Produced by Delphine Lettau, Constantia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "CARROTS:" JUST A LITTLE BOY "Is it then a great mistake That Boys were ever made at all?" [Illustration: There she sat, as still as a mouse, holding her precious burden. (_See page_ 9.) _Frontispiece_] "CARROTS:" JUST A LITTLE BOY BY MRS. MOLESWORTH (ENNIS GRAHAM) AUTHOR OF "TELL ME A STORY" "CUCKOO CLOCK" "GRANDMOTHER DEAR" ETC. [Illustration: p. 210.] ILLUSTRATED BY WALTER CRANE LONDON MACMILLAN & CO. 1876 TO SIX LITTLE COUSINS MORIER, BEVIL, NOËL, LIONEL, EDWARD, AND BABY BRIAN. EDINBURGH, 1870 CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. FLOSS'S BABY 1 II. SIX YEARS OLD 12 III. PLANS 26 IV. THE LOST HALF-SOVEREIGN 44 V. CARROTS IN TROUBLE 60 VI. CARROTS "ALL ZIGHT" AGAIN 78 VII. A LONG AGO STORY 91 VIII. "THE BEWITCHED TONGUE" 111 IX. SYBIL 130 X. A JOURNEY AND ITS ENDING 152 XI. HAPPY AND SAD 180 XII. "THE TWO FUNNY LITTLE TROTS" 206 XIII. GOOD ENDINGS 236 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE THERE SHE SAT, AS STILL AS A MOUSE, HOLDING HER PRECIOUS BURDEN _Frontispiece._ "A YELLOW SIXPENNY, OH, HOW NICE!" 36 FLOSS TAPPED AT THE DOOR. "CARROTS," SHE SAID, "ARE YOU THERE?" 78 "NOW, BE QUIET ALL OF YOU, I'M GOING TO BEGIN" 114 "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT, MY POOR OLD MAN?" SAID AUNTIE, FONDLY 148 "IT IS FLOSSIE AND ME, SYBIL--DON'T YOU REMEMBER US?" 184 "SUDDENLY A BRIGHT THOUGHT STRUCK ME, I SEIZED GIP, MY LITTLE DOG, WHO WAS ASLEEP ON THE HEARTHRUG, AND HELD HIM UP AT THE WINDOW" 212 "CARROTS:" JUST A LITTLE BOY CHAPTER I. FLOSS'S BABY. "Where did you come from, Baby dear? Out of the everywhere into here? * * * "But how did you come to us, you dear? God thought about you, and so I am here!" _G. Macdonald._