Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 2Sylvester, Charles Herbert
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Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 2
Sylvester, Charles Herbert
Children's literature; Literature -- Collections
The other picture was that of a man nailed to a cross, which surprised
Tom much. He fancied that he had seen something like it in a shop
window. But why was it there? "Poor man," thought Tom, "and he looks so
kind and quiet." But why should the lady have such a sad picture as that
in her room? Perhaps it was some kinsman of hers, who had been murdered
by the savages in foreign parts, and she kept it there for a
remembrance. And Tom felt sad, and awed, and turned to look at something
else. The next thing he saw, and that, too, puzzled him, was a washing-
stand, with ewers and basins, and soap and brushes, and towels, and a
large bath full of clean water--what a heap of things all for washing!
"She must be a very dirty lady," thought Tom, "by my master's rule, to
want as much scrubbing as all that. But she must be very cunning to put
the dirt out of the way so well afterwards, for I don't see a speck
about the room, not even on the very towels."
And then, looking toward the bed, he saw that dirty lady, and held his
breath with astonishment.
Under the snow-white coverlet, upon the snow-white pillow, lay the most
beautiful little girl that Tom had ever seen. Her cheeks were almost as
white as the pillow, and her hair was like threads of gold spread all
about over the bed. She might have been as old as Tom, or maybe a year
or two older; but Tom did not think of that. He thought only of her
delicate skin and golden hair, and wondered whether she was a real live
person, or one of the wax dolls he had seen in the shops. But when he
saw her breathe, he made up his mind that she was alive, and stood
staring at her, as if she had been an angel out of heaven.
No. She cannot be dirty. She never could have been dirty, thought Tom to
himself; and then he thought, "And are all people like that when they
are washed?" And he looked at his own wrist, and tried to rub the soot
off, and wondered whether it ever would come off. "Certainly, I should
look much prettier then, if I grew at all like her."
And looking round, he suddenly saw, standing close to him, a little,
ugly, black, ragged figure, with bleared eyes and grinning white teeth.
He turned on it angrily. What did such a little black ape want in that
sweet young lady's room? And behold, it was himself, reflected in a
great mirror, the like of which Tom had never seen before.
And Tom, for the first time in his life, found out that he was dirty;
and burst into tears with shame and anger; and turned to sneak up the
chimney again and hide; and upset the fender and threw the fire irons
down, with a noise as of ten thousand tin kettles tied to ten thousand
mad dogs' tails.
Up jumped the little white lady in her bed, and seeing Tom, screamed as
shrill as any peacock. In rushed a stout old nurse from the next room,
and seeing Tom likewise, made up her mind that he had come to rob,
plunder, destroy, and burn, and dashed at him, as he lay over the
fender, so fast that she caught him by the jacket.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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