Boys -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Families -- Juvenile fiction
There he was indeed--fast, fast asleep! Extra fast sleep, for his
troubles and his tears had worn him out. He was lying in a corner of a
large closet opening out of the dressing-room. In this closet Captain
Desart hung up his coats and dressing-gowns, and doubtless Carrots had
crept into it when the room began to get dark, feeling as if in the
hanging garments there was some comfort and protection; and there he
lay, looking so fair and innocent, prettier than when he was awake, for
his cheeks had more colour, and his long eye-lashes, reddy-brown like
his hair, showed clearly on his fair skin.
"Poor little fellow, how sweet he looks," said Mrs. Desart. "Nurse, lift
him up and try to put him to bed without waking him. We must wait to
disentangle the confusion in his mind till to-morrow morning."
And very tenderly nurse lifted him up and carried him off.
"My bonnie wee man," she murmured; for though it was many and many a day
since she had seen her native land, and she had journeyed with her
master and mistress to strange countries "far over the sea," she was apt
when her feelings were stirred to fall back into her own childish
tongue.
So no more was said to or about Carrots that evening; but Floss went to
bed quite happy and satisfied that "mamma" would put it all right in the
morning. I don't think Mott went to bed in so comfortable a mood; yet
his mother had said nothing to him!
Cecil and Louise had, though. Cecil told him right out that he was a
horrid tell-tale, and Louise said she only wished _he_ had red hair
instead of Carrots; which expressions of feeling on the part of such
very grown-up young ladies meant a good deal, for it was not often they
troubled themselves much about nursery matters. Cecil, that is to say,
for Louise, who was fair haired and soft and gentle, and played very
nicely on the piano, was just a shadow of Cecil, and if Cecil had
proposed that they should stay in bed all day and get up all night,
would have thought it a very good idea!
And the next morning Mrs. Desart had a long talk with Carrots. It was
all explained and made clear, and the difference between the two kinds
of "sovereigns" shown to him. And he told his mother all--all, that is
to say, except the "plan" for saving sugar and getting money instead,
which had first put it into his head to keep the half-sovereign to get a
new doll for Floss. He began to tell about the plan, but stopped when he
remembered that it was Floss's secret as well as his own; and when he
told his mother this, she said he was quite right not to tell without
Floss's leave, and that as nurse knew about it, they might still keep it
for their secret, if they liked, which Carrots was very glad to hear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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