The Tapestry Room: A Child's RomanceMolesworth, Mrs.
Science
The Tapestry Room: A Child's Romance
Molesworth, Mrs.
Fantasy literature
Some days went on, and nothing more was said by the children about the
adventures which had so puzzled poor Hugh. After a while he seemed to
lose the wish to talk about them to little Jeanne; or rather, he began
to feel as if he could not, that the words would not come, or that if
they did, they would not tell what he wanted. He thought about the
strange things he had seen very often, but it was as if he had read of
them rather than as if he had seen and heard them, or as if they had
happened to some one else. Whenever he saw Dudu and Houpet and the rest
of the pets, he looked at them at first in a half dreamy way, wondering
if they too were puzzled about it all, or if, being really fairies, they
did not find anything to puzzle them! The only person (for, after all,
he could often not prevent himself from looking upon all the animals as
persons)--the only person who he somehow felt sure _did_ understand him,
was Marcelline, and this was a great satisfaction. She said nothing; she
almost never even smiled in what Jeanne called her "funny" way; but
there was just a very tiny little undersound in the tone of her voice
sometimes, a little wee smile in her eyes more than on her lips, that
told Hugh that, fairy or no fairy, old Marcelline knew all about it, and
it pleased him to think so.
One night when Hugh was warmly tucked up in bed Marcelline came in as
usual before he went to sleep to put out his light.
"There's been no moonlight for a good while Marcelline, has there?" he
said.
"No, Monsieur, there has not," said Marcelline.
"Will it be coming back soon?" asked Hugh.
"Do you like it so much, my child?" said the old nurse. She had a funny
way of sometimes answering a question by asking another.
"Yes," said Hugh. "At least, of course when I'm fast asleep it doesn't
matter to me if it's moonlight or not. But you know what I like it for,
Marcelline, and you said the other day that I hadn't half seen the
tapestry castle, and I want very much to see it, Marcelline, only I'd
like Jeanne to be with me; for I don't think I could tell her well about
the fairy things if she hadn't been with me. She didn't seem to
understand the words, and I don't think I could get the right ones to
tell, do you know, Marcelline?"
He half sat up in bed, resting his head on his elbow, which was leaning
on the pillow, and looking up in the old woman's face with his earnest
blue eyes. Marcelline shook her head slowly.
"No," she said, "you're right. The words wouldn't come, and if they did,
it would be no use. You're older than Mademoiselle Jeanne, Monsieur
Hugh, and it's different for her. But it doesn't matter--the days bring
their own pleasures and interests, which the moonlight wouldn't suit.
You wouldn't have cared for a dinner like what you have every day when
you were listening to the song of the swan?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account