A Prisoner in Fairyland (The Book That 'Uncle Paul' Wrote)Blackwood, Algernon
Science
A Prisoner in Fairyland (The Book That 'Uncle Paul' Wrote)
Blackwood, Algernon
Magic -- Fiction; Voyages and travels -- Fiction
The door into the adjoining bedroom was for ever opening and shutting,
as the children disappeared with armfuls and reappeared five minutes
later, marvellously apparelled. There was no attempt at sorting yet.
Blouses and flannel trousers lay upon the floor with boots and motor
veils. Every one had something, and the pile set aside for Edward grew
apace. Only Jimbo was disconsolate. He was too small for everything;
even the ladies' boots were too narrow and too pointed for his little
feet. From time to time he rummaged with the hammer and chisel (still
held _very_ tightly) among the mass of paper at the bottom. But, as
usual, there was nothing but gaudy neckties that he could use. And
these he did not care about. He said no word, but stood there watching
the others and trying to laugh, only keeping the tears back with the
greatest difficulty.
From his position in the background Rogers took it all in. He moved up
and slipped a ten-franc piece into the boy's hand. 'Secretaries don't
wear clothes like this,' he whispered. 'We'll go into town to-morrow
and get the sort of thing you want.'
Jimbo looked up and stared. He stood on tip-toe to kiss him. 'Oh,
thank you so much,' he said, fearful lest the others should see; and
tucked the coin away into a pocket underneath his cotton blouse. A
moment later he came back from the corner where he had hid himself to
examine it. 'But, Cousin Henry,' he whispered, utterly astonished,
'it's gold.' He had thought the coin was a ten-centime piece such as
Daddy sometimes gave him. He could not believe it. He had never seen
gold before. He ran up and told his parents. His sisters were too
excited to be told just then. After that he vanished into the passage
without being noticed, and when he returned five minutes later his
eyes were suspiciously red. But no one heard him say a word about
getting nothing out of the box. He stood aside, with a superior manner
and looked quietly on. 'It's very nice for the girls,' his expression
said. His interest in the box had grown decidedly less. He could buy
an entire shop for himself now.
'Mother, Daddy, everybody,' cried an excited voice, 'will you look at
me a minute, please! It all fits me perfectly,' and Jinny emerged from
the bedroom door. She had been trying on. A rough brown dress of
Harris tweed became her well; she wore a motor veil about her head,
and another was tied round her neck; a white silk blouse, at least one
size too large for her, bulged voluminously from beneath the neat
tweed jacket. She wore her suede gloves still. 'And there's an outside
pocket in the skirt, you see.' She pulled it up and showed a very
pointed pair of brown boots; they were much too long; they looked
ridiculous after her square village boots. 'I can waggle my toes in
them,' she explained, strutting to and fro to be admired. 'I'm a
fashionable monster now!'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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