Fairies -- Juvenile fiction; Natural history -- Juvenile fiction
Roy and Charlie went straight home, talking all the way about the
wonderful things they had seen and heard. "We must watch carefully for
the next full moon," said Roy at his gate, as they stood for a moment
to say good-night. "Yes, indeed," said Charlie, "what a time we shall
have!" Then he hurried home.
"Have you had a good time, Charlie?" asked his mother at tea-time.
"Rather!" said Charlie. "I don't believe anybody ever saw so many
wonderful things as we saw to-day." And then he grew so excited at the
thought of it all that he forgot about his promise, and told his mother
and father about the Princess and the Palace. He knew before he had
finished that he had done wrong, but that did not stop him. And the
worst of it was that neither his father nor his mother believed him.
His mother at first looked very grave, and asked him if he had been in
the sun without his hat, but his father said: "Nonsense! the sun was
not hot to-day. See that he doesn't read too much, Mary. We don't
want him to learn to spin yarns like this." Then he was sent to bed.
Roy did not break his promise. He told his father and mother about his
rabbiting, and about things he saw on the hills and in the gullies, but
he said nothing at all about the Princess and the Palace. It was hard
to keep silent when it was such a wonderful secret, but he remembered
his promise.
And that is how Roy found the Palace again and Charlie did not. When
the day after the full moon came, they both started out, but Roy's
stone led him straight to the Palace, while Charlie's led him all the
afternoon away from it. They were magic stones, and had power to
punish and reward. So Roy was led to the Princess, and had all sorts
of wonderful games with Little Hoppy, while Charlie, because he had not
kept his word, was led astray and not allowed to follow Roy or find the
Palace for himself. And he has never found it yet.
URCHINS IN THE SEA
Baby Urchin was vexed. "The grown-ups have all the fun," he said to
his brothers and sisters. "Every day they play on the beach, while we
are told to stay here amongst these stupid rocks and seaweeds. On the
beach they have glorious times. I have often heard them talk about it.
Why shouldn't we go?"
"Yes, indeed," said the others. "Let us all go."
They swam eagerly from their playground between the rocks--the queerest
babies you ever saw. They looked as if they were made of chalk and
glass; and each had about twelve long arms, sticking straight out in
every direction from the funny white body.
They were fast swimmers; they went gaily on, never thinking of possible
dangers. But a hungry fish saw them, and came straight at them with
wide-open mouth. Snap! The cruel jaws closed together, and a hundred
Baby Urchins fell down the great throat. Then those who were left
turned and swam for home as fast as their terrified arms could take
them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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