The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-BabyKingsley, Charles
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The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby
Kingsley, Charles
Chimney sweeps -- Juvenile fiction; Fairy tales -- England
"But these people," she went on, "did not know that they were doing
wrong: they were only stupid and impatient; and therefore I only punish
them till they become patient, and learn to use their common sense like
reasonable beings. But as for chimney-sweeps, and collier-boys, and
nailer lads, my sister has set good people to stop all that sort of
thing; and very much obliged to her I am; for if she could only stop the
cruel masters from ill-using poor children, I should grow handsome at
least a thousand years sooner. And now do you be a good boy, and do as
you would be done by, which they did not; and then, when my sister,
MADAME DOASYOUWOULDBEDONEBY, comes on Sunday, perhaps she will take
notice of you, and teach you how to behave. She understands that better
than I do." And so she went.
Tom was very glad to hear that there was no chance of meeting Grimes
again, though he was a little sorry for him, considering that he used
sometimes to give him the leavings of the beer: but he determined to be
a very good boy all Saturday; and he was; for he never frightened one
crab, nor tickled any live corals, nor put stones into the sea anemones'
mouths, to make them fancy they had got a dinner; and when Sunday
morning came, sure enough, MRS. DOASYOUWOULDBEDONEBY came too. Whereat
all the little children began dancing and clapping their hands, and Tom
danced too with all his might.
And as for the pretty lady, I cannot tell you what the colour of her
hair was, or of her eyes: no more could Tom; for, when any one looks at
her, all they can think of is, that she has the sweetest, kindest,
tenderest, funniest, merriest face they ever saw, or want to see. But
Tom saw that she was a very tall woman, as tall as her sister: but
instead of being gnarly and horny, and scaly, and prickly, like her, she
was the most nice, soft, fat, smooth, pussy, cuddly, delicious creature
who ever nursed a baby; and she understood babies thoroughly, for she
had plenty of her own, whole rows and regiments of them, and has to this
day. And all her delight was, whenever she had a spare moment, to play
with babies, in which she showed herself a woman of sense; for babies
are the best company, and the pleasantest playfellows, in the world; at
least, so all the wise people in the world think. And therefore when the
children saw her, they naturally all caught hold of her, and pulled her
till she sat down on a stone, and climbed into her lap, and clung round
her neck, and caught hold of her hands; and then they all put their
thumbs into their mouths, and began cuddling and purring like so many
kittens, as they ought to have done. While those who could get nowhere
else sat down on the sand, and cuddled her feet--for no one, you know,
wear shoes in the water, except horrid old bathing-women, who are afraid
of the water-babies pinching their horny toes. And Tom stood staring at
them; for he could not understand what it was all about.
"And who are you, you little darling?" she said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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