots in the air; she gave a little +cry and ran to the door.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had forgotten the marguerites. She was trying to squeeze a +big knot through the little hole in her shoe.</p> + +<p>"Who did this?" Miss Pritchet almost screamed.</p> + +<p>"I don't know 'm!" replied everybody in a minute, seeing something had +happened. 'Lisbeth called, "Don't know 'm!" together with the rest, +without knowing what the confusion was about. When she found out what it +was about, she only said "oh!"</p> + +<p>Miss Pritchet looked at her. She looked at Miss Pritchet.</p> + +<p>"Did you do that?" inquired Miss Pritchet, pointing to the marguerites.</p> + +<p>"Do what?" inquired 'Lisbeth as politely as she could.</p> + +<p>"Uproot my flowers."</p> + +<p>"Were they yours?"</p> + +<p>"Did you do it?"</p> + +<p>"Yes 'm," replied 'Lisbeth, trying to look as though nothing had +happened. "I didn't think anybody tended 'm."</p> + +<p>"What did you do it for?"</p> + +<p>"To give 'm air," replied 'Lisbeth. "Please<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> 'm may Susan Jordan put +this string in my shoe, it won't never go in?"</p> + +<p>"Come here this moment, you improper child!" said Miss Pritchet.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth dropped her shoe-string and cowered up to Miss Pritchet like a +startled dove.</p> + +<p>"Didn't you know better?"</p> + +<p>"No 'm, I never did."</p> + +<p>"You will!"</p> + +<p>"Will I? I want to know as much as I can," said 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>Need I say that Miss Pritchet taught her at once what it was to put the +roots of marguerites to air? I need not tell you, I know. But one thing +I will tell you, 'Lisbeth bore her punishment by herself, and never told +on Jemmy Jenkins; but Jemmy Jenkins was man enough to tell on himself, +which was much the best way, and pleased Miss Pritchet so much that she +broke off both punishments clear in the middle, and told 'Lisbeth and +Jemmy Jenkins that she would try not to remember about the marguerites +at all, if they would try never to do so any more.</p> + +<p>Yet when 'Lisbeth, upon starting for home,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> told her that she had +learned one thing that day, she had learned not to put the roots of +marguerites to air, Miss Pritchet looked very stern, for which 'Lisbeth +could not account at all.</p> + +<p>Gorham felt very much ashamed in having his sister treat Miss Pritchet's +marguerites in such an unfeeling manner; he felt very much ashamed +indeed. Gorham was a very proper boy; he did not like to have his sister +called an improper child. He would like to have told Miss Pritchet so, +only that would have been improper. He was not pleased with Miss +Pritchet; he was not pleased with 'Lisbeth; he was not pleased with +Jemmy Jenkins.</p> + +<p>After school he told Jemmy Jenkins what he thought of it; that it was +not proper to treat anybody's marguerites in such a manner; that he was +older and bigger and wiser than 'Lisbeth, and should have told her +better; and Jemmy Jenkins sat on a log rubbing his fingers together and +thinking that Gorham was not making any mistakes at all, though he, +himself, had made a great mistake when he helped 'Lisbeth plant the +marguerites with the roots up.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span></p> + +<p>Jemmy Jenkins felt very much ashamed of himself, very much ashamed +indeed, which was the very best way for him to feel, as he would not be +likely, after feeling so much ashamed of himself, to do so again.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth told her mother that she was learning a great deal at school; +then the mother smiled, but when she heard about the marguerites she did +not smile, she looked as stern as she could, and 'Lisbeth thought this +was beyond bearing, for everybody to look stern when she was learning +and improving.</p> + +<p>But 'Lisbeth did improve, she improved a great deal, only after she had +been at school with Miss Pritchet a couple of years it turned out that +'Lisbeth could not stay any longer with Miss Pritchet, could not stay +any longer where she grew, but must go to a new place, and go a great +way to get to it; in fact, after a great deal of talking, and a great +deal of thinking, and a great deal of planning, 'Lisbeth's mother found +that she must—she could not help it, she could do nothing better—she +must go to live in London.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> + +<p>Now 'Lisbeth had never given up counting the miles to London. She had +counted them up by tens many a time; she had counted them up by +twenties; she had counted them up every way there was to count them, but +they continued to be a great many miles. When she learned that she was +going to grow in a new place, she believed that nothing would ever +trouble her any more; that the world would be made over new.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth could not help in getting ready; if she had done less in +getting ready she might have helped her mother more. But mother helped +herself. She sold a great many things, and she left a great many things +to be sent after her, and she carried a great many things with her.</p> + +<p>Mother cried when she left the old house, but 'Lisbeth did not cry, she +danced about on the points of her toes, till she laughed herself quite +red in the face. 'Lisbeth had always been a little foolish about +London.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had wished a great while to go to London. She might have been a +great deal happier in the beautiful place where she grew if she had not +wished so hard; she had wished very hard and she got there. She had +always believed that London was delightful; now she knew it was. She had +lived in a dear little mite of a house, now she would live in a tall +one. She had lived next and near to a great many people, now she would +live under the roof with a great many people. She had lived on a lane, +now she would live on a—well, a street which was too little and short +and narrow to be called a street.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth knew she had come to London because she was poorer, instead of +because she was richer, but that did not make any difference. At the end +of the street too little to be called a street, was a real, true, broad +street, with fine houses packed together from one end to the other end +of it.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth slipped down the stairs, and along the little street to the +corner. She threw up her hands in admiration. She looked up and down in +delight. It was a fine thing to live in London, a very great and fine +thing indeed. She ran quite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> out of the little street to look up and +down the greater one.</p> + +<p>She saw the windows in rows, blazing with lights. She clapped her hands; +she was delighted. She heard children's voices from an open window. She +climbed stealthily up to the window and looked in. Six children appeared +before her, with very sweet faces, and pretty clothes, and the lights +flashed down upon them from overhead.</p> + +<p>They were playing with dolls. They were playing so hard that they did +not see 'Lisbeth clinging to the sill. They were pretending that the +dolls were talking to each other, that the one was the man and the other +the mistress. The mistress was telling the man to take off his hat; but +he was a stubborn man, he would not take off his hat. Then the children +all laughed, and 'Lisbeth laughed so much harder than anybody else, that +they all looked up and saw her hanging to the sill; then she dropped +suddenly, and forgot that she had to drop so far, and had she not caught +by her skirt and hung to the iron railing of the area, nobody knows how +she might have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> been broken and battered and bruised by falling down the +area before she had been in London over night.</p> + +<p>But she caught to the spikes and her dress was strong; and the children +all ran and saw her hanging to the spikes, and somebody lifted her over +and stood her on her feet and turned her around to see what she looked +like, and then she ran home as soon as she could find out which way to +run.</p> + +<p>She found out that the big street was nicer than the little one; that +the people on the big street were different from the people on the +little one. She found out that all the houses and streets in London were +not just alike, and she found this out before she had gone to sleep the +first night, in the little black room, in the big dirty house, in the +little black street. But she was not sorry she had come to London.</p> + +<p>She wondered if everybody who lived in London had such lovely dolls as +the mistress, such wonderful dolls as the man she had seen. She wondered +if there were many children in London who wore such pretty clothes, and +who played under such flashing lights, and who had such shining +glasses, and tables, and chairs, and wonderful furniture of all kinds in +the rooms where they played, and she concluded there must be; this time +she did not make a mistake, for there were.</p> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs08.jpg" width="550" height="341" alt="Such wonderful dolls." title="" /> +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>'Lisbeth noticed that her mother, and Gorham, and Dickon, and Trotty did +not go in any rooms of the tall house but two; she found that these two +were at the top of the house, and that they had nothing to do with those +underneath; she found out that there was a great clatter in the house, +and in the next houses, as though the whole town were talking; she +wondered how she liked it; but she concluded that she liked it very +much; she was living in London, how could she help liking it?</p> + +<p>Mother looked solemn, and the rooms looked black, and the things were +tumbled upside down, and the air was hot, and the noise kept everybody +awake, and everybody was half tired to death, and nothing was as bright +as it might have been—not even the tallow candle—but they were in +London, a hundred miles from the mile-stone;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> a hundred miles from the +church steeple, and the mill, and the dear bit of a house where they had +all grown, and rolled, and tumbled; and from the meadows with the +flowers sleeping side by side; but they were in London, what did it +matter?</p> + +<p>Yet if they really were in London, while they slept they dreamed they +were playing, and walking and talking under the shadow of the church +steeple, and by the mill, and chasing butterflies over the meadows where +the flowers were fast asleep, and forgot that the rooms were black, and +the air hot, and that things were not as they had been.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth learned a great many things very soon, though she was not at +school. A very great many things indeed; and they were not always +pleasant things. She learned, for one thing, that they grew poorer every +day, instead of growing richer. She learned that the dirty little +street, too little to be a real street, was not as pleasant to look upon +as the garden plot at home, and the green of the fields over the way. +She learned that mother grew thinner, and that the boys grew dirtier and +crosser, and the people down stairs, she found out, were not like the +mill hands at home, the mill hands and the little children.</p> + +<p>She saw a great many fine sights; she saw shops which made her open her +eyes; and houses which astonished her to behold, and carriages which +took her breath away, and people who overcame her altogether. She saw +sights and shows such as she had never dreamed of; she saw a wax figure +at the corner, with a fine curled wig, a figure which turned from side +to side; she saw sights on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> every side to please her fancy, to delight +her eyes, but only to make her remember afterward that she lived among a +lot of dirty people, in two miserable old rooms, in a dirty little +street; that she was really happier in the place where she grew first +than in the place where she grew last; that made her wonder why she had +ever sighed, and sighed, and wished to get a hundred miles away from +that precious old mile-stone.</p> + +<p>She was not contented in London a bit more than she had been contented +playing in the shadow of the steeple and of the mill. She was not +contented at all. Had she learned to be contented under the shadow of +the mill and the steeple, under the walnut tree, and among the flowers +around the mile-stone, she might have smiled brighter smiles in the dark +little room in the dirty old house, in the dirty little street in +London. A bright, contented flower says the same sweet words in the +fresh green fields, and in a little flower pot up in a London window; a +contented little flower always wears a bright face. A contented heart is +always cheerful.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had never been contented. She was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> always wishing to be +somewhere else. She was not contented before she went to London, that +was the reason why she was not contented when she reached there.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth tried to find some nice little London girl to talk to; she +tried first to find a great many, then she tried to find one; she tried +to find some nice little London boys; then she tried to find one nice +little London boy; but the boys and the girls had not been taught to be +very nice, in the dirty old house in the dirty little street, and though +some of them had good enough faces, they had not pleasant ways, nor +pleasant words.</p> + +<p>When Gorham and Dickon wanted to play they found nobody but boys who +were not comfortable boys to play with; at first they did not play with +those uncomfortable boys at all; then they played with them a little, +and then they played with them more, so that Dickon and Gorham became +after a time not as good and pleasant themselves as they once were.</p> + +<p>One day there were some new people came to live in a room down stairs; a +mother and father and three little boys. They looked as though they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> had +never lived in such a dirty street before. They were good little boys, +with pleasant ways, and pleasant words, and very pleasant faces.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth liked to peep in and help them play; she liked to play with +them very much; they made her feel happier. 'Lisbeth had come to London, +but she was not very happy; she did not say so, but it was true just the +same.</p> + +<p>These little boys had no toys to play with, but they were good and +contented just the same. They played with whatever came in their way; +they were as happy in playing with the old chairs as many boys are with +their rocking-horses. They were contented little boys. But they were +very poor; 'Lisbeth knew they were; she was very sorry that they were so +poor, but they were not. They did not care at all. She was sorry that +the mother and father had to leave them so much alone; perhaps they may +have been sorry themselves about this, I do not know.</p> + +<p>How 'Lisbeth laughed when she saw them playing with the brooms. They +made a procession, that is they all walked in a line; the tallest at the +head, and the little one coming last, and each one carried a brush or +broom with a long handle, and if soldiers were ever proud of their guns, +so were these little boys proud. Perhaps they were more proud than +soldiers with guns.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs09.jpg" width="600" height="385" alt="Each one carried a brush or broom." title="" /> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>'Lisbeth knew that these little boys were alone a great deal, because +their mother and father were so poor, and were obliged to go and earn +all they could, and she used to run in very often to see how they +managed. But these were contented little boys; they were contented where +they found themselves, and that was the reason why they got along so +well.</p> + +<p>If they had been discontented they would have gone out of their mother's +rooms into other rooms in the house, and then into the street, and into +the gutter. Then they would have become soiled and spoiled, and changed +altogether, but they were contented with their mother's rooms, and her +chairs and tables, and frying pans, and brooms, and all the things which +they found there; so they did not get soiled or spoiled or changed, but +kept good and bright, pleasant little pictures as you would find in a +day's walk.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth found, after she came to London, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> there was a great deal +to be done besides play; she had to learn to sew and help mother earn +some money, but she was not very big and could not do much, only try.</p> + +<p>At first 'Lisbeth believed she could make a great deal of money. She +knew people must make money in London; she had heard so. Besides, people +seemed to spend so much that there must be some way of getting it. +'Lisbeth was sure there was. She tried to make money in several ways. +This was a mistake; she should have been content with trying to help all +she could at home, and then mother would have had more time, and so +could have made more money, which would have helped them all. But this +was not 'Lisbeth's way of doing. She tried to make a way of her own.</p> + +<p>One day 'Lisbeth saw a little boy sweeping a street crossing; she had +seen boys do this before, but had never thought anything about it. This +time she thought about it because she saw some gentleman drop a little +coin in the little boy's hand. This was a revelation to 'Lisbeth; it +taught her something which she did not know before.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p> + +<p>In another hour 'Lisbeth was sweeping a very dirty crossing, and she +swept it and swept it over again; she swept until there really was not +another speck to sweep, and the people, by the dozens and scores and +hundreds walked over that crossing, and carried to it more mud for +'Lisbeth to sweep away, but nobody put an atom of anything in 'Lisbeth's +hand for sweeping it, though she stood there the whole long day; and she +found out still another time that money was hard to pick up even in +London, and if she stopped that day, in passing, as she generally did to +look at the wax figure in the curled wig, at the corner of the street, +she did not care a fig about it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth was quite down-hearted that day after sweeping the crossing; +she was discouraged enough, especially as her mother was greatly grieved +at her going away and staying so long, and reproved her very severely. +She felt very much discouraged indeed, but could not help believing in +spite of it all that something would turn up, which would be bright and +pleasant in such a fine city; she could not believe anything else.</p> + +<p>As she came home that day she popped her head in the door of the room on +the lower floor, to see how matters were getting on there. She shut the +door again carefully, without saying a word. On the floor were scattered +many things, and in the corner, like so many leaves blown together, were +the three little boys fast asleep.</p> + +<p>How tired they must have been; how hard they had played; indeed they had +played too hard, for near them on the floor lay the remnants of mother's +good sweeping brush which they had played quite to destruction. They +were tired completely, and never knew that 'Lisbeth had looked in +upon them to find out how they were getting along.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs10.jpg" width="600" height="388" alt="How tired they must have been" title="" /> +</div> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>I wonder what they were dreaming of as they slept; I believe they must +have been pleasant dreams, unless they were dreaming about the broken +brush—they were such comfortable-looking little faces, and they had +such comfortable hearts, because they were good, and comfortable hearts +help bring bright dreams.</p> + +<p>When the mother came home I think she must have smiled to see them +heaped in the corner fast asleep, but I suppose she had found them +heaped in a corner asleep many a time. I hope she did not scold very +hard about the broken brush, and I am almost sure she did not.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth, as I said before, felt very much discouraged that evening. She +even felt dull the next morning, and the next afternoon. The mother had +gone out that afternoon to take home some sewing; the boys were playing +outside. 'Lisbeth had nobody to talk to. She concluded to talk to +herself.</p> + +<p>She got up on a high three-legged stool in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> corner, and sat with her +face to the wall; she wanted to think. She could not think if she was +looking out of the window, or around the room, or if she sat in +every-day fashion on a chair or on the floor. She sat in the darkest +corner she could find.</p> + +<p>"'Lisbeth Lillibun," she said to herself, "you have done nothing for +yourself yet by coming to London; you have done nothing for yourself +yet;" and it seemed that all the glasses and crockery on the table, and +on the shelf, and even the coffee pot turned up on the stove to dry, +jingled and rattled and laughed; but, of course, they did not.</p> + +<p>"You must be up and a-doing, 'Lisbeth; it is time;" then the tin tea +pot, and the coffee pot, and the candlestick turned up on the stove to +melt the old candle out, and the spider and the skillet and the dipper +seemed, every one of them, to be giggling, and 'Lisbeth looked around at +them; but of course it was only a fancy.</p> + +<p>"You have been making a goose of yourself, and most of all in sweeping a +crossing dry for people to spatter with mud; you should be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> ashamed of +yourself to be such a silly, and sitting where you are instead of being +sitting somewhere else," and the tongs did clap together, and the poker +did roll over, and the gridiron did give a clink against the wall, but I +think the wind must have blown down the chimney.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was insulted, however; she did not believe in the tins and +tongs making fun of her. She got down from the stool, and put her bonnet +on, and then changed it for her hat with a ribbon tied around it, and +then she went out where there were no tongs to clap at her; but of +course it was only a fancy of 'Lisbeth's about the tongs, for how could +a tongs clap unless it was clapped? It was wrong for 'Lisbeth to go out; +her place was in the house.</p> + +<p>But she thought that it happened just as well that she did go out, for +as she went down stairs she thought a thought, which she might never +have thought had she remained sitting upon the stool.</p> + +<p>She went down stairs and along the little street to the corner, and +opened the door of the store in the window of which stood the wax figure +with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> its wig, which was standing still just then, instead of turning +gracefully from side to side. She opened the door and went in.</p> + +<p>"What do you want, Sissy?" inquired a pleasant little man.</p> + +<p>"I want to stay, sir, and make wigs."</p> + +<p>"You want to stay and make wigs!"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir, I do," replied 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>"Bless me!" exclaimed the pleasant little man, "this will not do."</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes, it will, sir," replied 'Lisbeth, untying the knot in the +strings of her hat, "it will do very well. I have not been able to think +of any thing that would do before."</p> + +<p>"But bless me!"</p> + +<p>"Indeed I will, sir, if that is all," said 'Lisbeth, wondering how to do +it, but taking off her hat.</p> + +<p>"I don't want any wigs!"</p> + +<p>"You don't?" replied 'Lisbeth, filled with astonishment.</p> + +<p>"No, I don't; I really don't!"</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth saw that he had plenty of hair, and as he rubbed his head she +supposed he was remembering this.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Other people do," said 'Lisbeth, reassured; "I see a good many of 'm +every day who do; you can sell 'm."</p> + +<p>"Sell 'm? I do sell 'm. I sell 'm when I can; but bless me!"</p> + +<p>"Where shall I get the hair to make 'm of?" inquired 'Lisbeth, preparing +to go to work.</p> + +<p>"But I don't want 'm!"</p> + +<p>"Oh!" replied 'Lisbeth, not a word else; but the pleasant little man +snapped his fingers at her and beckoned her around the counter, and +under the shelf of the beautiful big window, and made her screw herself +up into a button which nobody could see, and pulled a curtain down over +her, and showed her, before he pulled the curtain down, how to pull a +wire very gently and tenderly to make the wax figure in the curled wig +turn from side to side, and she did it.</p> + +<p>She pulled it this way, and she pulled it that way. She heard the people +outside tramping up to the window and tramping away; she remembered how +she had tramped up and tramped away. She laughed to hear them tramping, +because she knew that a great many of them had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> their mouths open as +well as their eyes, as they saw the wax figure, in a wig, turning from +side to side. She would never open her mouth as well as her eyes again, +when she saw a wax figure turning from side to side. She was certain she +never would.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.</h2> + +<p>How long 'Lisbeth might have sat under the shelf, and under the curtain, +earning pence and pulling wires, and forgetting that her mother was +looking for her, had she not fallen into a doze, I cannot say. She might +have been there till now; she might have been there ten years to come; +but she did doze and she did wake up; she had swept the crossing hard +enough the day before to be tired, and she was; she was tired, and it +was coming night, and she did doze, and she did wake up, and she did +wake up with a start which broke the wire, and twisted the head of the +wax figure clear out of place, so that it looked in the shop instead of +out of it, and made a confusion inside, and outside, and on all sides, +seldom made by any wax figure in any wig since the beginning of time.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth told the pleasant little man that she could not help it, and he +told her that he could not help it, and 'Lisbeth went home—to be sure +seven pence richer, but a good deal flustered and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> disappointed, and +with the determination never again, while she lived and breathed, to +have anything to do with, or even so much as to look at any wax figures +or any wigs.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth's mother told her that had she waited, and asked her advice, +instead of leaving her to such distress in looking for her, she would +have told her, in the beginning, to have nothing to do in the matter of +wigs, with which she was not acquainted, and reproved her for staying +away till the candle was lighted on the shelf; and 'Lisbeth, if she was +no more unhappy than she had been when she stood by the mile-stone, was +certainly no more happy.</p> + +<p>To be sure she was richer. Though she had broken the wire, the pleasant +little man had given her seven pence, though she had gained nothing +more; but the bother, now, was to know what to do with it. Had it been +seven thousand pence she might, perhaps, have known better what to do +with it; but seven pence were of so much more consequence; being a +little it had to go a great way. There was no trifling to be done about +it. She knew the importance of it. She was awake<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> half the night +considering how to spend it, and the other half she was dreaming of +losing and finding it, until by morning her head was almost split in +two.</p> + +<p>Had 'Lisbeth run home and given the seven pence to her mother to buy a +nice platted loaf or a piece of bacon, her head had not almost split in +two; but 'Lisbeth was always making trouble for herself. Though the +thoughts and worry about the pence almost split her head, she was not in +a condition in the morning to know what to do with the pence. She had +her own pence and her own plan, had she had less of her own she would +have been more comfortable. But 'Lisbeth was 'Lisbeth, and if her mother +sighed about it, she could not see any way of making her anybody else.</p> + +<p>When breakfast was over that morning the mother went to carry some +sewing home, and while she was gone 'Lisbeth thought she would go out +too. This was very wrong; very wrong indeed, but 'Lisbeth did not wait +to think about that. She took a basket when she went out, and she took +her seven pence. She felt herself very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> important indeed, though really +she was nobody but a disobedient little girl. She came to a cake shop +where all kinds of cakes were to be bought.</p> + +<p>"I'm going to keep store," said 'Lisbeth to the shopman, "and I want +some wonderful nice cakes."</p> + +<p>"You do, do you?" said the shopman; "let me see your money."</p> + +<p>"Seven pence," said 'Lisbeth, displaying it on the counter; "I want to +spend it all."</p> + +<p>"You do, do you? Where's your store?"</p> + +<p>"In my basket," said 'Lisbeth, but there was nothing in her basket but a +bit of brown paper.</p> + +<p>"What would you like to buy with your seven pence?" asked the shopman.</p> + +<p>"A great many things," said 'Lisbeth; "but I think I will buy some of +these cakes."</p> + +<p>"Humph," said the shopman; "pick out nine of 'm."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth picked them out. They were cakes of different shapes; quite a +stock for seven pence, and no mistake.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth arranged the cakes along the bottom of the basket in two rows; +four in one row and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> five in the other. Then she started off. She never +was more pleased in her life. She was more sure than ever that she was +somebody, that she was somebody important. She expected that every one +of those cakes would be gone before she had time to look around. She was +surprised to find that instead of everybody stopping to look at them, +nobody stopped to look at them at all. She was surprised to find +everybody going by as though there was a pot of gold, at the other end +of the street, which they were hurrying on to get, while they did not so +much as glance at her, or at the cakes in her basket. This would never +do. She would walk up and ask them to buy. So she walked up and asked +them, but they did not hear her, or did not want to hear her, and did +not stop walking as fast as they could, except one lady with two little +girls who bought two for two pence.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth thought these were nice little girls; she wished afterward she +had asked them to buy four for four pence. Nobody else bought any. She +walked and walked, and stood; and the mother came home and wondered +where she was,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> and looked out of the window, and out of the door, and +listened on the stairs, but could make nothing of it at all; and the +fact was, that when the mother was listening on the stairs, and looking +out of the doors, and sighing to herself about ever having come to +London, 'Lisbeth was sound asleep, at the corner of the street, seated +on the sidewalk with her back against the wall, and her basket standing +beside her, and the mother might as well have listened for her feet as +for the buzzing of a china bumble-bee with glass legs.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs11.jpg" width="600" height="321" alt="At the corner of the street." title="" /> +</div> + +<hr class="l3" /><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth was asleep. She was tired enough to sleep well. She was better +off asleep than awake; had you asked her she would have told you so. As +she slept she dreamed, and as she dreamed the forms in the basket became +living things, and the pence in her pocket changed to pounds, and things +which were not became to her as though they were.</p> + +<p>In fact 'Lisbeth doubted that she was 'Lisbeth, and who knows but had +she dreamed long enough she might have been the queen herself?</p> + +<p>The bird, in the basket, stood on its gingerbread legs, which were +changed to real bird's legs, and it sung to her sweeter than the bird at +the mile-stone sung on the post. The little dog forgot that it was +gingerbread, and barked and sprung about, and shone like satin in its +pretty black coat; it barked in a charming fashion. The cat? it was +beautiful as only cats in dreams can be, as it sat on the handle of the +basket; it was a beautiful picture to behold.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span></p> + +<p>But what amused and delighted her more than the bird or the cat or the +dog, was the real live elephant which floated in the air without wings, +and the two charming little angels, with little brass crowns, who sung +sweeter than the bird itself, and blew about like thistle-down, and +astonished her more than all the shows of London. But the most +delightful gingerbread of all was the gingerbread parrot, which was no +more a gingerbread, but a real, true, live, green and gold parrot which +tapped at her hat and called, "Come, Lady 'Lisbeth, here is a coach and +four, to ride to your door."</p> + +<p>Then 'Lisbeth woke up, and when she saw that the parrot and the angels +and the elephant, and the dog and cat, and even the bird, which had been +singing on the bottom of the basket were all gingerbread, she flew up in +a passion and threw them all to the ground, and had them all to pick up +again.</p> +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p> +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/gs12.jpg" width="600" height="328" alt="She threw them all to the ground." title="" /> +</div> + +<p>When she went home she told her mother everything that had happened, and +the mother told her something that was going to happen, and they had a +great deal to say to each other. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> think I would have said more to +her than her mother did, but she said all she wanted to, which was +possibly enough. But when she told 'Lisbeth what was going to happen, +she expected to see 'Lisbeth fly up in a great passion; instead of this, +however, 'Lisbeth began laughing, and laughed so hard that her mother +had to pat her on the back to make her stop.</p> + +<p>In fact, when the mother was living with her children in the old home, +and suddenly grew poorer, she had concluded to go to London, where she +might sew, she thought, for large prices, and so get rich faster, but +when, after she got to London, she found the prices were little, and her +money was growing less, and her boys were getting spoiled, and 'Lisbeth +was getting to do so many things she should not do, she wished she had +never seen London.</p> + +<p>Then she began thinking that it would be just as easy not to see it any +more, as it had been to come a hundred miles to see it. Then she +concluded not to see it any more, and this was what she told 'Lisbeth +when they both had so much to say to each other.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p> + +<p>The next morning 'Lisbeth awoke with the impression that something very +pleasant had happened, or was about to happen.</p> + +<p>She forgot to help her mother clear away the breakfast dishes, and sat +on the three-legged stool in the corner quite by herself, with her face +to the wall. The mother saw her sitting there as she popped her head in +the door, but she would not call her; she began to think she was +grieving about leaving London, yet she might have known better by the +delight of her morning embrace, if by nothing else. At any rate she +would let her alone; she would let her think it out. So she cleared up +the dishes and brushed up the floor, and put in the stitches, and packed +her parcel and said "good-by" to 'Lisbeth, for she was going to the +shop.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was yet on the stool when her mother went out of the door.</p> + +<p>"Bother!" she exclaimed, twirling about as she found herself alone. +"'Lisbeth Lillibun you are a humbug, you are indeed. You are a humbug +and no mistake; here you have been to London all this time and made only +two pence, and seven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> gingerbreads, and here is your mother troubled for +a bit of money to get back to the old place. Why is it you cannot help +her?"</p> + +<p>Had 'Lisbeth remained sitting on the stool she would have continued +talking to herself, which might have resulted in no harm, and might have +kept her quiet and good, like a pleasant, dutiful child till the mother +came, but 'Lisbeth leaped off of the stool as a thought came into her +mind which might never have come there had she not leaped the moment she +did.</p> + +<p>There was one trait in 'Lisbeth which is not in everybody. When 'Lisbeth +concluded to do a thing she did it; she did not wait until the next week +or the next month, she did not even wait until the next day. You will +say this was very clever and nice of 'Lisbeth to be so much in earnest; +and so it might have been had she mixed the earnestness with the right +kind of consideration for her mother's wishes. Indeed, in that case she +would have been such a very fine girl that ten chances to one there +would never have been any story about her at all; but she did not mix +her earnestness with anything but her own<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> judgment, and she made just +as real a mistake as you would make should you mix your lemonade with +salt, instead of sugar—it was the wrong kind of mixture altogether.</p> + +<p>When I say of 'Lisbeth that when she had a thing to do, she did it, that +she did not wait until the next week, or next month, or next year, you +will say: "How very delightful; how very much nicer and better 'Lisbeth +must have been than most other people;" but when I tell you that she +thought she knew what was best to be done so much better than anybody +else, that she did what she thought best without asking her mother, you +will know in a minute that 'Lisbeth was not as "nice" as a great many +other people. How could she be? Why, she could not be at all.</p> + +<p>Well when 'Lisbeth thought the thought as she leaped off the stool, she +did not wait until the next day to do what she thought about doing, nor +till the next hour. She did not wait to consult her mother. As usual, +she mixed her own judgment with her earnestness, instead of making use +of her mother's judgment, and that was the cause of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> confusion. +Children's earnestness directed by the mother's judgment is a very +different thing from children's earnestness directed by the children's +judgment; there is as much difference between the two as there is +between lemonade mixed with sugar and lemonade mixed with salt.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth thought it would be pleasant to get everything pulled down, and +turned inside out, and packed up ready to leave London; it would be that +much done toward starting, it would be a great help, it would be +delightful. Had she waited for mother's judgment she would have learned +that mother would not get off from London for two months at any rate, +that the things must not be pulled down until it was time to pack them +up, that it would not be time to pack them up until just before they +started. But 'Lisbeth mixed her earnestness with her own judgment.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> + +<p>'Lisbeth said to herself: "Who knows but we shall go to-day or +to-morrow, if mother gets the money; she said she would go when she got +the money."</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had found something to do at last.</p> + +<p>Gorham had gone with the mother to help carry her parcel, and Dickon was +playing outside. Dickon's two feet had come in, but they had gone out +again. They so often went out after they had come in that this was +nothing uncommon. At first 'Lisbeth did not care about it; it made no +difference to her that they had gone out, she began work by herself. She +was a fast worker, an earnest worker, a worker who made things fly when +she set about making them fly. I do not mean that she made them really +fly up with wings, but she made them get from one place to another so +fast that we may say she made them fly.</p> + +<p>She made the dishes fly out of the closets; the platters, the pots, and +the patty pans; the stewpans, and spiders, and skillets; the boilers +and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> broilers, and dippers; the glass jars, the stone jars, the basins; +the boxes and bundles and baskets; a pretty job she was making of it, +and, in the middle of it all, her face shone like a young sun, she was +so delightfully busy.</p> + +<p>Suddenly 'Lisbeth remembered that she was working very hard, that Dickon +was not working hard, that he was doing nothing but playing on the +stairs; this was not pleasant to remember.</p> + +<p>"Do come here, Dickon," called 'Lisbeth, over the railing, and Dickon +came.</p> + +<p>"Pull down everything very fast," commanded 'Lisbeth; "mother is going +from London dreadful quick, the minute she gets the money; I shall pack +things and get ready."</p> + +<p>Dickon did not like to pull them down; he did not approve of packing, he +wanted to play.</p> + +<p>"You are a miserable boy, Dickon, worse than most any boy to leave me +here by my lone self."</p> + +<p>Dickon looked around and began to think so too.</p> + +<p>"P'haps mother don't want to be packed."</p> + +<p>"Yes, she does; she does very much indeed; bring the things here, +Dickon; pull'm all down here."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p> + +<p>Dickon did not like to pull them down; he was not sure even yet that +mother wanted to be packed.</p> + +<p>"Pile'm down, Dickon!" commanded 'Lisbeth, and Dickon piled them down.</p> + +<p>"Hadn't you better fix some before you get more?"</p> + +<p>"I'll fix 'm when I get 'm all down here."</p> + +<p>"What? are you going to get all the dishes and—"</p> + +<p>"Go on I tell you, Dickon Lillibun! will you go on?"</p> + +<p>Dickon went on; so did 'Lisbeth.</p> + +<p>There was no place to walk, there was no place to sit down, there was +scarcely place to stand; there was no place to put anything, there was +scarcely anything more to put. Everything was pulled out, and heaped +about, and 'Lisbeth stood in the middle of them.</p> + +<p>"Now, Dickon, this does look like doing something, don't it?"</p> + +<p>Dickon thought it did, Dickon capered over everything and started for +the door.</p> + +<p>"Do not go!" commanded 'Lisbeth. "Do not go! do not dare to go!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span></p> + +<p>But Dickon was gone.</p> + +<p>"Dickon!" called 'Lisbeth over the railings, "Dickon!" But Dickon was +out of sight and hearing.</p> + +<p>"Oh that dreadful Dickon!" moaned 'Lisbeth, as she fluttered down the +stairs to bring him back.</p> + +<p>Had Dickon never stopped work, had Dickon never run away, had 'Lisbeth +never fluttered after him, things might have been different. I say they +might have been, because, as I explained before, nobody could be quite +sure as to what might or might not have been concerning 'Lisbeth; I say +therefore that they might have been different. As it was Dickon did run +away, and 'Lisbeth did flutter after him, and, as she went, she thought +of a plan she had not been able to think of while sitting on the +three-legged stool with her face to the wall—she thought of a plan to +get money.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth forgot that she was fluttering after Dickon; she forgot that +Dickon had gone at all; she forgot everything but that she had thought +of a plan to get money. She forgot about Dickon, but kept on running +faster and faster until she was red in the face and out of breath.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Please, sir," said 'Lisbeth, gasping for breath, and rushing up to a +little spare man in a little spare coat, who lived in the dirty old +cellar of the sixth house from 'Lisbeth's, and bought paper and rags; +"please, sir, come dreadful quick!"</p> + +<p>"How?" screamed the little man; "how?"</p> + +<p>He meant to say "What for? please tell me what is the matter?" but he +said "How?"</p> + +<p>"With your feet! Fast, dreadful fast," gasped 'Lisbeth. No wonder she +gasped for breath, she had come faster and faster from the top of the +house to the cellar of the sixth house below, without even taking time +to think; she did not stop afterward to think.</p> + +<p>"My feet? My feet?"</p> + +<p>"Please to come! oh, please to come!" pleaded 'Lisbeth, fairly dancing +up and down.</p> + +<p>"My hat, my hat! oh, my hat!" pleaded the little man, turning and +twisting all about; "my hat! my hat!"</p> + +<p>"Please to come! never mind no hat!" begged 'Lisbeth, half going, half +staying, and still trying to catch her breath.</p> + +<p>"Oh, my head, my head!" almost sobbed the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> little man, holding his two +hands over his head as he ran after 'Lisbeth, going faster and faster +with every step.</p> + +<p>"My! my! oh my!" gasped the poor little man, still holding his head with +his two hands, and taking hard, short breaths, as he went up one flight +of stairs after another, and bobbed himself forward to try to catch a +glimpse of 'Lisbeth and see that he was really following the right way +and getting in the right door.</p> + +<p>"My! my! oh my!"</p> + +<p>He said it over again when he had bobbed his head in the right door. +"Vat has happened? vat has happened? oh my! my! vat has happened?"</p> + +<p>"It has not happened at all; it would a' happened if you had waited for +a hat."</p> + +<p>"Vat? vat?—my! my! my!—vat?"</p> + +<p>"Mother would a' come, and then she mightn't let me sold her pots and +kettles and dishes 'stead of packing 'm up," said 'Lisbeth, puffing hard +for breath. "Please to buy 'm quicker 'n anything."</p> + +<p>The little man did not choke; he only looked as if he was going to. +'Lisbeth flew toward him and gave him a crack on the back, she thought +that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> might do him good, but it did not help the matter at all; he +looked more like choking than ever. 'Lisbeth seized a dipper; she did +not mean to do anything unmannerly, she did not indeed, but she gave him +a mouthful of water so suddenly and quickly that the little man choked, +and perhaps it was best he should.</p> + +<p>I shall always think it was best he should, not that the little man was +bad, or thinking about being bad, only that he was in danger of getting +to be bad if he had never been so before; he was in danger of doing a +wrong thing; in danger of buying a very great deal for a very little +price. I did not say he was bad enough to do it, only it was best he +choked, and kept choked long enough for 'Lisbeth's mother to come +tripping up stairs with a new bundle and a little money, and a light +heart, considering all things—for was she not going to begin right away +to save up and to get back to the old house, the old home, in a month or +two?</p> + +<p>As the little man stayed choked until after 'Lisbeth's mother had +tripped to the door, and tossed away her bundle, and held up her hands, +and implored<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> to be told what was the matter, I shall never be able to +say certainly that he was an honest little man, but I shall always +believe that he was, and that it had been the thought of so much +wickedness that almost choked him before he had the crack on the back or +the mouthful from the dipper. You would have choked, or almost choked, +of course you would. The astonishing part was that 'Lisbeth did not +choke herself, but she never thought of such a thing, she only said, +when her mother asked her what was the matter, "Nothing's the matter at +all; but I'm most dreadful sorry you come just at this important minute; +I was going to s'prise you with some cash straight off short, and the +man must just fall to choking before I could get a living thing sold."</p> + +<p>Another surprising thing is that the mother did not choke, but she did +not. Perhaps the reason was because she did not want to; the little man +looked uncomfortable and he had been choking. At any rate she did not +choke.</p> + +<p>If the little man had not looked so uncomfortable, and ready to get +away, the mother might have fastened the door, and shouted fire, and +armed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> with the tongs, and screamed for help, and startled the house, +and frightened the street, and added confusion to confusion, but she +only pulled the door open on a bigger crack to let him run out and down +the stairs, holding his hands over his head and gasping, "My! my! my! my +head!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.</h2> + +<p>All that the mother did after the little man was gone I shall not +pretend to say. I was not there at the time. Had I been there I would +have been obliged to stand with my feet outside and my head within; how +could I have had both head and feet within when there was no room to +stand? But I was not there, and never have been sorry that I was not. +You are not sorry that you were not there? Of course you are not.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth would have been glad not to have been there, I suppose; the +mother herself would have been more comfortable somewhere else, even if +it had been in the street tugging home her bundle of clothes to be +sewed. I was not there at the time, but I am certain that, by the next +morning, the dishes stood in rows, the pans hung on the hooks; the jars +and jams, and pots and kettles, and skillets, and spiders, and spoons, +and dippers, and rollers, and beaters, and boilers, and broilers, and +bundles, and boxes, and baskets, and things of all names and all sizes +were sleeping as sweetly as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> such necessities ever sleep, in the +cupboards and closets and dangling from the hooks, and the mother was +putting in her needle and pulling it out, and nobody would have imagined +that things had ever been otherwise.</p> + +<p>Yet things had been otherwise; we all know they had. Things might have +been otherwise still had not 'Lisbeth's mother been a very decided +mother; a mother who knew how things should be and how they should not +be, and how little children should do and how they should not do, and +how to get disordered things back into order as they should be, and +children who were doing as they should not, for a little while at least, +to do as they should.</p> + +<p>She said to 'Lisbeth, as she stood with her two feet on the two places +where the little man had stood: "'Lisbeth, you are a very hindering +child!"</p> + +<p>Had she said anything else, anything else at all, 'Lisbeth would not +have felt it so much, she would not have been so entirely lifted out of +herself, out of her own opinion, and made to see herself where her +mother put her, back in the right place where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> every naughty child +should be put as soon as possible.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth gasped for breath. She looked fiercely up at her mother, and +down at the floor; she looked within herself, and at the ugly picture of +herself which her mother had just showed her. She saw that the picture +was like her, that she was "a hindering child." It was a blow she was +not prepared for. Had her mother said anything more immediately 'Lisbeth +would not have seen so well that the mother's words were true; but she +did not say any more immediately. She stood perfectly still with her +feet in the two places where the little man's feet had been.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth was very uncomfortable when she heard those words repeated; +indeed she was very angry; she looked just as naughty as naughty could +be; she looked like a girl who was cross because somebody was doing +something very wrong to her. Then she did not look as naughty as naughty +could be, she looked disappointed and sorry, and repentant, and humble, +and this was because she saw that she was "a hindering child."</p> + +<p>At first she believed that she was a helping,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> comforting child, now she +saw that she was not. She saw it as we sometimes see a flash of +lightning. 'Lisbeth did not mean to be "a hindering child," but she was +one.</p> + +<p>"Why am I a hindering child?" inquired 'Lisbeth when she could catch her +breath.</p> + +<p>"Because you work by your own head instead of by mine," said the mother +as she put one foot and then the other forward among the pots and +kettles. But 'Lisbeth stood still in the middle of the floor considering +what her mother meant, and if what she said was true, and if she was +always to work the wrong way instead of the right way, like an engine +which will run back instead of forward; and how long she might have +stood considering, and how long she might have worn such a troubled +face, and how long she might have felt such a lump in her throat, had +not her mother come and stood before her, clearing a place for her feet +as she came, I shall never pretend to say.</p> + +<p>But the mother did come and stand before her, and 'Lisbeth put her two +hands in her mother's two hands, and looked up in her mother's face, +into her mother's troubled eyes, and her mother<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> knew that whatever else +she might do, in days to come, she would never again try to move her +before the time. The mother knew this as well as I do, but I know this +and more beside.</p> + +<p>As I said before, I do not know exactly all that was done that +afternoon, before the rooms and the mother and 'Lisbeth all grew quiet, +and in place and comfortable, but I know something more important than +this; I know that 'Lisbeth, after she had settled other matters began to +settle her own mind as to the true meaning of her mother's words about +her making use of the wrong head.</p> + +<p>She was obliged to think a great deal about it before she was able to +settle it in her mind. It took a very great deal of thinking. How could +she use her mother's head? How can you and I use our mothers' heads? Of +course you know we could do it, how 'Lisbeth could have done it, but +Lisbeth had to think hard about it before she knew. When she had made it +quite sure in her own mind how it was to be done, she came to another +trouble, she was not quite sure that she would like to do it.</p> + +<p>She thought a great while as to what she was to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> do about it; she +thought a great while about it while seated on the three-legged stool +with her face to the wall, and when she had finished thinking about it +she got down from the stool and went and stood before her mother, and +her mother looked up to see what she was standing there for, and then +'Lisbeth said:</p> + +<p>"I'm going to try most dreadful hard to use your head; I've made up my +mind to it."</p> + +<p>When 'Lisbeth made up her mind to a thing it was made up.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth tried very hard from this time to use the mother's head; and +though the mother used it too it did not get worn out half as fast as it +had done before; it began to look newer—I mean younger—and to look as +though use did it a great deal of good; and 'Lisbeth's head looked the +better for it too—I mean her face looked the better for it—it looked +rested; perhaps I should say it looked better contented than it did +before, it looked more comfortable. In fact, by using the mother's head +very frequently instead of her own, 'Lisbeth improved inside of a week, +and in the two months while they yet remained in London she began to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> +look like a helping child instead of a hindering one.</p> + +<p>When the time came for the packing up to be done 'Lisbeth really helped. +She did; nobody need be astonished. She helped a great deal, and +everybody seemed so happy that the mother laughed a dozen times just in +packing up. This was such a remarkable thing to happen that every one +was astonished; they could not help being astonished.</p> + +<p>Mother had not laughed for a great while. It seemed a very strange thing +for her to do. Nobody could quite tell what she was laughing at either +by thinking over it or by inquiring. Dickon inquired, but Dickon could +not understand it any better after he had inquired.</p> + +<p>Gorham thought over it. He was older than Dickon, and perhaps should +have been able to understand by thinking over it, but he did not. Gorham +had been in London for some time, and had become accustomed to the two +little rooms at the top of the house, where the walls were so black, and +to the hubbub of voices above and below, and to the tatters on the +little children, and to the dirt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> and tatters on the grown people; and +had become accustomed to the little boys who were not very nice, or very +comfortable to play with; Gorham had become accustomed to all this and +did not dislike it all as much as he did when he first came to London.</p> + +<p>Indeed Gorham was growing a little bit like these little boys; just a +little like them, not very much; I am glad to be able to say that it was +not very much. But at any rate, Gorham could not see why his mother was +laughing when she had not laughed for such a long time; laughing over +her cracked crockery, broken-nosed teapots, and black old crocks. It +never entered his mind that she was laughing because, though she seemed +to be looking at the old crockery, she was looking over and past them +with her mind's eye, to the clover tufts on the dear old fields, and to +the paths winding about the mill, to the spire of the white wooden +church; to the market-place where the mill-hands used to gather together +and chat and talk. Yet she was looking at these and at many things +beside, and not at all at the broken-nosed pots.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> + +<p>'Lisbeth knew better than Gorham or Dickon why it was the mother +laughed. I think she knew a great deal better. I think when she would +put her face down close beside her mother's, and they would both smile +so pleasantly, glancing toward each other and looking away, I think they +were then seeing the same things, the very same things, though they were +both a hundred miles away from the things themselves.</p> + +<p>This was very comfortable; so comfortable that Dickon and Gorham smiled +too, though only looking at their two faces and at the iron pots, and +broken noses, and the rubbish which the mother had gathered up. And +indeed, though they could not tell why, they laughed themselves when the +mother laughed, and who knows but perhaps after all they did, without +knowing it, catch glimpses of the far-away things which 'Lisbeth and her +mother were seeing.</p> + +<p>Everything was very comfortable all this packing-up time, in fact much +of the two months before it.</p> + +<p>Now I do not intend you to suppose, when I say that everything was very +comfortable, that everything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> was in order in those two rooms, that +everything was fixed up; that the iron pots were full of cookies or of +all kinds of cookeries; that the crockery was full of good things; that +the black walls had been whitened; not a bit of it. Things had changed; +things had changed very much. The faces had changed.</p> + +<p>The mother's face and 'Lisbeth's had altered more than Dickon's and +Gorham's, but their being altered I think had changed Dickon's and +Gorham's too. Do you know what had changed them? Why, 'Lisbeth had made +up her mind to try to be contented and to use her mother's head. She was +so much more pleasant looking that you would have been surprised at the +change.</p> + +<p>You have seen her before this, with your mind's eye, I know; that is, +you have imagined how she might have looked, and you have always seen +her looking as though she was dissatisfied; as though she was wishing +for something she had not; as though she was trying to think of +something to do, or somewhere to go, as though she was about to make use +of her own head contrary to that of her mother. But now she looked more +cheerful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> and comfortable; indeed like a different girl entirely. You +see she made up her mind to be a different girl entirely, and to try to +work by her mother's head, and when 'Lisbeth made up her mind about +anything we know that it was made up.</p> + +<p>'Lisbeth had improved very much. Yet she was 'Lisbeth; 'Lisbeth working +a great deal by her mother's head instead of by her own.</p> + +<p>Beside this 'Lisbeth had a pleasant prospect before her; a very pleasant +prospect indeed. She did not very often lose sight of this prospect; I +mean the prospect of going a hundred miles from London. She looked so +much more pleasant than formerly that you would not think, at sight of +her, "there is a girl who is not satisfied in the place where she is +growing, or with the things she finds around her; she looks +uncomfortable."</p> + +<p>I think that 'Lisbeth was better contented the last weeks she lived in +London than during any week of her life, except the week before she came +to London. Her contentment had changed everything very much; as I said, +it had changed the faces; the faces were changed because everybody<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> felt +happier. Things were very different in those two rooms because 'Lisbeth +was different.</p> + +<p>For two whole months they were getting ready to go away; they were +working and saving and wondering and smiling and laughing and hoping +before they left the dreadful old rooms, but then they were such +different months from all the others spent there that they were short +months; that is, they seemed short.</p> + +<p>The boys were happier when their mother and 'Lisbeth were bright and +happy; their mother was happy when her children were good and wore +bright faces. 'Lisbeth wore a bright face when she tried to be content +with things as she found them, and did not run about the streets of +London trying to sell gingerbread cats and dogs and doll-babies, trying +to earn pence with sweeping streets or pulling wires, or making wigs. So +as everybody was happier than they had been the months seemed short.</p> + +<p>Who cared that the walls were black and the rooms little and the street +too little to be called a street? Nobody.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span></p> + +<p>All the difference came by 'Lisbeth's having made up her mind to be +contented to help mother in mother's way instead of her own way; by +'Lisbeth's having made up her mind to mix her earnestness with her +mother's judgment.</p> + +<p>They left the little dark rooms, in the dirty old house, and all the +shows, and people, and carriages and houses of London, and went back +where they first grew, back to the very house under the walnut tree +where the bits of the hogshead still blew about—the hogshead which had +once opened its mouth.</p> + +<p>The mother went again to work at the mill, and the children all went to +Miss Pritchet's school, and 'Lisbeth picked beans, and helped take care +of Trotty, and of the house, and helped mother so much, that mother +began to look bright and happy and smiling like somebody else. In fact, +'Lisbeth looked bright and happy, and smiling, herself, like somebody +else, and when she would sit on the mile-stone she would smile more than +ever in thinking what a little goose she had been ever to want to go so +many miles away; and, indeed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> so happy and contented did she become +with the work she found to do in the place in which she grew, that you +would never have known her to be 'Lisbeth.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p> + +<hr class="l3" /> +<h2><a name="Transcribers_Note" id="Transcribers_Note"></a>Transcriber's Note.</h2> + +<p>Obvious punctuation errors have been corrected.</p> + +<p>Blank pages have been removed.</p> + +<p>On page 42 "unreasonble" has been changed to "unreasonable" (... thought him unreasonable enough, ...)<br /> +On page 50 "disparingly" has been changed to "dispairingly" (... said 'Lisbeth a little despairingly.)<br /> +On page 84 "a doing" has been changed to "a-doing". (You must be up and a-doing, ...)</p> + +<p>On page 27 the word "flim" has been retained.</p> + +<p> </p> +<p> </p> +<hr class="full" /> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOME LITTLE PEOPLE***</p> +<p>******* This file should be named 34205-h.txt or 34205-h.zip *******</p> +<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/4/2/0/34205">http://www.gutenberg.org/3/4/2/0/34205</a></p> +<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed.</p> + +<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution.</p> + + + +<pre> +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license)</a>. + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's +eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, +compressed (zipped), HTML and others. + +Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over +the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. +VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving +new filenames and etext numbers. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a> + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + +EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000, +are filed in directories based on their release date. If you want to +download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular +search system you may utilize the following addresses and just +download by the etext year. + +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/</a> + + (Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99, + 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90) + +EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are +filed in a different way. The year of a release date is no longer part +of the directory path. The path is based on the etext number (which is +identical to the filename). The path to the file is made up of single +digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename. For +example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at: + +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/0/2/3/10234 + +or filename 24689 would be found at: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/6/8/24689 + +An alternative method of locating eBooks: +<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL</a> + +*** END: FULL LICENSE *** +</pre> +</body> +</html> diff --git a/34205-h/images/cover.jpg b/34205-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..76867dd --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/cover.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs01.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs01.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b582115 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs01.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs02.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs02.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6d90b56 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs02.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs03.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs03.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d50b090 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs03.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs04.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs04.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5d9d93d --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs04.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs05.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs05.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..207e298 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs05.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs06.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs06.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b6a591b --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs06.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs07.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs07.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..22de15e --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs07.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs08.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs08.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fbdf5cb --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs08.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs09.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs09.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..c381c39 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs09.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs10.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs10.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..637812c --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs10.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs11.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs11.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1225202 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs11.jpg diff --git a/34205-h/images/gs12.jpg b/34205-h/images/gs12.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..47919ee --- /dev/null +++ b/34205-h/images/gs12.jpg diff --git a/34205.txt b/34205.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d9ecabc --- /dev/null +++ b/34205.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2529 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Some Little People, by George Kringle, +Illustrated by Kate Greenaway + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Some Little People + + +Author: George Kringle + + + +Release Date: November 3, 2010 [eBook #34205] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOME LITTLE PEOPLE*** + + +E-text prepared by eagkw, Suzanne Shell, and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made +available by Internet Archive/American Libraries +(http://www.archive.org/details/americana) + + + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 34205-h.htm or 34205-h.zip: + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/34205/34205-h/34205-h.htm) + or + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/34205/34205-h.zip) + + + Images of the original pages are available through + Internet Archive/American Libraries. See + http://www.archive.org/details/somelittlepeople00kriniala + + + + + +SOME LITTLE PEOPLE + +by + +GEORGE KRINGLE + +Illustrated + + +[Illustration] + + + + + + + +New York +Dodd, Mead & Company +Publishers + +Copyright, 1881, +by +Dodd, Mead & Company. + + + + +SOME LITTLE PEOPLE. + +CHAPTER I. + + +'Lisbeth Lillibun lived a hundred miles from London. If she had not +lived a hundred miles from London, it is likely you would never have +heard of her. She would have liked it better had somebody else lived +where she did instead of herself. 'Lisbeth was a very little girl when +she found out that she lived a hundred miles from London. So was Dickon, +her brother, very little when he found it out, but he did not care so +much about it; indeed I think he did not care at all. + +'Lisbeth always remembered the day upon which she found it out. She +could not quite count a hundred herself at the time; she could count +ten, but had not learned to count a hundred. She had heard Gorham count +a hundred, and knew that it was a great many more than ten. She thought +that ten was a great many. She knew that ten miles must be a great way; +she had several times walked a mile. She had walked a mile the day she +discovered that it was a hundred miles to London. A hundred miles, she +knew, was a very great way. + +'Lisbeth had concluded that she would like to live in London; that she +would live in London; that London was the only proper place for any body +to live. This was why she did not like to discover that London was a +hundred miles away. But how she came to know anything about London, or +to think it was the only proper place to live, I shall not pretend to +say. + +She had gone a long way from home, that day, with Dickon; as I said, she +had gone a mile. It was a pleasant mile, straight across the fields, but +they should not have gone so far. Mother was at the mill; Gorham had +gone to school; Trotty was asleep. Dickon and 'Lisbeth wanted to do +something, or see something, so they wandered over the fields for a +mile. If they had not gone so far, 'Lisbeth would not have heard about +the distance to London; she would have been more happy had she not gone +so far; she would not have heard the men, with the packs on their backs, +reading the mile-stone. She should not have gone so far from home; we +generally come to some grief when we do something which is not quite +right. 'Lisbeth did. + +Dickon wished to show her the flowers blooming by the way; he wished to +show her the bees buzzing in the flowers; he wished to show her the bird +warbling on the post, but she was looking at the two men with the packs +on their backs; she was looking at them plodding along the way. They +grew smaller and smaller to her eyes. They became but specks. They +disappeared. + +She thought she would see them again in London. She would ask them how +they got there, and how they liked it. So Dickon watched the bees, a +long while, by himself, and looked at the pretty flower-hearts; and the +bird warbled on the post, but 'Lisbeth knew not a thing about it. + +Everything looked more happy than 'Lisbeth; the grass that grew under +foot, and the contented little weeds that nodded and dozed in the sun, +and the flowers that hung just where they grew, with the most +comfortable little faces, and the bird that warbled on the post. + +Indeed, as to the bird, it might have been thought that he did not +admire 'Lisbeth's serious face, that he was too happy himself to be +looking at any one who was not as happy as he was, for, though at first, +with head turned toward her, he ruffled his throat, and swayed from side +to side as he sung and sung, he suddenly grew mute, eyed 'Lisbeth with +one eye and then with the other, and like a bird who had made up his +mind, turned his back upon her, still standing on the post, and lifted +his head, and ruffled his throat, and filled the air with his sweet +notes, without so much as turning an eye toward 'Lisbeth as she stood. + +Everything looked more comfortable than 'Lisbeth. Do you know why +'Lisbeth did not look comfortable? If you cannot think why it was +to-day, perhaps you may be able to do so to-morrow. If you cannot think +why it was this morning, perhaps you may be able to do so by this +evening. Indeed, I think you will know without waiting to think a +minute. + +Dickon filled her hands with flowers--they were such sweet flowers, with +such pretty tender faces; every one had something on its lips to say as +it looked up. Did you ever guess what the flowers were trying to say +loud enough for you to hear? I think they all say something to us; some +of us cannot hear what they say, some of us cannot guess what they say. +The flowers looked brightly up at 'Lisbeth; they did not look +discontented, even though they were broken; they did not complain as she +carried them away; they did not even turn to look reproachfully at +Dickon who had broken them from their stems. They were very bright +flowers. + +'Lisbeth wished many times to know if Dickon thought the men with the +packs had reached London. She asked him so many times, that at length he +laughed quite aloud, and yet she knew well enough that the men had to +walk a hundred miles; she and Dickon had walked but one. So she laughed +too, when Dickon laughed, and they both began chasing the butterflies +that waved their beautiful wings over the field, their wings beautiful +as the faces of the flowers; the wings which changed colors as they +fanned them in the sun; the pretty wings which changed color every +moment and which shone like flower petals sprinkled with gold. + +When they were tired of chasing butterflies they remembered that Trotty +might be awake; that Gorham might have come home; that mother might have +come from the mill, and have been looking for them; so they began +chasing each other instead of chasing the butterflies, and it seemed to +be much the best thing to do, for as they chased each other they came +nearer to the door at home. Indeed they should have thought of this +before, for as they came bounding around the house, startling the +swallows under the eaves, Trotty was tumbling from the cradle, and +mother was hastening toward the door. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + + +'Lisbeth did not forget that it was a hundred miles to London; she never +forgot it. She did not forget the two men with the packs on their backs. +At the same time she could not forget that a hundred was a great many. +'Lisbeth told her mother that they could all put packs on their backs +and go to London, that she wanted to live in London; but her mother only +laughed, she did not want to go to London to live at that time; she did +not want to walk a hundred miles with a pack on her back. + +After this 'Lisbeth felt very much discouraged; she had believed that +everybody would like to live in London; she did not know how to manage. +If 'Lisbeth had been more like the flowers she would have been contented +to grow just where she found herself; but she was not like the flowers; +she was not like them at all. She thought a great deal about getting to +London. I am not sure that 'Lisbeth thought enough about it to find out +how she would like getting to London if mother did not go along; that +is a part which I am almost sure that 'Lisbeth did not think about, but +she was very determined about getting there. + +She invited Gorham to go with her, but Gorham knew better than to try to +do that; he knew that London was a great way off; that he could not go +unless mother went too; he knew that 'Lisbeth was very silly indeed. But +'Lisbeth did not believe Gorham when he told her all this; she had an +opinion of her own. She and Dickon used to play "going to London" every +day, but this did not suit 'Lisbeth. + +There were five mothers who went to the mill every day. 'Lisbeth +concluded to ask the little boys and girls belonging to these mothers to +go to London with her. Then she concluded she would only ask the boys; +boys would not get frightened and run away; they would not let anybody +pick her up and put her in a bag; Dickon was a boy; she knew all about +boys; she was afraid the girls would get put in bags. She told the girls +they should not go. She stamped her foot at them; they should not go. +Indeed I do not believe they wanted to go, but the boys did; they +liked it. They all concluded to start at once. + +[Illustration] + +There were seven of them beside Dickon. Dickon carried a basket, as well +as a stick with a rag upon it which they called a flag. 'Lisbeth carried +a flag too and walked in front. Nobody was ever so proud in starting for +London; nobody was ever so well pleased, or so little afraid of what +might happen on the way, nor at the end of the way, nor at the end of +the whole affair. Nobody who thought so much of going to London, ever +forgot so entirely to think about what was to be done when they got +there; what was to be done for a supper, for a penny, for a roof, for a +bed, for a second dress or pair of trousers, for a mother! Nobody +remembered anything but that they were on the way to London. + +They went a mile. They went across the fields, between clover tops and +sweet grasses, and flowers with pleasant faces; they marched, and then +forgot to march. 'Lisbeth knew the way to the mile-stone, she knew which +way the men had turned when they came to the forked road beyond. She +remembered watching them out of sight. 'Lisbeth was sure she knew the +way to London. They went beyond the forks of the road; they went a great +way. The little boys began to find out that they had gone a great way. +They began to look back for the church steeple, but it was gone; they +began to look back for the mill; but there was none. They began to be +afraid. 'Lisbeth was not afraid. She did not expect to see the church +steeple. She did not expect to see the mill; she did not want to see +them. She did want to see London. + +'Lisbeth looked so happy that the little boys forgot to march, and all +drew up closer, and closer to 'Lisbeth; they were sure she must have +something to be happy about. Nobody liked to say he did not feel happy, +yet nobody was happy but 'Lisbeth. All these boys usually were very +happy, can you tell me why they did not feel happy now? Dickon was the +first to find out that everybody was keeping very close to 'Lisbeth; +that nobody looked pleased but 'Lisbeth. + +"It's a dreadful way to London," said Dickon. + +"I s'pose it is, Dickon; but don't be 'scouraged," said 'Lisbeth, +striding on faster and faster. If she had seen a church spire ahead she +would have believed she saw a London spire. + +"S'pose we don't go to London," said Dickon, coming to a halt. + +"Well, s'pose we don't!" said almost all the voices, some high and some +low; but 'Lisbeth almost gasped, "We will! we must! We've gone a +dreadful way, we cannot go back any more." + +But the little boys were bigger than 'Lisbeth; they knew now that she +had made a mistake; they thought she might make a mistake about getting +to London; they began to think they had made a mistake themselves. + +'Lisbeth stood stamping in the road; she stood stamping and crying as +hard as she could, but even Dickon began running toward the mile-stone, +and what could she do but turn around and run too? She could do nothing +else. She ran as fast as her feet would take her, but her feet were +tired. The boys' feet were not as tired; the most of them were bigger +than hers; they were bigger and not so tired, so they ran faster. + +'Lisbeth was left somewhere, I do not know where; left away off on the +road carrying her flag, and trotting along at a great rate by herself. +This was what she got by taking the boys. She sighed over her mistake, +and she concluded that even Dickon would not have cared had she been +packed in a bag, and, indeed, it seemed he did not. + +To be sure Dickon remembered her after a while, and ran as fast as he +could to find her, and see that she was all safe and give her a kiss +under her funny little hat to make it all right. But 'Lisbeth felt +herself hurt beyond measure, as well she might; only, if people will +make mistakes they must take the consequences. If people will choose the +boys when they should choose the girls, what can they expect; and if +they will want to grow in London instead of wanting to grow where God +put them, what can they expect? If we want to be very comfortable we +must be contented where we find ourselves. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + + +The boys did not run very, very long before they saw the mill, and the +steeple; they chased along the path in high glee after that, and did a +great many things beside chasing along the path. But they all got home +so long before the mothers came from the mill, that the mothers never +knew that they had ever started for London until they were told. You may +be sure they were glad that their boys had at length remembered what a +naughty, foolish thing they were doing. + +But how the girls laughed! You may well know that the girls were pleased +enough to see the boys come back. They laughed because the boys had been +silly enough to start, and they laughed because they pretended to be +amused at their coming back after they had started, but you and I know +that they were glad enough that they did come back. + +As to 'Lisbeth, she held her head very high when the girls met her. She +did not like being laughed at. They asked her a great many questions +about London, and asked her why she did not stay, and how she liked the +boys for company. It was very trying. Anybody but 'Lisbeth would have +cried, or flown in a passion, but 'Lisbeth did not do either. So then +the girls stopped laughing at her, and talked of something else. +'Lisbeth would not talk of anything else. She was not contented enough +in the place where she grew to talk of anything else yet. She believed +the girls would have done better than the boys; that she had made a +mistake. + +Everybody liked 'Lisbeth. She was not always doing naughty, foolish +things like going to London, so the girls were ready to listen to her. +She told them how the boys had behaved, and what she thought of them, +and how determined she was to go to London, and how she believed that +the girls would have behaved better, and invited them to start with her +the very next day; and if there ever was a silly little girl in all the +world, it was 'Lisbeth. + +[Illustration] + +The girls talked to their mothers that night about 'Lisbeth's +invitation, which was just the proper thing to do. The mothers were +sorry that 'Lisbeth was not better contented in the place where she +found herself; they were so sorry that they concluded to try to make her +better contented, so they told the big girls that they might go, but the +very little ones must stay at home. A couple of little ones stole away +with the rest and came to great trouble afterward, but the larger girls +went with 'Lisbeth. + +'Lisbeth was delighted the next day when the girls said that they would +go; she had been thinking so much about it that she was unhappy. + +You should have seen them the next day when they started. They were a +pretty party. 'Lisbeth carried no stick this time, but a little basket, +and generally managed to keep in front. There were ten of them. I think +the old mile-stone would have laughed if it could, when it saw so many +sweet faces bend over it to read about the miles, but then, of course, +it could not. + +'Lisbeth had walked so far, and run so much the day before, that she was +tired a little soon; she was even very tired indeed, by the time she +reached the mile-stone. No one else thought of being tired, they had +been quietly playing at home the day before. 'Lisbeth did not say that +she was tired, yet she really was. + +The girls' hands were full of flowers, their baskets and arms were full +of flowers; they made balls of flowers and played with them as they +walked. They left the mile-stone far away; they left the mill and the +steeple far out of sight; they came to fields which were new to them. +'Lisbeth grew more tired at every step. + +"We must hurry and get there," said 'Lisbeth, and they all hurried; but +they could every one hurry faster than 'Lisbeth without getting so +tired; all except the little naughty ones who stole away, but even they +were not as tired as 'Lisbeth, they had not walked so far and been so +tired the day before. + +"I know we've come a dreadful long way," said 'Lisbeth; but nobody +seemed to think so, they all went on as fast as they could. 'Lisbeth +went on as fast as she could. + +"I 'most think we've come a hundred miles," said 'Lisbeth. + +"Oh no, we have not come many miles at all; it will take us all +to-night, and to-morrow, and the next night, and more days and nights +besides," said one of the girls, and the rest were all sure it would. + +"A hundred miles won't take that many days." + +"Yes they will; they will take longer," said one girl, and the rest said +so too. + +"But we will want supper." + +"We cannot have any." + +'Lisbeth was not pleased. + +"We must have some." + +"We cannot have any till we get to London." + +'Lisbeth was sure they must have some, but could not think in such a +minute how to get it. + +"We will fish some up," said 'Lisbeth, looking at the water. + +But nobody had any fish-hooks, though there was the water and perhaps +the fish. + +"We will flim in and catch some," but nobody would allow 'Lisbeth to +swim in and catch some. + +"We will get some supper from a house." + +"We have no money." + +'Lisbeth looked down as she walked. She was perplexed. + +"We cannot have supper to-night, nor to-morrow night, nor the next +night; nor breakfast, nor dinner." 'Lisbeth looked up and smiled; she +thought they were making sport about it, but the girls' faces were quite +serious; besides, she began to wonder herself where supper and dinner +would come from. + +"We must hurry most dreadful; the sun is skimming down low," said +'Lisbeth; indeed it began to look late. + +"Oh we will walk all night, and all day, and to-morrow night, and the +next day and night and--" + +"I won't," said 'Lisbeth, very decidedly. + +"You must." + +"I won't; I'm most dreadful tired now." + +"There's no house to sleep in; no, not even in London." + +'Lisbeth looked up at the girl in distress, then off in the distance. + +"Not even in London!" repeated 'Lisbeth; "not even in London." + +'Lisbeth wanted to stand still. + +"Come along!" said several voices; but 'Lisbeth did not wish to come +along, and the little girls who were naughty and stole away were crying +as hard as they could cry. + +"You must; you wanted to go, and we started, and you must go." + +"But I'm tired; I want to think a minute." + +"The sun is almost down." + +"I want to go home," said 'Lisbeth. + +"We want to go to London, and if you do not go now you can never go." + +'Lisbeth stood up very tall. She was very grave. She looked straight +ahead of her. + +"I will go back; I will never go," said 'Lisbeth. + +Then they all went back, and 'Lisbeth never knew how pleasant home was, +how good supper was, how dear mother was, how long a hundred miles must +be, till she had managed to get back and fly into mother's arms, and eat +mother's supper, and go to bed in the nice comfortable place where she +belonged. + +'Lisbeth was very sick and very sore, and very uncomfortable for many +days after trying to get to London, and did not forget very soon how far +a hundred miles must be. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + + +'Lisbeth did not talk any more about London for a great while after +that. She may have thought about it, but she did not do any more. She +talked about other things. And she grew tall much faster, I have no +doubt, than she would have done in London. The country air was good, and +made her grow fast. You will see in the picture that she looks taller +than she did when she stood thinking by the mile-stone. As she stood +there, that day, she was listening to Philip McGreagor, a little boy who +lived down the road, and Dickon was listening too. + +Dickon and 'Lisbeth were dressed in their very best clothes. 'Lisbeth's +dress was quite new. A very pretty blue with dark speckles. Dickon was +sorry they had on their best clothes after listening to Philip. Philip +was going to be rich. He had found a pearl in a mussel in a brook; why +should he not find a million? + +Why could not 'Lisbeth find a million? + +'Lisbeth thought she could find a million; she thought she might be +as rich as Philip; then she could go to London. + +[Illustration] + +'Lisbeth and Dickon had been told not to go beyond the roller which laid +on the pathway at a little distance from the house. Mother was home. It +was a holiday. She wanted her children under her eyes. Besides, she had +dressed them in their very best clothes. She bought those clothes; she +had made them; she was a little bit proud of them. + +'Lisbeth forgot the roller; forgot the mother home from the mill; forgot +the very best clothes; forgot everything but the mussels and the brook, +and Dickon forgot them too. There must be mussels in the brook, and +pearls in the mussels. They would wade for them; they could see them at +the bottom of the stream. They ran along the road to the woods; along +the wood's path to the brook. Dickon took off his shoes. 'Lisbeth forgot +to take off her shoes. They waded along in the water. + +'Lisbeth at first held the blue dress out of the water; then she forgot +to hold it out of the water; then she slipped on a stone, and fell in, +and Dickon slipped, and splashed in the water in trying to keep her up; +and the water, which had been clear as crystal, threw up its mud in +indignation. They climbed out of the mud upon the grass, and looked at +each other. + +'Lisbeth had lost her shoes. Dickon looked at his own. They were all he +had of his very best rig. How could they ever get home? Dickon tried to +wipe the mud off, to wring it out, but 'Lisbeth would not be wrung out; +she said she did not mind. But she did mind, because she would not walk +or sit down, or do anything for a few minutes but stand and look. Then +she told Dickon to come with her. He came, and they went down to +Dillon's cottage. + +"Please, Mr. Dillon, put me in the wheelbarrow," said 'Lisbeth. But +Dillon only stopped smoking his pipe to laugh. + +"Please, Mr. Dillon, very fast put me in a wheelbarrow," said 'Lisbeth, +growing excited, "and roll me home." And Mr. Dillon did. + +'Lisbeth's mother looked from the door. She saw the wheelbarrow; she saw +Dillon's coat over something in the wheelbarrow. And other people +looked from their doors and saw them too. 'Lisbeth's mother was not +pleased when she saw what was in the wheelbarrow, and 'Lisbeth was no +nearer getting to London than she had been before, because they were +poorer instead of richer. 'Lisbeth's mother cried over the spoiled +clothes. 'Lisbeth felt very badly about them, so did Dickon, but feeling +badly did not bring them back. They were nothing, from that time, but +stained, and washed, and faded clothes instead of brand new ones. + +'Lisbeth thought about the clothes so much that she concluded she should +try to do something to buy more. She began to think she was getting big +enough. She contrived a great many ways, but she could not seem to +decide upon anything. + +There was an old hogshead under the walnut tree, very high and old. When +she had anything very important to think about she liked to climb up and +sit on the top of the hogshead. She never allowed anybody to sit there +with her. She climbed up on the hogshead and sat very still, thinking +how to manage about the new clothes. + +Suddenly she had a pleasant thought; she believed she had a thought +that would answer. She jumped up and down so suddenly and so hard that +the hogshead tried to move its head out of the way. It was scarcely +polite for 'Lisbeth to jump so hard on its head. It did move its +head--or a part of it--and 'Lisbeth sat inside the hogshead instead of +outside of it. + +The mother found her there when she came home. Had 'Lisbeth picked the +beans, as mother had told her to do, instead of trying to think about +doing something else, she would not have been obliged to sit in the +hogshead's mouth, nor to have eaten her porridge without beans. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + + +'Lisbeth was awake bright and early next day; she had business to attend +to. + +Mother told her to be a good girl and take care of Trotty. 'Lisbeth said +she would. I suppose she thought she would, but she forgot Trotty very +soon, for she saw neighbor Gilham across the hill driving his sheep. + +Away she went running and skipping. She could scarcely wait to get to +neighbor Gilham; but she was obliged to wait, for the path across the +field and up to the hill was quite winding; she was obliged to follow +the path. + +"Good morning," said 'Lisbeth, at length coming near neighbor Gilham. + +"Good morning," said he; "what brought you so far from home?" + +"I came on business," said 'Lisbeth; "very important." + +"Indeed! where are you going?" + +"Nowhere. I'm going to be a sheep-boy. I made up my mind to 't +yesterday, only I got in the hogshead." + +"And whose sheep are you going to mind?" + +"Yours. I want to get money to buy a new dress, because I tumbled in the +mud and spoiled my blue speckled, and I want to get rich to go to +London." + +"Hi! hi! that is it; and you are going to be a sheep-boy?" + +"Yes, sir, please go home." + +"I cannot have a sheep-boy with skirts, he must have pants; the sheep +would not like a sheep-boy with skirts." + +'Lisbeth hung down her head; she began pulling some berries which grew +among the brambles. She did not say another word to Mr. Gilham; she only +ran down the path. Mr. Gilham giggled a little to see her go. Mr. Gilham +fell asleep; fell, rather into a doze. It did not seem to him many +minutes from the time when he saw her run down the path, till he heard +her say: "Please go home, sir." + +"Who are you?" said Mr. Gilham, rousing up. + +"I'm the sheep-boy 'Lisbeth Lillibun." + +[Illustration] + +"I cannot have a sheep-boy in borrowed trousers," said Mr. Gilham, very +decidedly; "it would not do." + +"Yes it would! Dickon said I might borrow 'm; yes it would do very much +indeed." + +Mr. Gilham was so positive that it would not do that 'Lisbeth began to +cry. + +"Sheep-boys never cry, never," said Mr. Gilham, and 'Lisbeth wiped her +eyes as fast as she could. + +"Please to go home very fast," said 'Lisbeth, but Mr. Gilham only +laughed, which made 'Lisbeth very uncomfortable. + +"Please to don't laugh so much," said 'Lisbeth; "more people 'n me tend +to business." + +"Sheep-boys must keep big dogs away; they would kill the sheep." + +"Yes, when I see 'm coming." + +"Sheep-boys must drive away men; they would steal the sheep." + +"Yes; of course," said 'Lisbeth, trying to look very tall. + +"Sheep-boys must keep away lions, and tigers, and bears." + +"Did you ever drive away any tigers and lions and bears, Mr. Gilham?" +inquired 'Lisbeth, looking straight in his eyes. + +"I never did, but my sheep-boy must; that is what I want a sheep-boy +for." + +"He can't if there are none," said 'Lisbeth, looking very wise. + +"But there might be." + +"I don't think there might be." + +"But if there should be?" + +"I'll--run and tell you," said 'Lisbeth. + +Neighbor Gilham decided that this would never do, and 'Lisbeth thought +him unreasonable enough, but she felt half inclined to stamp her foot at +him, and tell him to go home, but he looked so big and idle; he looked +too big and idle to get home. She thought it was a pretty business, and +so it was. She concluded that she had gone into the hogshead's mouth for +nothing, and so she had. + +She had much better been picking beans that afternoon, to put in her own +mouth, but people who are not contented with doing the right thing in +the right place, often fall into worse places than the hogshead's +mouth, and get into more business than they care to find. + +"Please to tell me what I'm going to do?" inquired 'Lisbeth. + +"You are going to run home and mind Trotty," replied neighbor Gilham. + +'Lisbeth was indignant enough. + +"Dickon can mind Trotty; he's mind'n her now. I'm not a minder." + +"I thought you did not look like a minder. Sheep-boys are all minders, +every one of them, so run home." + +'Lisbeth stood looking at him over her shoulder. She was too indignant +for words. + +"If you want to grow rich," said neighbor Gilham, a little bit sorry for +her--a little bit sorry not to help her in getting into business--"if +you want to get rich, go hunt in all the flowers between here and home; +maybe you'll find one with a gold heart." + +'Lisbeth looked over her shoulder at him again very fiercely, and did +not say a word; then she walked down the path. She would not let +neighbor Gilham see her hold up the flower cups and look in, or unroll +the buds to peep toward the heart; she would not let him see her, but +she did it for all that. + +When she began she did not know when to stop. She hunted and hunted and +looked and looked. She found the sweetest bells among the grass, but she +never knew that they were sweet at all, she was only looking in every +bell for gold. She found the brightest flower faces looking up at her, +but never knew that they were bright. She tossed them away from her. She +found neither pence nor pounds. She found the prettiest flower-lips +trying to speak to her, as she bent over them, but she heard nothing +that they said, she heard not a breath; she scarcely saw that the lips +were pretty at all. Had she heard they would have told her to be content +with the flower hearts, just as she found them; that they would give her +themselves with their bright faces and patient hearts, which were better +than hard hearts of gold. They would have told her to be content with +growing where she was, and never to think about the world beyond the +mile-stone, for contentment is better than gold itself. They would have +told her to mind Trotty, and pick beans, and help mother, which was the +dearest, best, and happiest work she could ever find; but 'Lisbeth would +not hear, she would not hear at all. + +She did not know that neighbor Gilham could see her from the hill. She +forgot all about Gilham; she forgot all about mother and Trotty; forgot +everything which she should have remembered, though she found no gold. +Neighbor Gilham should never have sent her hunting for what he knew she +could not find, he should not have told her to hunt for gold in the +flower-hearts; he should have rather told her to listen to the lesson of +the flowers and be content. + +But neighbor Gilham did not tell her this, and she did not think of it, +and though she came home no richer, she was hustled to bed before +twilight and for her supper had neither porridge with nor porridge +without the beans. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + + +When 'Lisbeth's mother came home from the mill and found out how matters +were going; when 'Lisbeth came home in Dickon's suit, from hunting for +gold, she felt very certain that 'Lisbeth was not as good as many little +girls were, and this made her sigh very deeply. Then she tried to think +how to make her better; she scarcely knew how to begin, but she thought +the best way, perhaps, would be to send her to school with Gorham, and +let Dickon, who was a better "minder" than 'Lisbeth, take care of +Trotty. + +'Lisbeth was not pleased at all. She did not think she would like to go +to school, but her mother did not ask her opinion; it was not worth +while. + +'Lisbeth went to school the next morning. The school teacher smiled at +'Lisbeth when she came in. 'Lisbeth did not smile; she looked very +serious indeed. + +"How do you do, my dear?" said the teacher. + +"I do what I like, ma'am, most times," said 'Lisbeth. This was very +improper, but 'Lisbeth did not know it; she believed she had answered +correctly. + +[Illustration] + +Miss Pritchet was not pleased, she only said, "Sit down, my dear," and +'Lisbeth sat down. + +By and by Miss Pritchet told 'Lisbeth to come stand by her, and 'Lisbeth +came. + +"What have you been learning, little girl?" inquired Miss Pritchet. + +"I've been learning the way all around the country, and how to spike +minnows in the mill race, and--" + +"Tut, tut!" said Miss Pritchet. "I mean have you been learning to read +and write and spell?" + +"No 'm, I never learned those at all, only to spell." + +"Then you will like to learn I know; you will like to learn lessons." + +"Is there anything about London in 'm?" + +"About London?" + +"Yes 'm. London is a hundred miles away. I learned that a time ago." + +"When you can read you can learn more about London if you wish to; you +will find it in the books." + +"Yes 'm I want to," said Lisbeth. "I wish to live there." + +"You must learn to be satisfied where you are," said Miss Pritchet; "you +must not want to go to London." + +"I mean to." + +"I thought you were a good little girl; good little girls are satisfied +here." + +"Are they?" + +"Yes, they are; you must be satisfied here." + +"But I don't mean to be." + +"Oh!" said Miss Pritchet. + +"I mean to get to London very fast," continued 'Lisbeth. + +"Little girls who do not like to live where they find themselves often +come to great trouble," said Miss Pritchet, with the corners of her +mouth all drawn down. + +"Maybe I may like to grow where I find myself when I get to London," +said 'Lisbeth a little despairingly. + +"You are not a very good little girl, I am afraid," said Miss Pritchet, +but 'Lisbeth could not think why Miss Pritchet said such a thing. + +"Get your book now and come spell." + +"Yes 'm," said 'Lisbeth, like the best little girl that ever was. + +"Can you spell?" + +"Yes 'm. Is London in this book? it begins with an L." + +"Tut! tut!" said Miss Pritchet, "let me hear you spell that line." + +'Lisbeth spelled, she spelled better than Miss Pritchet had imagined. + +"That is a nice little girl. Now take your book and go learn this next +line." + +'Lisbeth took the book and sat down to spell. She got along nicely for a +little way; then she came to the word aisle. She did not like the +appearance of it. She did not like it at all. She ran up to Miss +Pritchet's desk. + +"What does this spell?" she inquired. + +"That is aisle," said Miss Pritchet. + +"Aisle!" repeated 'Lisbeth; "I do not like spelling aisle with a i s l +e; I like i l e." + +"Hush, my dear." + +"But I don't like it," persisted 'Lisbeth. "If I don't like it I don't." + +"Go and sit down at once," commanded Miss Pritchet. + +'Lisbeth went and sat down. She learned every word but aisle. 'Lisbeth +was a very foolish little girl not to learn aisle. + +"Come here, my dear," said Miss Pritchet; she gave 'Lisbeth the words. +'Lisbeth spelled them very well. Then said Miss Pritchet, "aisle--" + +"I did not learn it," said 'Lisbeth. "I said I did not like it and I +don't." + +"But you must learn it, if you like it or not." + +"I must?" said 'Lisbeth, in astonishment. + +"Of course you must; we all must do a great many things which we do not +like." + +"I don't mean to," said 'Lisbeth. + +Miss Pritchet was astonished. + +"You must." + +"What must I do beside learning to spell aisle?" + +"Nothing now!" + +"Oh," said 'Lisbeth, reassured; "I thought you said we must all do a +great many things." + +"Go sit down this minute," commanded Miss Pritchet, and 'Lisbeth sat +down, and she learned aisle, but she did not get home until very late, +because Miss Pritchet said that such a very improperly behaved child +should never go home at a proper time, from her school; but 'Lisbeth +could not see, with all her trying, what she had been improper about. +Had she learned aisle, though she did not want to? Certainly she had. + +Besides being perplexed about this, she was a little vexed with Miss +Pritchet about something else. She had been given to understand that +there was something about London in the books. She had been spelling +words half the day and had not come to London. She spelled and spelled, +but did not come to London. She felt herself imposed upon; she felt +herself very much imposed upon. + +"Please find London," asked 'Lisbeth at length of Miss Pritchet. + +"London indeed? Not for such an improper little girl. You must stop +thinking about London, I say. You will be sorry if you do not stop. You +must." + +"I must?" said 'Lisbeth, a little meekly. "I must, must I?" + +But as she said it her voice sounded very much as though it said, "If I +cannot, how can I?" + +"Yes, you must;" and 'Lisbeth went and sat down to think about it. + +This was 'Lisbeth's first day at school and she had a great many more +days at school, and learned a great many things every day, but one thing +she did not manage to learn at all--to stop thinking about London. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + + +'Lisbeth did not find any word in her lesson the next day which she did +not like. She spelled them over, and concluded that she liked them all +pretty well. One word she looked at quite hard before she concluded that +she liked them all, but she found out that she did not object to it. She +spelled them so nicely that Miss Pritchet was quite pleased, and +'Lisbeth had a little more time than she had the day before, to look +around and find out what next was to be done. + +Jemmy Jenkins sat next to her; he was older than 'Lisbeth, but that did +not make any matter; he whispered to 'Lisbeth behind his slate. She +thought after this that she knew Jemmy Jenkins better than anybody else. + +At recess she and Jemmy Jenkins had a great deal of fun and jumped over +Miss Pritchet's garden plot seventeen times each, without getting in the +middle of it more than twice. + +"Say, Jemmy," said 'Lisbeth, "I think this flower plot would look nice +with its roots stuck up." + +"How?" inquired Jemmy, ready for anything new and agreeable. + +"This way," replied 'Lisbeth, and she seized a pretty marguerite in +bloom, dug it up with a stick, and planted it upside down; the stick to +which it was tied for support she propped under it to keep the roots in +the air, for the marguerites have little tender stems. + +Nobody happened to see. Jemmy thought this would be very nice. He ran +and got the spade, and took out his knife to cut sticks, and they soon +turned Miss Pritchet's plants upside down, with the flowers in the +ground, and the roots in the air, and nobody caught them at it. They +washed off the mud at the pump, and then the bell rang and they all went +in to school. + +[Illustration] + +Miss Pritchet looked from the window; she caught a glimpse of the garden +plot; she caught a glimpse of the roots in the air; she gave a little +cry and ran to the door. + +'Lisbeth had forgotten the marguerites. She was trying to squeeze a +big knot through the little hole in her shoe. + +"Who did this?" Miss Pritchet almost screamed. + +"I don't know 'm!" replied everybody in a minute, seeing something had +happened. 'Lisbeth called, "Don't know 'm!" together with the rest, +without knowing what the confusion was about. When she found out what it +was about, she only said "oh!" + +Miss Pritchet looked at her. She looked at Miss Pritchet. + +"Did you do that?" inquired Miss Pritchet, pointing to the marguerites. + +"Do what?" inquired 'Lisbeth as politely as she could. + +"Uproot my flowers." + +"Were they yours?" + +"Did you do it?" + +"Yes 'm," replied 'Lisbeth, trying to look as though nothing had +happened. "I didn't think anybody tended 'm." + +"What did you do it for?" + +"To give 'm air," replied 'Lisbeth. "Please 'm may Susan Jordan put +this string in my shoe, it won't never go in?" + +"Come here this moment, you improper child!" said Miss Pritchet. + +'Lisbeth dropped her shoe-string and cowered up to Miss Pritchet like a +startled dove. + +"Didn't you know better?" + +"No 'm, I never did." + +"You will!" + +"Will I? I want to know as much as I can," said 'Lisbeth. + +Need I say that Miss Pritchet taught her at once what it was to put the +roots of marguerites to air? I need not tell you, I know. But one thing +I will tell you, 'Lisbeth bore her punishment by herself, and never told +on Jemmy Jenkins; but Jemmy Jenkins was man enough to tell on himself, +which was much the best way, and pleased Miss Pritchet so much that she +broke off both punishments clear in the middle, and told 'Lisbeth and +Jemmy Jenkins that she would try not to remember about the marguerites +at all, if they would try never to do so any more. + +Yet when 'Lisbeth, upon starting for home, told her that she had +learned one thing that day, she had learned not to put the roots of +marguerites to air, Miss Pritchet looked very stern, for which 'Lisbeth +could not account at all. + +Gorham felt very much ashamed in having his sister treat Miss Pritchet's +marguerites in such an unfeeling manner; he felt very much ashamed +indeed. Gorham was a very proper boy; he did not like to have his sister +called an improper child. He would like to have told Miss Pritchet so, +only that would have been improper. He was not pleased with Miss +Pritchet; he was not pleased with 'Lisbeth; he was not pleased with +Jemmy Jenkins. + +After school he told Jemmy Jenkins what he thought of it; that it was +not proper to treat anybody's marguerites in such a manner; that he was +older and bigger and wiser than 'Lisbeth, and should have told her +better; and Jemmy Jenkins sat on a log rubbing his fingers together and +thinking that Gorham was not making any mistakes at all, though he, +himself, had made a great mistake when he helped 'Lisbeth plant the +marguerites with the roots up. + +Jemmy Jenkins felt very much ashamed of himself, very much ashamed +indeed, which was the very best way for him to feel, as he would not be +likely, after feeling so much ashamed of himself, to do so again. + +'Lisbeth told her mother that she was learning a great deal at school; +then the mother smiled, but when she heard about the marguerites she did +not smile, she looked as stern as she could, and 'Lisbeth thought this +was beyond bearing, for everybody to look stern when she was learning +and improving. + +But 'Lisbeth did improve, she improved a great deal, only after she had +been at school with Miss Pritchet a couple of years it turned out that +'Lisbeth could not stay any longer with Miss Pritchet, could not stay +any longer where she grew, but must go to a new place, and go a great +way to get to it; in fact, after a great deal of talking, and a great +deal of thinking, and a great deal of planning, 'Lisbeth's mother found +that she must--she could not help it, she could do nothing better--she +must go to live in London. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + + +Now 'Lisbeth had never given up counting the miles to London. She had +counted them up by tens many a time; she had counted them up by +twenties; she had counted them up every way there was to count them, but +they continued to be a great many miles. When she learned that she was +going to grow in a new place, she believed that nothing would ever +trouble her any more; that the world would be made over new. + +'Lisbeth could not help in getting ready; if she had done less in +getting ready she might have helped her mother more. But mother helped +herself. She sold a great many things, and she left a great many things +to be sent after her, and she carried a great many things with her. + +Mother cried when she left the old house, but 'Lisbeth did not cry, she +danced about on the points of her toes, till she laughed herself quite +red in the face. 'Lisbeth had always been a little foolish about +London. + +'Lisbeth had wished a great while to go to London. She might have been a +great deal happier in the beautiful place where she grew if she had not +wished so hard; she had wished very hard and she got there. She had +always believed that London was delightful; now she knew it was. She had +lived in a dear little mite of a house, now she would live in a tall +one. She had lived next and near to a great many people, now she would +live under the roof with a great many people. She had lived on a lane, +now she would live on a--well, a street which was too little and short +and narrow to be called a street. + +'Lisbeth knew she had come to London because she was poorer, instead of +because she was richer, but that did not make any difference. At the end +of the street too little to be called a street, was a real, true, broad +street, with fine houses packed together from one end to the other end +of it. + +'Lisbeth slipped down the stairs, and along the little street to the +corner. She threw up her hands in admiration. She looked up and down in +delight. It was a fine thing to live in London, a very great and fine +thing indeed. She ran quite out of the little street to look up and +down the greater one. + +She saw the windows in rows, blazing with lights. She clapped her hands; +she was delighted. She heard children's voices from an open window. She +climbed stealthily up to the window and looked in. Six children appeared +before her, with very sweet faces, and pretty clothes, and the lights +flashed down upon them from overhead. + +They were playing with dolls. They were playing so hard that they did +not see 'Lisbeth clinging to the sill. They were pretending that the +dolls were talking to each other, that the one was the man and the other +the mistress. The mistress was telling the man to take off his hat; but +he was a stubborn man, he would not take off his hat. Then the children +all laughed, and 'Lisbeth laughed so much harder than anybody else, that +they all looked up and saw her hanging to the sill; then she dropped +suddenly, and forgot that she had to drop so far, and had she not caught +by her skirt and hung to the iron railing of the area, nobody knows how +she might have been broken and battered and bruised by falling down the +area before she had been in London over night. + +But she caught to the spikes and her dress was strong; and the children +all ran and saw her hanging to the spikes, and somebody lifted her over +and stood her on her feet and turned her around to see what she looked +like, and then she ran home as soon as she could find out which way to +run. + +She found out that the big street was nicer than the little one; that +the people on the big street were different from the people on the +little one. She found out that all the houses and streets in London were +not just alike, and she found this out before she had gone to sleep the +first night, in the little black room, in the big dirty house, in the +little black street. But she was not sorry she had come to London. + +She wondered if everybody who lived in London had such lovely dolls as +the mistress, such wonderful dolls as the man she had seen. She wondered +if there were many children in London who wore such pretty clothes, and +who played under such flashing lights, and who had such shining +glasses, and tables, and chairs, and wonderful furniture of all kinds in +the rooms where they played, and she concluded there must be; this time +she did not make a mistake, for there were. + +[Illustration] + +'Lisbeth noticed that her mother, and Gorham, and Dickon, and Trotty did +not go in any rooms of the tall house but two; she found that these two +were at the top of the house, and that they had nothing to do with those +underneath; she found out that there was a great clatter in the house, +and in the next houses, as though the whole town were talking; she +wondered how she liked it; but she concluded that she liked it very +much; she was living in London, how could she help liking it? + +Mother looked solemn, and the rooms looked black, and the things were +tumbled upside down, and the air was hot, and the noise kept everybody +awake, and everybody was half tired to death, and nothing was as bright +as it might have been--not even the tallow candle--but they were in +London, a hundred miles from the mile-stone; a hundred miles from the +church steeple, and the mill, and the dear bit of a house where they had +all grown, and rolled, and tumbled; and from the meadows with the +flowers sleeping side by side; but they were in London, what did it +matter? + +Yet if they really were in London, while they slept they dreamed they +were playing, and walking and talking under the shadow of the church +steeple, and by the mill, and chasing butterflies over the meadows where +the flowers were fast asleep, and forgot that the rooms were black, and +the air hot, and that things were not as they had been. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + + +'Lisbeth learned a great many things very soon, though she was not at +school. A very great many things indeed; and they were not always +pleasant things. She learned, for one thing, that they grew poorer every +day, instead of growing richer. She learned that the dirty little +street, too little to be a real street, was not as pleasant to look upon +as the garden plot at home, and the green of the fields over the way. +She learned that mother grew thinner, and that the boys grew dirtier and +crosser, and the people down stairs, she found out, were not like the +mill hands at home, the mill hands and the little children. + +She saw a great many fine sights; she saw shops which made her open her +eyes; and houses which astonished her to behold, and carriages which +took her breath away, and people who overcame her altogether. She saw +sights and shows such as she had never dreamed of; she saw a wax figure +at the corner, with a fine curled wig, a figure which turned from side +to side; she saw sights on every side to please her fancy, to delight +her eyes, but only to make her remember afterward that she lived among a +lot of dirty people, in two miserable old rooms, in a dirty little +street; that she was really happier in the place where she grew first +than in the place where she grew last; that made her wonder why she had +ever sighed, and sighed, and wished to get a hundred miles away from +that precious old mile-stone. + +She was not contented in London a bit more than she had been contented +playing in the shadow of the steeple and of the mill. She was not +contented at all. Had she learned to be contented under the shadow of +the mill and the steeple, under the walnut tree, and among the flowers +around the mile-stone, she might have smiled brighter smiles in the dark +little room in the dirty old house, in the dirty little street in +London. A bright, contented flower says the same sweet words in the +fresh green fields, and in a little flower pot up in a London window; a +contented little flower always wears a bright face. A contented heart is +always cheerful. + +'Lisbeth had never been contented. She was always wishing to be +somewhere else. She was not contented before she went to London, that +was the reason why she was not contented when she reached there. + +'Lisbeth tried to find some nice little London girl to talk to; she +tried first to find a great many, then she tried to find one; she tried +to find some nice little London boys; then she tried to find one nice +little London boy; but the boys and the girls had not been taught to be +very nice, in the dirty old house in the dirty little street, and though +some of them had good enough faces, they had not pleasant ways, nor +pleasant words. + +When Gorham and Dickon wanted to play they found nobody but boys who +were not comfortable boys to play with; at first they did not play with +those uncomfortable boys at all; then they played with them a little, +and then they played with them more, so that Dickon and Gorham became +after a time not as good and pleasant themselves as they once were. + +One day there were some new people came to live in a room down stairs; a +mother and father and three little boys. They looked as though they had +never lived in such a dirty street before. They were good little boys, +with pleasant ways, and pleasant words, and very pleasant faces. + +'Lisbeth liked to peep in and help them play; she liked to play with +them very much; they made her feel happier. 'Lisbeth had come to London, +but she was not very happy; she did not say so, but it was true just the +same. + +These little boys had no toys to play with, but they were good and +contented just the same. They played with whatever came in their way; +they were as happy in playing with the old chairs as many boys are with +their rocking-horses. They were contented little boys. But they were +very poor; 'Lisbeth knew they were; she was very sorry that they were so +poor, but they were not. They did not care at all. She was sorry that +the mother and father had to leave them so much alone; perhaps they may +have been sorry themselves about this, I do not know. + +How 'Lisbeth laughed when she saw them playing with the brooms. They +made a procession, that is they all walked in a line; the tallest at the +head, and the little one coming last, and each one carried a brush or +broom with a long handle, and if soldiers were ever proud of their guns, +so were these little boys proud. Perhaps they were more proud than +soldiers with guns. + +[Illustration] + +'Lisbeth knew that these little boys were alone a great deal, because +their mother and father were so poor, and were obliged to go and earn +all they could, and she used to run in very often to see how they +managed. But these were contented little boys; they were contented where +they found themselves, and that was the reason why they got along so +well. + +If they had been discontented they would have gone out of their mother's +rooms into other rooms in the house, and then into the street, and into +the gutter. Then they would have become soiled and spoiled, and changed +altogether, but they were contented with their mother's rooms, and her +chairs and tables, and frying pans, and brooms, and all the things which +they found there; so they did not get soiled or spoiled or changed, but +kept good and bright, pleasant little pictures as you would find in a +day's walk. + +'Lisbeth found, after she came to London, that there was a great deal +to be done besides play; she had to learn to sew and help mother earn +some money, but she was not very big and could not do much, only try. + +At first 'Lisbeth believed she could make a great deal of money. She +knew people must make money in London; she had heard so. Besides, people +seemed to spend so much that there must be some way of getting it. +'Lisbeth was sure there was. She tried to make money in several ways. +This was a mistake; she should have been content with trying to help all +she could at home, and then mother would have had more time, and so +could have made more money, which would have helped them all. But this +was not 'Lisbeth's way of doing. She tried to make a way of her own. + +One day 'Lisbeth saw a little boy sweeping a street crossing; she had +seen boys do this before, but had never thought anything about it. This +time she thought about it because she saw some gentleman drop a little +coin in the little boy's hand. This was a revelation to 'Lisbeth; it +taught her something which she did not know before. + +In another hour 'Lisbeth was sweeping a very dirty crossing, and she +swept it and swept it over again; she swept until there really was not +another speck to sweep, and the people, by the dozens and scores and +hundreds walked over that crossing, and carried to it more mud for +'Lisbeth to sweep away, but nobody put an atom of anything in 'Lisbeth's +hand for sweeping it, though she stood there the whole long day; and she +found out still another time that money was hard to pick up even in +London, and if she stopped that day, in passing, as she generally did to +look at the wax figure in the curled wig, at the corner of the street, +she did not care a fig about it. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + + +'Lisbeth was quite down-hearted that day after sweeping the crossing; +she was discouraged enough, especially as her mother was greatly grieved +at her going away and staying so long, and reproved her very severely. +She felt very much discouraged indeed, but could not help believing in +spite of it all that something would turn up, which would be bright and +pleasant in such a fine city; she could not believe anything else. + +As she came home that day she popped her head in the door of the room on +the lower floor, to see how matters were getting on there. She shut the +door again carefully, without saying a word. On the floor were scattered +many things, and in the corner, like so many leaves blown together, were +the three little boys fast asleep. + +How tired they must have been; how hard they had played; indeed they had +played too hard, for near them on the floor lay the remnants of mother's +good sweeping brush which they had played quite to destruction. They +were tired completely, and never knew that 'Lisbeth had looked in +upon them to find out how they were getting along. + +[Illustration] + +I wonder what they were dreaming of as they slept; I believe they must +have been pleasant dreams, unless they were dreaming about the broken +brush--they were such comfortable-looking little faces, and they had +such comfortable hearts, because they were good, and comfortable hearts +help bring bright dreams. + +When the mother came home I think she must have smiled to see them +heaped in the corner fast asleep, but I suppose she had found them +heaped in a corner asleep many a time. I hope she did not scold very +hard about the broken brush, and I am almost sure she did not. + +'Lisbeth, as I said before, felt very much discouraged that evening. She +even felt dull the next morning, and the next afternoon. The mother had +gone out that afternoon to take home some sewing; the boys were playing +outside. 'Lisbeth had nobody to talk to. She concluded to talk to +herself. + +She got up on a high three-legged stool in the corner, and sat with her +face to the wall; she wanted to think. She could not think if she was +looking out of the window, or around the room, or if she sat in +every-day fashion on a chair or on the floor. She sat in the darkest +corner she could find. + +"'Lisbeth Lillibun," she said to herself, "you have done nothing for +yourself yet by coming to London; you have done nothing for yourself +yet;" and it seemed that all the glasses and crockery on the table, and +on the shelf, and even the coffee pot turned up on the stove to dry, +jingled and rattled and laughed; but, of course, they did not. + +"You must be up and a-doing, 'Lisbeth; it is time;" then the tin tea +pot, and the coffee pot, and the candlestick turned up on the stove to +melt the old candle out, and the spider and the skillet and the dipper +seemed, every one of them, to be giggling, and 'Lisbeth looked around at +them; but of course it was only a fancy. + +"You have been making a goose of yourself, and most of all in sweeping a +crossing dry for people to spatter with mud; you should be ashamed of +yourself to be such a silly, and sitting where you are instead of being +sitting somewhere else," and the tongs did clap together, and the poker +did roll over, and the gridiron did give a clink against the wall, but I +think the wind must have blown down the chimney. + +'Lisbeth was insulted, however; she did not believe in the tins and +tongs making fun of her. She got down from the stool, and put her bonnet +on, and then changed it for her hat with a ribbon tied around it, and +then she went out where there were no tongs to clap at her; but of +course it was only a fancy of 'Lisbeth's about the tongs, for how could +a tongs clap unless it was clapped? It was wrong for 'Lisbeth to go out; +her place was in the house. + +But she thought that it happened just as well that she did go out, for +as she went down stairs she thought a thought, which she might never +have thought had she remained sitting upon the stool. + +She went down stairs and along the little street to the corner, and +opened the door of the store in the window of which stood the wax figure +with its wig, which was standing still just then, instead of turning +gracefully from side to side. She opened the door and went in. + +"What do you want, Sissy?" inquired a pleasant little man. + +"I want to stay, sir, and make wigs." + +"You want to stay and make wigs!" + +"Yes, sir, I do," replied 'Lisbeth. + +"Bless me!" exclaimed the pleasant little man, "this will not do." + +"Oh, yes, it will, sir," replied 'Lisbeth, untying the knot in the +strings of her hat, "it will do very well. I have not been able to think +of any thing that would do before." + +"But bless me!" + +"Indeed I will, sir, if that is all," said 'Lisbeth, wondering how to do +it, but taking off her hat. + +"I don't want any wigs!" + +"You don't?" replied 'Lisbeth, filled with astonishment. + +"No, I don't; I really don't!" + +'Lisbeth saw that he had plenty of hair, and as he rubbed his head she +supposed he was remembering this. + +"Other people do," said 'Lisbeth, reassured; "I see a good many of 'm +every day who do; you can sell 'm." + +"Sell 'm? I do sell 'm. I sell 'm when I can; but bless me!" + +"Where shall I get the hair to make 'm of?" inquired 'Lisbeth, preparing +to go to work. + +"But I don't want 'm!" + +"Oh!" replied 'Lisbeth, not a word else; but the pleasant little man +snapped his fingers at her and beckoned her around the counter, and +under the shelf of the beautiful big window, and made her screw herself +up into a button which nobody could see, and pulled a curtain down over +her, and showed her, before he pulled the curtain down, how to pull a +wire very gently and tenderly to make the wax figure in the curled wig +turn from side to side, and she did it. + +She pulled it this way, and she pulled it that way. She heard the people +outside tramping up to the window and tramping away; she remembered how +she had tramped up and tramped away. She laughed to hear them tramping, +because she knew that a great many of them had their mouths open as +well as their eyes, as they saw the wax figure, in a wig, turning from +side to side. She would never open her mouth as well as her eyes again, +when she saw a wax figure turning from side to side. She was certain she +never would. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + + +How long 'Lisbeth might have sat under the shelf, and under the curtain, +earning pence and pulling wires, and forgetting that her mother was +looking for her, had she not fallen into a doze, I cannot say. She might +have been there till now; she might have been there ten years to come; +but she did doze and she did wake up; she had swept the crossing hard +enough the day before to be tired, and she was; she was tired, and it +was coming night, and she did doze, and she did wake up, and she did +wake up with a start which broke the wire, and twisted the head of the +wax figure clear out of place, so that it looked in the shop instead of +out of it, and made a confusion inside, and outside, and on all sides, +seldom made by any wax figure in any wig since the beginning of time. + +'Lisbeth told the pleasant little man that she could not help it, and he +told her that he could not help it, and 'Lisbeth went home--to be sure +seven pence richer, but a good deal flustered and disappointed, and +with the determination never again, while she lived and breathed, to +have anything to do with, or even so much as to look at any wax figures +or any wigs. + +'Lisbeth's mother told her that had she waited, and asked her advice, +instead of leaving her to such distress in looking for her, she would +have told her, in the beginning, to have nothing to do in the matter of +wigs, with which she was not acquainted, and reproved her for staying +away till the candle was lighted on the shelf; and 'Lisbeth, if she was +no more unhappy than she had been when she stood by the mile-stone, was +certainly no more happy. + +To be sure she was richer. Though she had broken the wire, the pleasant +little man had given her seven pence, though she had gained nothing +more; but the bother, now, was to know what to do with it. Had it been +seven thousand pence she might, perhaps, have known better what to do +with it; but seven pence were of so much more consequence; being a +little it had to go a great way. There was no trifling to be done about +it. She knew the importance of it. She was awake half the night +considering how to spend it, and the other half she was dreaming of +losing and finding it, until by morning her head was almost split in +two. + +Had 'Lisbeth run home and given the seven pence to her mother to buy a +nice platted loaf or a piece of bacon, her head had not almost split in +two; but 'Lisbeth was always making trouble for herself. Though the +thoughts and worry about the pence almost split her head, she was not in +a condition in the morning to know what to do with the pence. She had +her own pence and her own plan, had she had less of her own she would +have been more comfortable. But 'Lisbeth was 'Lisbeth, and if her mother +sighed about it, she could not see any way of making her anybody else. + +When breakfast was over that morning the mother went to carry some +sewing home, and while she was gone 'Lisbeth thought she would go out +too. This was very wrong; very wrong indeed, but 'Lisbeth did not wait +to think about that. She took a basket when she went out, and she took +her seven pence. She felt herself very important indeed, though really +she was nobody but a disobedient little girl. She came to a cake shop +where all kinds of cakes were to be bought. + +"I'm going to keep store," said 'Lisbeth to the shopman, "and I want +some wonderful nice cakes." + +"You do, do you?" said the shopman; "let me see your money." + +"Seven pence," said 'Lisbeth, displaying it on the counter; "I want to +spend it all." + +"You do, do you? Where's your store?" + +"In my basket," said 'Lisbeth, but there was nothing in her basket but a +bit of brown paper. + +"What would you like to buy with your seven pence?" asked the shopman. + +"A great many things," said 'Lisbeth; "but I think I will buy some of +these cakes." + +"Humph," said the shopman; "pick out nine of 'm." + +'Lisbeth picked them out. They were cakes of different shapes; quite a +stock for seven pence, and no mistake. + +'Lisbeth arranged the cakes along the bottom of the basket in two rows; +four in one row and five in the other. Then she started off. She never +was more pleased in her life. She was more sure than ever that she was +somebody, that she was somebody important. She expected that every one +of those cakes would be gone before she had time to look around. She was +surprised to find that instead of everybody stopping to look at them, +nobody stopped to look at them at all. She was surprised to find +everybody going by as though there was a pot of gold, at the other end +of the street, which they were hurrying on to get, while they did not so +much as glance at her, or at the cakes in her basket. This would never +do. She would walk up and ask them to buy. So she walked up and asked +them, but they did not hear her, or did not want to hear her, and did +not stop walking as fast as they could, except one lady with two little +girls who bought two for two pence. + +'Lisbeth thought these were nice little girls; she wished afterward she +had asked them to buy four for four pence. Nobody else bought any. She +walked and walked, and stood; and the mother came home and wondered +where she was, and looked out of the window, and out of the door, and +listened on the stairs, but could make nothing of it at all; and the +fact was, that when the mother was listening on the stairs, and looking +out of the doors, and sighing to herself about ever having come to +London, 'Lisbeth was sound asleep, at the corner of the street, seated +on the sidewalk with her back against the wall, and her basket standing +beside her, and the mother might as well have listened for her feet as +for the buzzing of a china bumble-bee with glass legs. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + + +'Lisbeth was asleep. She was tired enough to sleep well. She was better +off asleep than awake; had you asked her she would have told you so. As +she slept she dreamed, and as she dreamed the forms in the basket became +living things, and the pence in her pocket changed to pounds, and things +which were not became to her as though they were. + +In fact 'Lisbeth doubted that she was 'Lisbeth, and who knows but had +she dreamed long enough she might have been the queen herself? + +The bird, in the basket, stood on its gingerbread legs, which were +changed to real bird's legs, and it sung to her sweeter than the bird at +the mile-stone sung on the post. The little dog forgot that it was +gingerbread, and barked and sprung about, and shone like satin in its +pretty black coat; it barked in a charming fashion. The cat? it was +beautiful as only cats in dreams can be, as it sat on the handle of the +basket; it was a beautiful picture to behold. + +But what amused and delighted her more than the bird or the cat or the +dog, was the real live elephant which floated in the air without wings, +and the two charming little angels, with little brass crowns, who sung +sweeter than the bird itself, and blew about like thistle-down, and +astonished her more than all the shows of London. But the most +delightful gingerbread of all was the gingerbread parrot, which was no +more a gingerbread, but a real, true, live, green and gold parrot which +tapped at her hat and called, "Come, Lady 'Lisbeth, here is a coach and +four, to ride to your door." + +Then 'Lisbeth woke up, and when she saw that the parrot and the angels +and the elephant, and the dog and cat, and even the bird, which had been +singing on the bottom of the basket were all gingerbread, she flew up in +a passion and threw them all to the ground, and had them all to pick up +again. + +[Illustration] + +When she went home she told her mother everything that had happened, and +the mother told her something that was going to happen, and they had a +great deal to say to each other. I think I would have said more to +her than her mother did, but she said all she wanted to, which was +possibly enough. But when she told 'Lisbeth what was going to happen, +she expected to see 'Lisbeth fly up in a great passion; instead of this, +however, 'Lisbeth began laughing, and laughed so hard that her mother +had to pat her on the back to make her stop. + +In fact, when the mother was living with her children in the old home, +and suddenly grew poorer, she had concluded to go to London, where she +might sew, she thought, for large prices, and so get rich faster, but +when, after she got to London, she found the prices were little, and her +money was growing less, and her boys were getting spoiled, and 'Lisbeth +was getting to do so many things she should not do, she wished she had +never seen London. + +Then she began thinking that it would be just as easy not to see it any +more, as it had been to come a hundred miles to see it. Then she +concluded not to see it any more, and this was what she told 'Lisbeth +when they both had so much to say to each other. + +The next morning 'Lisbeth awoke with the impression that something very +pleasant had happened, or was about to happen. + +She forgot to help her mother clear away the breakfast dishes, and sat +on the three-legged stool in the corner quite by herself, with her face +to the wall. The mother saw her sitting there as she popped her head in +the door, but she would not call her; she began to think she was +grieving about leaving London, yet she might have known better by the +delight of her morning embrace, if by nothing else. At any rate she +would let her alone; she would let her think it out. So she cleared up +the dishes and brushed up the floor, and put in the stitches, and packed +her parcel and said "good-by" to 'Lisbeth, for she was going to the +shop. + +'Lisbeth was yet on the stool when her mother went out of the door. + +"Bother!" she exclaimed, twirling about as she found herself alone. +"'Lisbeth Lillibun you are a humbug, you are indeed. You are a humbug +and no mistake; here you have been to London all this time and made only +two pence, and seven gingerbreads, and here is your mother troubled for +a bit of money to get back to the old place. Why is it you cannot help +her?" + +Had 'Lisbeth remained sitting on the stool she would have continued +talking to herself, which might have resulted in no harm, and might have +kept her quiet and good, like a pleasant, dutiful child till the mother +came, but 'Lisbeth leaped off of the stool as a thought came into her +mind which might never have come there had she not leaped the moment she +did. + +There was one trait in 'Lisbeth which is not in everybody. When 'Lisbeth +concluded to do a thing she did it; she did not wait until the next week +or the next month, she did not even wait until the next day. You will +say this was very clever and nice of 'Lisbeth to be so much in earnest; +and so it might have been had she mixed the earnestness with the right +kind of consideration for her mother's wishes. Indeed, in that case she +would have been such a very fine girl that ten chances to one there +would never have been any story about her at all; but she did not mix +her earnestness with anything but her own judgment, and she made just +as real a mistake as you would make should you mix your lemonade with +salt, instead of sugar--it was the wrong kind of mixture altogether. + +When I say of 'Lisbeth that when she had a thing to do, she did it, that +she did not wait until the next week, or next month, or next year, you +will say: "How very delightful; how very much nicer and better 'Lisbeth +must have been than most other people;" but when I tell you that she +thought she knew what was best to be done so much better than anybody +else, that she did what she thought best without asking her mother, you +will know in a minute that 'Lisbeth was not as "nice" as a great many +other people. How could she be? Why, she could not be at all. + +Well when 'Lisbeth thought the thought as she leaped off the stool, she +did not wait until the next day to do what she thought about doing, nor +till the next hour. She did not wait to consult her mother. As usual, +she mixed her own judgment with her earnestness, instead of making use +of her mother's judgment, and that was the cause of the confusion. +Children's earnestness directed by the mother's judgment is a very +different thing from children's earnestness directed by the children's +judgment; there is as much difference between the two as there is +between lemonade mixed with sugar and lemonade mixed with salt. + +'Lisbeth thought it would be pleasant to get everything pulled down, and +turned inside out, and packed up ready to leave London; it would be that +much done toward starting, it would be a great help, it would be +delightful. Had she waited for mother's judgment she would have learned +that mother would not get off from London for two months at any rate, +that the things must not be pulled down until it was time to pack them +up, that it would not be time to pack them up until just before they +started. But 'Lisbeth mixed her earnestness with her own judgment. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + + +'Lisbeth said to herself: "Who knows but we shall go to-day or +to-morrow, if mother gets the money; she said she would go when she got +the money." + +'Lisbeth had found something to do at last. + +Gorham had gone with the mother to help carry her parcel, and Dickon was +playing outside. Dickon's two feet had come in, but they had gone out +again. They so often went out after they had come in that this was +nothing uncommon. At first 'Lisbeth did not care about it; it made no +difference to her that they had gone out, she began work by herself. She +was a fast worker, an earnest worker, a worker who made things fly when +she set about making them fly. I do not mean that she made them really +fly up with wings, but she made them get from one place to another so +fast that we may say she made them fly. + +She made the dishes fly out of the closets; the platters, the pots, and +the patty pans; the stewpans, and spiders, and skillets; the boilers +and broilers, and dippers; the glass jars, the stone jars, the basins; +the boxes and bundles and baskets; a pretty job she was making of it, +and, in the middle of it all, her face shone like a young sun, she was +so delightfully busy. + +Suddenly 'Lisbeth remembered that she was working very hard, that Dickon +was not working hard, that he was doing nothing but playing on the +stairs; this was not pleasant to remember. + +"Do come here, Dickon," called 'Lisbeth, over the railing, and Dickon +came. + +"Pull down everything very fast," commanded 'Lisbeth; "mother is going +from London dreadful quick, the minute she gets the money; I shall pack +things and get ready." + +Dickon did not like to pull them down; he did not approve of packing, he +wanted to play. + +"You are a miserable boy, Dickon, worse than most any boy to leave me +here by my lone self." + +Dickon looked around and began to think so too. + +"P'haps mother don't want to be packed." + +"Yes, she does; she does very much indeed; bring the things here, +Dickon; pull'm all down here." + +Dickon did not like to pull them down; he was not sure even yet that +mother wanted to be packed. + +"Pile'm down, Dickon!" commanded 'Lisbeth, and Dickon piled them down. + +"Hadn't you better fix some before you get more?" + +"I'll fix 'm when I get 'm all down here." + +"What? are you going to get all the dishes and--" + +"Go on I tell you, Dickon Lillibun! will you go on?" + +Dickon went on; so did 'Lisbeth. + +There was no place to walk, there was no place to sit down, there was +scarcely place to stand; there was no place to put anything, there was +scarcely anything more to put. Everything was pulled out, and heaped +about, and 'Lisbeth stood in the middle of them. + +"Now, Dickon, this does look like doing something, don't it?" + +Dickon thought it did, Dickon capered over everything and started for +the door. + +"Do not go!" commanded 'Lisbeth. "Do not go! do not dare to go!" + +But Dickon was gone. + +"Dickon!" called 'Lisbeth over the railings, "Dickon!" But Dickon was +out of sight and hearing. + +"Oh that dreadful Dickon!" moaned 'Lisbeth, as she fluttered down the +stairs to bring him back. + +Had Dickon never stopped work, had Dickon never run away, had 'Lisbeth +never fluttered after him, things might have been different. I say they +might have been, because, as I explained before, nobody could be quite +sure as to what might or might not have been concerning 'Lisbeth; I say +therefore that they might have been different. As it was Dickon did run +away, and 'Lisbeth did flutter after him, and, as she went, she thought +of a plan she had not been able to think of while sitting on the +three-legged stool with her face to the wall--she thought of a plan to +get money. + +'Lisbeth forgot that she was fluttering after Dickon; she forgot that +Dickon had gone at all; she forgot everything but that she had thought +of a plan to get money. She forgot about Dickon, but kept on running +faster and faster until she was red in the face and out of breath. + +"Please, sir," said 'Lisbeth, gasping for breath, and rushing up to a +little spare man in a little spare coat, who lived in the dirty old +cellar of the sixth house from 'Lisbeth's, and bought paper and rags; +"please, sir, come dreadful quick!" + +"How?" screamed the little man; "how?" + +He meant to say "What for? please tell me what is the matter?" but he +said "How?" + +"With your feet! Fast, dreadful fast," gasped 'Lisbeth. No wonder she +gasped for breath, she had come faster and faster from the top of the +house to the cellar of the sixth house below, without even taking time +to think; she did not stop afterward to think. + +"My feet? My feet?" + +"Please to come! oh, please to come!" pleaded 'Lisbeth, fairly dancing +up and down. + +"My hat, my hat! oh, my hat!" pleaded the little man, turning and +twisting all about; "my hat! my hat!" + +"Please to come! never mind no hat!" begged 'Lisbeth, half going, half +staying, and still trying to catch her breath. + +"Oh, my head, my head!" almost sobbed the little man, holding his two +hands over his head as he ran after 'Lisbeth, going faster and faster +with every step. + +"My! my! oh my!" gasped the poor little man, still holding his head with +his two hands, and taking hard, short breaths, as he went up one flight +of stairs after another, and bobbed himself forward to try to catch a +glimpse of 'Lisbeth and see that he was really following the right way +and getting in the right door. + +"My! my! oh my!" + +He said it over again when he had bobbed his head in the right door. +"Vat has happened? vat has happened? oh my! my! vat has happened?" + +"It has not happened at all; it would a' happened if you had waited for +a hat." + +"Vat? vat?--my! my! my!--vat?" + +"Mother would a' come, and then she mightn't let me sold her pots and +kettles and dishes 'stead of packing 'm up," said 'Lisbeth, puffing hard +for breath. "Please to buy 'm quicker 'n anything." + +The little man did not choke; he only looked as if he was going to. +'Lisbeth flew toward him and gave him a crack on the back, she thought +that might do him good, but it did not help the matter at all; he +looked more like choking than ever. 'Lisbeth seized a dipper; she did +not mean to do anything unmannerly, she did not indeed, but she gave him +a mouthful of water so suddenly and quickly that the little man choked, +and perhaps it was best he should. + +I shall always think it was best he should, not that the little man was +bad, or thinking about being bad, only that he was in danger of getting +to be bad if he had never been so before; he was in danger of doing a +wrong thing; in danger of buying a very great deal for a very little +price. I did not say he was bad enough to do it, only it was best he +choked, and kept choked long enough for 'Lisbeth's mother to come +tripping up stairs with a new bundle and a little money, and a light +heart, considering all things--for was she not going to begin right away +to save up and to get back to the old house, the old home, in a month or +two? + +As the little man stayed choked until after 'Lisbeth's mother had +tripped to the door, and tossed away her bundle, and held up her hands, +and implored to be told what was the matter, I shall never be able to +say certainly that he was an honest little man, but I shall always +believe that he was, and that it had been the thought of so much +wickedness that almost choked him before he had the crack on the back or +the mouthful from the dipper. You would have choked, or almost choked, +of course you would. The astonishing part was that 'Lisbeth did not +choke herself, but she never thought of such a thing, she only said, +when her mother asked her what was the matter, "Nothing's the matter at +all; but I'm most dreadful sorry you come just at this important minute; +I was going to s'prise you with some cash straight off short, and the +man must just fall to choking before I could get a living thing sold." + +Another surprising thing is that the mother did not choke, but she did +not. Perhaps the reason was because she did not want to; the little man +looked uncomfortable and he had been choking. At any rate she did not +choke. + +If the little man had not looked so uncomfortable, and ready to get +away, the mother might have fastened the door, and shouted fire, and +armed with the tongs, and screamed for help, and startled the house, +and frightened the street, and added confusion to confusion, but she +only pulled the door open on a bigger crack to let him run out and down +the stairs, holding his hands over his head and gasping, "My! my! my! my +head!" + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + + +All that the mother did after the little man was gone I shall not +pretend to say. I was not there at the time. Had I been there I would +have been obliged to stand with my feet outside and my head within; how +could I have had both head and feet within when there was no room to +stand? But I was not there, and never have been sorry that I was not. +You are not sorry that you were not there? Of course you are not. + +'Lisbeth would have been glad not to have been there, I suppose; the +mother herself would have been more comfortable somewhere else, even if +it had been in the street tugging home her bundle of clothes to be +sewed. I was not there at the time, but I am certain that, by the next +morning, the dishes stood in rows, the pans hung on the hooks; the jars +and jams, and pots and kettles, and skillets, and spiders, and spoons, +and dippers, and rollers, and beaters, and boilers, and broilers, and +bundles, and boxes, and baskets, and things of all names and all sizes +were sleeping as sweetly as such necessities ever sleep, in the +cupboards and closets and dangling from the hooks, and the mother was +putting in her needle and pulling it out, and nobody would have imagined +that things had ever been otherwise. + +Yet things had been otherwise; we all know they had. Things might have +been otherwise still had not 'Lisbeth's mother been a very decided +mother; a mother who knew how things should be and how they should not +be, and how little children should do and how they should not do, and +how to get disordered things back into order as they should be, and +children who were doing as they should not, for a little while at least, +to do as they should. + +She said to 'Lisbeth, as she stood with her two feet on the two places +where the little man had stood: "'Lisbeth, you are a very hindering +child!" + +Had she said anything else, anything else at all, 'Lisbeth would not +have felt it so much, she would not have been so entirely lifted out of +herself, out of her own opinion, and made to see herself where her +mother put her, back in the right place where every naughty child +should be put as soon as possible. + +'Lisbeth gasped for breath. She looked fiercely up at her mother, and +down at the floor; she looked within herself, and at the ugly picture of +herself which her mother had just showed her. She saw that the picture +was like her, that she was "a hindering child." It was a blow she was +not prepared for. Had her mother said anything more immediately 'Lisbeth +would not have seen so well that the mother's words were true; but she +did not say any more immediately. She stood perfectly still with her +feet in the two places where the little man's feet had been. + +'Lisbeth was very uncomfortable when she heard those words repeated; +indeed she was very angry; she looked just as naughty as naughty could +be; she looked like a girl who was cross because somebody was doing +something very wrong to her. Then she did not look as naughty as naughty +could be, she looked disappointed and sorry, and repentant, and humble, +and this was because she saw that she was "a hindering child." + +At first she believed that she was a helping, comforting child, now she +saw that she was not. She saw it as we sometimes see a flash of +lightning. 'Lisbeth did not mean to be "a hindering child," but she was +one. + +"Why am I a hindering child?" inquired 'Lisbeth when she could catch her +breath. + +"Because you work by your own head instead of by mine," said the mother +as she put one foot and then the other forward among the pots and +kettles. But 'Lisbeth stood still in the middle of the floor considering +what her mother meant, and if what she said was true, and if she was +always to work the wrong way instead of the right way, like an engine +which will run back instead of forward; and how long she might have +stood considering, and how long she might have worn such a troubled +face, and how long she might have felt such a lump in her throat, had +not her mother come and stood before her, clearing a place for her feet +as she came, I shall never pretend to say. + +But the mother did come and stand before her, and 'Lisbeth put her two +hands in her mother's two hands, and looked up in her mother's face, +into her mother's troubled eyes, and her mother knew that whatever else +she might do, in days to come, she would never again try to move her +before the time. The mother knew this as well as I do, but I know this +and more beside. + +As I said before, I do not know exactly all that was done that +afternoon, before the rooms and the mother and 'Lisbeth all grew quiet, +and in place and comfortable, but I know something more important than +this; I know that 'Lisbeth, after she had settled other matters began to +settle her own mind as to the true meaning of her mother's words about +her making use of the wrong head. + +She was obliged to think a great deal about it before she was able to +settle it in her mind. It took a very great deal of thinking. How could +she use her mother's head? How can you and I use our mothers' heads? Of +course you know we could do it, how 'Lisbeth could have done it, but +Lisbeth had to think hard about it before she knew. When she had made it +quite sure in her own mind how it was to be done, she came to another +trouble, she was not quite sure that she would like to do it. + +She thought a great while as to what she was to do about it; she +thought a great while about it while seated on the three-legged stool +with her face to the wall, and when she had finished thinking about it +she got down from the stool and went and stood before her mother, and +her mother looked up to see what she was standing there for, and then +'Lisbeth said: + +"I'm going to try most dreadful hard to use your head; I've made up my +mind to it." + +When 'Lisbeth made up her mind to a thing it was made up. + +'Lisbeth tried very hard from this time to use the mother's head; and +though the mother used it too it did not get worn out half as fast as it +had done before; it began to look newer--I mean younger--and to look as +though use did it a great deal of good; and 'Lisbeth's head looked the +better for it too--I mean her face looked the better for it--it looked +rested; perhaps I should say it looked better contented than it did +before, it looked more comfortable. In fact, by using the mother's head +very frequently instead of her own, 'Lisbeth improved inside of a week, +and in the two months while they yet remained in London she began to +look like a helping child instead of a hindering one. + +When the time came for the packing up to be done 'Lisbeth really helped. +She did; nobody need be astonished. She helped a great deal, and +everybody seemed so happy that the mother laughed a dozen times just in +packing up. This was such a remarkable thing to happen that every one +was astonished; they could not help being astonished. + +Mother had not laughed for a great while. It seemed a very strange thing +for her to do. Nobody could quite tell what she was laughing at either +by thinking over it or by inquiring. Dickon inquired, but Dickon could +not understand it any better after he had inquired. + +Gorham thought over it. He was older than Dickon, and perhaps should +have been able to understand by thinking over it, but he did not. Gorham +had been in London for some time, and had become accustomed to the two +little rooms at the top of the house, where the walls were so black, and +to the hubbub of voices above and below, and to the tatters on the +little children, and to the dirt and tatters on the grown people; and +had become accustomed to the little boys who were not very nice, or very +comfortable to play with; Gorham had become accustomed to all this and +did not dislike it all as much as he did when he first came to London. + +Indeed Gorham was growing a little bit like these little boys; just a +little like them, not very much; I am glad to be able to say that it was +not very much. But at any rate, Gorham could not see why his mother was +laughing when she had not laughed for such a long time; laughing over +her cracked crockery, broken-nosed teapots, and black old crocks. It +never entered his mind that she was laughing because, though she seemed +to be looking at the old crockery, she was looking over and past them +with her mind's eye, to the clover tufts on the dear old fields, and to +the paths winding about the mill, to the spire of the white wooden +church; to the market-place where the mill-hands used to gather together +and chat and talk. Yet she was looking at these and at many things +beside, and not at all at the broken-nosed pots. + +'Lisbeth knew better than Gorham or Dickon why it was the mother +laughed. I think she knew a great deal better. I think when she would +put her face down close beside her mother's, and they would both smile +so pleasantly, glancing toward each other and looking away, I think they +were then seeing the same things, the very same things, though they were +both a hundred miles away from the things themselves. + +This was very comfortable; so comfortable that Dickon and Gorham smiled +too, though only looking at their two faces and at the iron pots, and +broken noses, and the rubbish which the mother had gathered up. And +indeed, though they could not tell why, they laughed themselves when the +mother laughed, and who knows but perhaps after all they did, without +knowing it, catch glimpses of the far-away things which 'Lisbeth and her +mother were seeing. + +Everything was very comfortable all this packing-up time, in fact much +of the two months before it. + +Now I do not intend you to suppose, when I say that everything was very +comfortable, that everything was in order in those two rooms, that +everything was fixed up; that the iron pots were full of cookies or of +all kinds of cookeries; that the crockery was full of good things; that +the black walls had been whitened; not a bit of it. Things had changed; +things had changed very much. The faces had changed. + +The mother's face and 'Lisbeth's had altered more than Dickon's and +Gorham's, but their being altered I think had changed Dickon's and +Gorham's too. Do you know what had changed them? Why, 'Lisbeth had made +up her mind to try to be contented and to use her mother's head. She was +so much more pleasant looking that you would have been surprised at the +change. + +You have seen her before this, with your mind's eye, I know; that is, +you have imagined how she might have looked, and you have always seen +her looking as though she was dissatisfied; as though she was wishing +for something she had not; as though she was trying to think of +something to do, or somewhere to go, as though she was about to make use +of her own head contrary to that of her mother. But now she looked more +cheerful and comfortable; indeed like a different girl entirely. You +see she made up her mind to be a different girl entirely, and to try to +work by her mother's head, and when 'Lisbeth made up her mind about +anything we know that it was made up. + +'Lisbeth had improved very much. Yet she was 'Lisbeth; 'Lisbeth working +a great deal by her mother's head instead of by her own. + +Beside this 'Lisbeth had a pleasant prospect before her; a very pleasant +prospect indeed. She did not very often lose sight of this prospect; I +mean the prospect of going a hundred miles from London. She looked so +much more pleasant than formerly that you would not think, at sight of +her, "there is a girl who is not satisfied in the place where she is +growing, or with the things she finds around her; she looks +uncomfortable." + +I think that 'Lisbeth was better contented the last weeks she lived in +London than during any week of her life, except the week before she came +to London. Her contentment had changed everything very much; as I said, +it had changed the faces; the faces were changed because everybody felt +happier. Things were very different in those two rooms because 'Lisbeth +was different. + +For two whole months they were getting ready to go away; they were +working and saving and wondering and smiling and laughing and hoping +before they left the dreadful old rooms, but then they were such +different months from all the others spent there that they were short +months; that is, they seemed short. + +The boys were happier when their mother and 'Lisbeth were bright and +happy; their mother was happy when her children were good and wore +bright faces. 'Lisbeth wore a bright face when she tried to be content +with things as she found them, and did not run about the streets of +London trying to sell gingerbread cats and dogs and doll-babies, trying +to earn pence with sweeping streets or pulling wires, or making wigs. So +as everybody was happier than they had been the months seemed short. + +Who cared that the walls were black and the rooms little and the street +too little to be called a street? Nobody. + +All the difference came by 'Lisbeth's having made up her mind to be +contented to help mother in mother's way instead of her own way; by +'Lisbeth's having made up her mind to mix her earnestness with her +mother's judgment. + +They left the little dark rooms, in the dirty old house, and all the +shows, and people, and carriages and houses of London, and went back +where they first grew, back to the very house under the walnut tree +where the bits of the hogshead still blew about--the hogshead which had +once opened its mouth. + +The mother went again to work at the mill, and the children all went to +Miss Pritchet's school, and 'Lisbeth picked beans, and helped take care +of Trotty, and of the house, and helped mother so much, that mother +began to look bright and happy and smiling like somebody else. In fact, +'Lisbeth looked bright and happy, and smiling, herself, like somebody +else, and when she would sit on the mile-stone she would smile more than +ever in thinking what a little goose she had been ever to want to go so +many miles away; and, indeed, so happy and contented did she become +with the work she found to do in the place in which she grew, that you +would never have known her to be 'Lisbeth. + + + + + * * * * * + + + +Transcriber's note: + +Obvious punctuation errors have been corrected. + +Blank pages have been removed. + +On page 42 "unreasonble" has been changed to "unreasonable" + (... thought him unreasonable enough, ...) + +On page 50 "disparingly" has been changed to "dispairingly" (... said + 'Lisbeth a little despairingly.) + +On page 84 "a doing" has been changed to "a-doing". (You must be up + and a-doing, ..) + +On page 27 the word "flim" has been retained. + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOME LITTLE PEOPLE*** + + +******* This file should be named 34205.txt or 34205.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/4/2/0/34205 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://www.gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: +http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + diff --git a/34205.zip b/34205.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..70806d3 --- /dev/null +++ b/34205.zip diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..66001ab --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #34205 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34205) |
