Magnum Bonum; Or, Mother Carey's BroodYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
General
Magnum Bonum; Or, Mother Carey's Brood
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Domestic fiction; England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Religious fiction
After a greeting to the two girls, who comported themselves, according
to their ages, as young ladies might be expected to do, the Ogilvies
found accommodation on the roots of the tree, and listened. The “Water
Babies” were then new, and Mr. Ogilvie had never heard them. Luckily the
reading had just come to the history of the “Do as You Likes,” and the
interview between the last of the race and M. Du Chaillu diverted him
beyond measure. He laughed so much over the poor fellow’s abortive
attempt to say “Am I not a man and a brother?” that his three scholars
burst out into a second edition of shouts of laughter at the sight of
him, and thus succeeded in waking Robin, who, after a great contortion,
sat up on the grass, and, rubbing his eyes, demanded in an injured tone
what was the row?
“‘The Last of the Do as You Likes,’” said Armine.
“Oh I say--isn’t it jolly,” cried Jock, beating his breast
gorilla-fashion and uttering a wild murmur of “Am I not a man and
a brother?” then tumbling head over heels, half in ecstasy, half in
imitation of the fate of the Do as You Like, setting everybody off into
fits again.
“It’s just what Robin is coming to,” observed Bobus, as his namesake
stretched his arms and delivered himself of a waking howl; then suddenly
becoming conscious of Mr. Ogilvie, he remained petrified, with one arm
fully outstretched, the other still lifted to his head.
“Never mind, Brownlow maximus,” said his master; “it was hardly fair to
surprise you in private life, was it?”
The boy made no answer, but scrambled up, sheepish and disconcerted; and
indeed the sun was entirely down and the dew almost falling, so that the
mother called to the young ones to gather up their things and come home.
Such a collection! Bobus picked up a tin-case and basket full of
flowers, interspersed with bottles of swimming insects. The trio and
Armine shouldered their butterfly-nets, and had a distribution of
pill-boxes and bottles, in some of which were caterpillars intended to
live, in others butterflies dead (or dying, it may be feared) of laurel
leaves. Babie had a mighty nosegay; Janet put up the sketch, which
showed a good deal of power; and the whole troop moved up the slope to
go home by the lanes.
“What collectors you are!” said Mr. Ogilvie.
“For the museum,” answered Armine, eagerly.
“Haven’t you seen our museum?” cried Barbara, who had taken his hand.
“Oh, it is such a beauty! We have got an Orobanche major, only it is not
dry yet.”
“I’m afraid Babie likes fine words,” said her mother; “but our museum is
a great amusement to us Londoners.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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