Produced by Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net OSWALD BASTABLE AND OTHERS [Illustration: '"Don't break down the door! The villains may return any moment and destroy you."'--Page 115.] OSWALD BASTABLE AND OTHERS _By_ E. NESBIT _Illustrated by_ CHARLES E. BROCK AND H. R. MILLAR ERNEST BENN LIMITED LONDON COWARD-McCANN INC NEW YORK _First re-issued in this edition 1960_ _Published by Ernest Benn Limited Bouverie House . Fleet Street . London . EC4 and Coward-McCann Inc 210 Madison Avenue . New York 16 . NY_ _Printed in Great Britain_ TO MY DEAR NIECE ANTHONIA NESBIT CONTENTS OSWALD BASTABLE AN OBJECT OF VALUE AND VIRTUE _page_ 1 THE RUNAWAYS 34 THE ARSENICATORS: A TALE OF CRIME 64 THE ENCHANCERIED HOUSE 89 OTHERS MOLLY, THE MEASLES, AND THE MISSING WILL 123 BILLY AND WILLIAM 151 THE TWOPENNY SPELL 167 SHOWING OFF; OR, THE LOOKING-GLASS BOY 181 THE RING AND THE LAMP 200 THE CHARMED LIFE; OR, THE PRINCESS AND THE LIFT-MAN 224 BILLY THE KING 247 THE PRINCESS AND THE CAT 275 THE WHITE HORSE 301 SIR CHRISTOPHER COCKLESHELL 318 MUSCADEL 343 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS '_Don't break down the door! The villains may return any moment and destroy you_' _Frontispiece_ _'Here is your prize,' said Oswald_ _facing page_ 30 _'Come into the kitchen,' said Oswald; 'you can drip there quite comfortably'_ 52 _We consented to carry the unfortunate bed-woman to it_ 76 _The room was a very odd shape_ _page_ 103 _A little person in a large white cap_ 121 _Molly had a splendid ride behind the groom_ _facing page_ 134 _The bicycle started, Billy in the saddle and Harold on the step_ 164 '_And what can we do for you to-day, Miss?_' 170 _The alligator very nearly had him_ 194