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with their mouths open, gazing at the bare space on the inlaid
marble floor where the carpet and the children had been.
That is magic, if ever magic was! ' said the queen, delighted with the
incident; which, indeed, has given the ladies of that court something
to talk about on wet days ever since.
Cyril s stories had taken some time, so had the meal of strange sweet
foods that they had had while the little pretty things were being
bought, and the gas in the schoolroom was already lighted. Outside,
the winter dusk was stealing down among the Camden Town
houses.
I m glad we got washed in India, ' said Cyril. We should have been
awfully late if we d had to go home and scrub. '
Besides, ' Robert said, it s much warmer washing in India. I
shouldn t mind it so much if we lived there. '
The thoughtful carpet had dumped the children down in a dusky
space behind the point where the corners of two stalls met. The floor
was littered with string and brown paper, and baskets and boxes
were heaped along the wall.
The children crept out under a stall covered with all sorts of table-
covers and mats and things, embroidered beautifully by idle ladies
with no real work to do. They got out at the end, displacing a
sideboard-cloth adorned with a tasteful pattern of blue geraniums.
The girls got out unobserved, so did Cyril; but Robert, as he
cautiously emerged, was actually walked on by Mrs Biddle, who
kept the stall. Her large, solid foot stood firmly on the small, solid
hand of Robert and who can blame Robert if he DID yell a little?
A crowd instantly collected. Yells are very unusual at bazaars, and
every one was intensely interested. It was several seconds before the
three free children could make Mrs Biddle understand that what she
was walking on was not a schoolroom floor, or even, as she presently
61
The Phoenix and the Carpet
supposed, a dropped pin-cushion, but the living hand of a suffering
child. When she became aware that she really had hurt him, she
grew very angry indeed. When people have hurt other people by
accident, the one who does the hurting is always much the angriest. I
wonder why.
I m very sorry, I m sure, ' said Mrs Biddle; but she spoke more in
anger than in sorrow. Come out! whatever do you mean by creeping
about under the stalls, like earwigs? '
We were looking at the things in the corner. '
Such nasty, prying ways, ' said Mrs Biddle, will never make you
successful in life. There s nothing there but packing and dust. '
Oh, isn t there! ' said Jane. That s all you know. '
Little girl, don t be rude, ' said Mrs Biddle, flushing violet.
She doesn t mean to be; but there ARE some nice things there, all
the same, ' said Cyril; who suddenly felt how impossible it was to
inform the listening crowd that all the treasures piled on the carpet
were mother s contributions to the bazaar. No one would believe it;
and if they did, and wrote to thank mother, she would think well,
goodness only knew what she would think. The other three children
felt the same.
I should like to see them, ' said a very nice lady, whose friends had
disappointed her, and who hoped that these might be belated
contributions to her poorly furnished stall.
She looked inquiringly at Robert, who said, With pleasure, don t
mention it, ' and dived back under Mrs Biddle s stall.
I wonder you encourage such behaviour, ' said Mrs Biddle. I always
speak my mind, as you know, Miss Peasmarsh; and, I must say, I am
surprised. ' She turned to the crowd. There is no entertainment here,
' she said sternly. A very naughty little boy has accidentally hurt
himself, but only slightly. Will you please disperse? It will only
encourage him in naughtiness if he finds himself the centre of
attraction. '
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The Phoenix and the Carpet
The crowd slowly dispersed. Anthea, speechless with fury, heard a
nice curate say, Poor little beggar! ' and loved the curate at once and
for ever.
Then Robert wriggled out from under the stall with some Benares
brass and some inlaid sandalwood boxes.
Liberty! ' cried Miss Peasmarsh. Then Charles has not forgotten,
after all. '
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