第3章

Youcan’tdohalfthethingsyourselfthatchildreninbooksdo，makingmodelsorsoon。Iwonderwhy？ ALICE。 Ifyoutakeadate’sstoneoutandputinanalmondandeatthemtogether，itisprime。Ifoundthisout。 SUB—EDITOR。 Ifyouputyourwethandintoboilingleaditwillnothurtyouifyoudrawitoutquicklyenough。Ihavenevertriedthis。 DORA。 ThePurringClass（INSTRUCTIVEARTICLE） IfIeverkeepaschooleverythingshallbequitedifferent。 Nobodyshalllearnanythingtheydon’twantto。Andsometimesinsteadofhavingmastersandmistresseswewillhavecats，andwewilldressupincatskinsandlearnpurring。’Now，mydears，’theoldcatwillsay，one，two，threeallpurrtogether，’andweshallpurrlikeanything。 Shewon’tteachustomew，butweshallknowhowwithoutteaching。 Childrendoknowsomethingswithoutbeingtaught。 ALICE。 Poetry（TRANSLATEDINTOFRENCHBYDORA） Quandj’etaisjeuneetj’etaisfouJ’achetaiunviolonpourdix—huitsousEttouslesairsquejejouaiEtaitoverthehillsandfaraway。 ANOTHERPIECEOFIT MerciejolievachequifaitBonlaitpourmondejeunerTouslesmatinstouslessoirsMonpainjemange，tonlaitjeboire。 RecreationsItisamistaketothinkthatcatsareplayful。Ioftentrytogetacattoplaywithme，andsheneverseemstocareaboutthegame，nomatterhowlittleithurts。 H。O。 Makingpotsandpanswithclayisfun，butdonottellthegrown—ups。Itisbettertosurprisethem;andthenyoumustsayatoncehoweasilyitwashesoff—mucheasierthanink。 DICKY。 SamRedfern，ortheBushranger’sBurialBYDICKY ’Well，Annie，Ihavebadnewsforyou，’saidMrRidgway，asheenteredthecomfortabledining—roomofhiscabinintheBush。’SamRedferntheBushrangerisaboutthispartoftheBushjustnow。I hopehewillnotattackuswithhisgang。’ ’Ihopenot，’respondedAnnie，agentlemaidenofsomesixteensummers。 justthencameaknockatthedoorofthehut，andagruffvoiceaskedthemtoopenthedoor。 ’ItisSamRedferntheBushranger，father，’saidthegirl。 ’Thesame，’respondedthevoice，andthenextmomentthehalldoorwassmashedin，andSamRedfernsprangin，followedbyhisgang。 CHAPTERII Annie’sFatherwasatonceoverpowered，andAnnieherselflayboundwithcordsonthedrawing—roomsofa。SamRedfernsetaguardroundthelonelyhut，andallhumanaidwasdespairedof。Butyouneverknow。FarawayintheBushadifferentscenewasbeingenacted。 ’MustbeInjuns，’saidatallmantohimselfashepushedhiswaythroughthebrushwood。ItwasJimCarlton，thecelebrateddetective。’Iknowthem，’headded;’theyareApaches。’justthentenIndiansinfullwar—paintappeared。Carltonraisedhisrifleandfired，andslingingtheirscalpsonhisarmhehastenedtowardsthehumbleloghutwhereresidedhisaffiancedbride，AnnieRidgway，sometimesknownastheFloweroftheBush。 CHAPTERIII Themoonwaslowonthehorizon，andSamRedfernwasseatedatadrinkingboutwithsomeofhisbooncompanions。 Theyhadrifledthecellarsofthehut，andtherichwinesflowedlikewaterinthegoldengobletsofMrRidgway。 ButAnniehadmadefriendswithoneofthegang，anoble，good—heartedmanwhohadjoinedSamRedfernbymistake，andshehadtoldhimtogoandgetthepoliceasquicklyaspossible。 ’Ha！ha！’criedRedfern，’nowIamenjoyingmyself！’Helittleknewthathisdoomwasnearuponhim。 JustthenAnniegaveapiercingscream，andSamRedferngotup，seizinghisrevolver。’Whoareyou？’hecried，asamanentered。 ’IamJimCarlton，thecelebrateddetective，’saidthenewarrival。 SamRedfern’srevolverdroppedfromhisnervelessfingers，butthenextmomenthehadsprunguponthedetectivewiththewell—knownactivityofthemountainsheep，andAnnieshrieked，forshehadgrowntolovetheroughBushranger。 （Tobecontinuedattheendofthepaperifthereisroom。） ScholasticAnewslateishorridtillitiswashedinmilk。Ilikethegreenspotsonthemtodrawpatternsround。Iknowagoodwaytomakeaslate—pencilsqueak，butIwon’tputitinbecauseIdon’twanttomakeitcommon。SUB—EDITOR。 Peppermintisagreathelpwitharithmetic。TheboywhowassecondintheOxfordLocalalwaysdidit。Hegavemetwo。Theexaminersaidtohim，’Areyoueatingpeppermints？’Andhesaid，’No，Sir。’ Hetoldmeafterwardsitwasquitetrue，becausehewasonlysuckingone。I’mgladIwasn’tasked。Ishouldneverhavethoughtofthat，andIcouldhavehadtosay’Yes。’ OSWALD。 TheWreckofthe’Malabar’ BYNOEL（Authorof’ADreamofAncientAncestors。’）Heisn’treally—butheputitintomakeitseemmorereal。 Hark！whatisthatnoiseofrollingWavesandthunderintheair？ ’Tisthedeath—knellofthesailorsAndofficersandpassengersofthegoodshipMalabar。 ItwasafairandlovelynoonWhenthegoodshipputoutofportAndpeoplesaid’ahlittlewethinkHowsoonshewillbetheelements’sport。’ ShewasindeedalovelysightUponthebillowswithsailsspread。 Butthecaptainfoldedhisgloomyarms，Ah—ifshehadbeenalife—boatinstead！ SeethecaptainsternyetgloomyFlingshissonuponarock，HopingthattherehisdarlingboyMayescapethewreck。 AlasinvaintheloudwindsroaredAndnobodywassaved。 ThatwasthewreckoftheMalabar，Thenletustollforthebrave。 NOEL。 GardeningNotesItisuselesstoplantcherry—stonesinthehopeofeatingthefruit，becausetheydon’t！ Alicewon’tlendhergardeningtoolsagain，becausethelasttimeNoelleftthemoutintherain，andIdon’tlikeit。Hesaidhedidn’t。 SeedsandBulbsTheseareusefultoplayatshopwith，untilyouareready。Notatdinner—parties，fortheywillnotgrowunlessuncooked。Potatoesarenotgrownwithseed，butwithchopped—uppotatoes。Appletreesaregrownfromtwigs，whichislesswasteful。 Oaktreescomefromacorns。Everyoneknowsthis。WhenNoelsayshecouldgrowonefromapeachstonewrappedupinoakleaves，heshowsthatheknowsnothingaboutgardeningbutmarigolds，andwhenIpassedbyhisgardenIthoughttheyseemedjustlikeweedsnowtheflowershavebeenpicked。 Aboyoncedaredmetoeatabulb。 Dogsareveryindustriousandfondofgardening。Pincherisalwaysplantingbones，buttheynevergrowup。Therecouldn’tbeabonetree。Ithinkthisiswhatmakeshimbarksounhappilyatnight。 Hehasnevertriedplantingdog—biscuit，butheisfonderofbones，andperhapshewantstobequitesureaboutthemfirst。 SamRedfern，ortheBushranger’sBurialBYDICKY CHAPTERIVANDLAST ThiswouldhavebeenajollygoodstoryiftheyhadletmefinishitatthebeginningofthepaperasIwantedto。ButnowIhaveforgottenhowImeantittoend，andIhavelostmybookaboutRedIndians，andallmyBoysofEnglandhavebeensneaked。Thegirlssay’Goodriddance！’soIexpecttheydidit。TheywantmejusttoputinwhichAnniemarried，butIshan’t，sotheywillneverknow。 Wehavenowputeverythingwecanthinkofintothepaper。Ittakesalotofthinkingabout。Idon’tknowhowgrown—upsmanagetowritealltheydo。Itmustmaketheirheadsache，especiallylessonbooks。 Albert—next—dooronlywroteonechapteroftheserialstory，buthecouldhavedonesomemoreifhehadwantedto。Hecouldnotwriteoutanyofthethingsbecausehecannotspell。Hesayshecan，butittakeshimsuchalongtimehemightjustaswellnotbeable。 Thereareoneortwothingsmore。Iamsickofit，butDorasaysshewillwritethemin。 Legalanswerwanted。Aquantityofexcellentstringisofferedifyouknowwhethertherereallyisalawpassedaboutnotbuyinggunpowderunderthirteen。 DICKY。 Thepriceofthispaperisoneshillingeach，andsixpenceextraforthepictureoftheMalabargoingdownwithallhands。Ifwesellonehundredcopieswewillwriteanotherpaper。 Andsowewouldhavedone，butweneverdid。Albert—next—door’sunclegaveustwoshillings，thatwasall。Youcan’trestorefallenfortuneswithtwoshillings！ CHAPTER9 THEG。B。 Beingeditorsisnotthebestwaytowealth。Weallfeelthisnow，andhighwaymenarenotrespectedanymoreliketheyusedtobe。 Iamsurewehadtriedourbesttorestoreourfallenfortunes。Wefelttheirfallverymuch，becauseweknewtheBastableshadbeenrichonce。DoraandOswaldcanrememberwhenFatherwasalwaysbringingnicethingshomefromLondon，andthereusedtobeturkeysandgeeseandwineandcigarscomebythecarrieratChristmas—time，andboxesofcandiedfruitandFrenchplumsinornamentalboxeswithsilkandvelvetandgildingonthem。Theywerecalledprunes，buttheprunesyoubuyatthegrocer’sarequitedifferent。ButnowthereisseldomanythingnicebroughtfromLondon，andtheturkeyandtheprunepeoplehaveforgottenFather’saddress。 ’Howcanwerestorethosebeastlyfallenfortunes？’saidOswald。 ’We’vetrieddiggingandwritingandprincessesandbeingeditors。’ ’Andbeingbandits，’saidH。O。 ’Whendidyoutrythat？’askedDoraquickly。’YouknowItoldyouitwaswrong。’ ’Itwasn’twrongthewaywedidit，’saidAlice，quickerstill，beforeOswaldcouldsay，’Whoaskedyoutotellusanythingaboutit？’whichwouldhavebeenrude，andheisgladhedidn’t。’WeonlycaughtAlbert—next—door。’ ’Oh，Albert—next—door！’saidDoracontemptuously，andIfeltmorecomfortable;forevenafterIdidn’tsay，’Whoaskedyou，andcetera，’IwasafraidDorawasgoingtocomethegoodeldersisteroverus。Shedoesthatajollysighttoooften。 Dickylookedupfromthepaperhewasreadingandsaid，’Thissoundslikely，’andhereadout— l100securespartnershipinlucrativebusinessforsaleofusefulpatent。l10weekly。Nopersonalattendancenecessary。Jobbins，300，OldStreetRoad。 ’Iwishwecouldsecurethatpartnership，’saidOswald。Heistwelve，andaverythoughtfulboyforhisage。 Alicelookedupfromherpainting。Shewastryingtopaintafairyqueen’sfrockwithgreenbice，anditwouldn’trub。Thereissomethingfunnyaboutgreenbice。Itneverwillruboff;nomatterhowexpensiveyourpaintboxis—andevenboilingwaterisverylittleuse。 Shesaid，’Botherthebice！And，Oswald，it’snousethinkingaboutthat。Wherearewetogetahundredpounds？’ ’Tenpoundsaweekisfivepoundstous，’Oswaldwenton—hehaddonethesuminhisheadwhileAlicewastalking—’becausepartnershipmeanshalves。Itwouldbel5。’ Noelsatsuckinghispencil—hehadbeenwritingpoetryasusual。 Isawthefirsttwolines— IwonderwhyGreenBiceIsneververynice。 Suddenlyhesaid，’Iwishafairywouldcomedownthechimneyanddropajewelonthetable—ajewelworthjustahundredpounds。’ ’Shemightaswellgiveyouthehundredpoundswhileshewasaboutit，’saidDora。 ’Orwhileshewasaboutitshemightaswellgiveusfivepoundsaweek，’saidAlice。’Orfifty，’saidI。’Orfivehundred，’saidDicky。 IsawH。O。openhismouth，andIknewhewasgoingtosay，’Orfivethousand，’soIsaid： ’Well，shewon’tgiveusfivepence，butifyou’donlydoasIamalwayssaying，andrescueawealthyoldgentlemanfromdeadlyperilhewouldgiveusapotofmoney，andwecouldhavethepartnershipandfivepoundsaweek。Fivepoundsaweekwouldbuyagreatmanythings。’ ThenDickysaid，’Whyshouldn’tweborrowit？’Sowesaid，’Whofrom？’andthenhereadthisoutofthepaper— MONEYPRIVATELYWITHOUTFEEsTHEBONDSTREETBANK Manager，Z。Rosenbaum。 Advancescashfroml20tol10，000onladies’orgentlemen’snoteofhandalone，withoutsecurity。Nofees。Noinquiries。Absoluteprivacyguaranteed。 ’Whatdoesitallmean？’askedH。O。 ’Itmeansthatthereisakindgentlemanwhohasalotofmoney，andhedoesn’tknowenoughpoorpeopletohelp，soheputsitinthepaperthathewillhelpthem，bylendingthemhismoney— that’sit，isn’tit，Dicky？’ DoraexplainedthisandDickysaid，’Yes。’AndH。O。saidhewasaGenerousBenefactor，likeinMissEdgeworth。ThenNoelwantedtoknowwhatanoteofhandwas，andDickyknewthat，becausehehadreaditinabook，anditwasjustalettersayingyouwillpaythemoneywhenyoucan，andsignedwithyourname。 ’Noinquiries！’saidAlice。’Oh—Dicky—doyouthinkhewould？’ ’Yes，Ithinkso，’saidDicky。’IwonderFatherdoesn’tgotothiskindgentleman。I’veseenhisnamebeforeonacircularinFather’sstudy。’ ’Perhapshehas。’saidDora。 Buttherestofusweresurehehadn’t，because，ofcourse，ifhehad，therewouldhavebeenmoremoneytobuynicethings。justthenPincherjumpedupandknockedoverthepainting—water。Heisaverycarelessdog。Iwonderwhypainting—waterisalwayssuchanuglycolour？Doraranforadustertowipeitup，andH。O。 droppeddropsofthewateronhishandsandsaidhehadgottheplague。Soweplayedattheplagueforabit，andIwasanArabphysicianwithabath—towelturban，andcuredtheplaguewithmagicacid—drops。Afterthatitwastimefordinner，andafterdinnerwetalkeditalloverandsettledthatwewouldgoandseetheGenerousBenefactortheverynextday。ButwethoughtperhapstheG。B。—itisshortforGenerousBenefactor—wouldnotlikeitifthereweresomanyofus。Ihaveoftennoticedthatitistheworstofourbeingsix—peoplethinksixagreatmany，whenit’schildren。Thatsentencelookswrongsomehow。Imeantheydon’tmindsixpairsofboots，orsixpoundsofapples，orsixoranges，especiallyinequations，buttheyseemtothinkyououghtnottohavefivebrothersandsisters。OfcourseDickywastogo，becauseitwashisidea。DorahadtogotoBlackheathtoseeanoldlady，afriendofFather’s，soshecouldn’tgo。Alicesaidsheoughttogo，becauseitsaid，’Ladiesandgentlemen，’andperhapstheG。B。 wouldn’tletushavethemoneyunlesstherewerebothkindsofus。 H。O。saidAlicewasn’talady;andshesaidhewasn’tgoing，anyway。Thenhecalledheradisagreeablecat，andshebegantocry。 ButOswaldalwaystriestomakeupquarrels，sohesaid— ’You’relittlesillies，bothofyou！’ AndDorasaid，’Don’tcry，Alice;heonlymeantyouweren’tagrown—uplady。’ ThenH。O。said，’WhatelsedidyouthinkImeant，Disagreeable？’ SoDickysaid，’Don’tbedisagreeableyourself，H。O。Letheraloneandsayyou’resorry，orI’lljollywellmakeyou！’ SoH。O。saidhewassorry。ThenAlicekissedhimandsaidshewassorrytoo;andafterthatH。O。gaveherahug，andsaid，’NowI’mreallyandtrulysorry，’Soitwasallright。 NoelwentthelasttimeanyofuswenttoLondon，sohewasoutofit，andDorasaidshewouldtakehimtoBlackheathifwe’dtakeH。 O。Soasthere’dbeenalittledisagreeablenesswethoughtitwasbettertotakehim，andwedid。Atfirstwethoughtwe’dtearouroldestthingsabitmore，andputsomepatchesofdifferentcoloursonthem，toshowtheG。B。howmuchwewantedmoney。ButDorasaidthatwouldbeasortofcheating，pretendingwewerepoorerthanweare。AndDoraisrightsometimes，thoughsheisoureldersister。 Thenwethoughtwe’dbetterwearourbestthings，sothattheG。B。 mightseeweweren’tsoverypoorthathecouldn’ttrustustopayhismoneybackwhenwehadit。ButDorasaidthatwouldbewrongtoo。Soitcametoourbeingquitehonest，asDorasaid，andgoingjustaswewere，withoutevenwashingourfacesandhands;butwhenIlookedatH。O。inthetrainIwishedwehadnotbeenquitesoparticularlyhonest。 Everyonewhoreadsthisknowswhatitisliketogointhetrain，soIshallnottellaboutit—thoughitwasratherfun，especiallythepartwheretheguardcamefortheticketsatWaterloo，andH。 O。wasundertheseatandpretendedtobeadogwithoutaticket。 WewenttoCharingCross，andwejustwentroundtoWhitehalltoseethesoldiersandthenbyStJames’sforthesamereason—andwhenwe’dlookedintheshopsabitwegottoBrookStreet，BondStreet。Itwasabrassplateonadoornexttoashop—averygrandplace，wheretheysoldbonnetsandhats—allverybrightandsmart，andnoticketsonthemtotellyoutheprice。WerangabellandaboyopenedthedoorandweaskedforMrRosenbaum。Theboywasnotpolite;hedidnotaskusin。SothenDickygavehimhisvisitingcard;itwasoneofFather’sreally，butthenameisthesame，MrRichardBastable，andweotherswroteournamesunderneath。Ihappenedtohaveapieceofpinkchalkinmypocketandwewrotethemwiththat。 Thentheboyshutthedoorinourfacesandwewaitedonthestep。 Butpresentlyhecamedownandaskedourbusiness。SoDickysaid— ’Moneyadvanced，youngshaver！anddon’tbealldayaboutit！’ Andthenhemadeuswaitagain，tillIwasquitestiffinmylegs，butAlicelikeditbecauseoflookingatthehatsandbonnets，andatlastthedooropened，andtheboysaid— ’MrRosenbaumwillseeyou，’sowewipedourfeetonthemat，whichsaidso，andwewentupstairswithsoftcarpetsandintoaroom。 Itwasabeautifulroom。Iwishedthenwehadputonourbestthings，oratleastwashedalittle。Butitwastoolatenow。 Theroomhadvelvetcurtainsandasoft，softcarpet，anditwasfullofthemostsplendidthings。Blackandgoldcabinets，andchina，andstatues，andpictures。Therewasapictureofacabbageandapheasantandadeadharethatwasjustlikelife，andIwouldhavegivenworldstohaveitformyown。ThefurwassonaturalI shouldneverhavebeentiredoflookingatit;butAlicelikedtheoneofthegirlwiththebrokenjugbest。Thenbesidesthepicturestherewereclocksandcandlesticksandvases，andgiltlooking—glasses，andboxesofcigarsandscentandthingslitteredalloverthechairsandtables。Itwasawonderfulplace，andinthemiddleofallthesplendourwasalittleoldgentlemanwithaverylongblackcoatandaverylongwhitebeardandahookeynose—likeafalcon。Andheputonapairofgoldspectaclesandlookedatusasifheknewexactlyhowmuchourclotheswereworth。 Andthen，whileweelderoneswerethinkinghowtobegin，forwehadallsaid’Goodmorning’aswecamein，ofcourse，H。O。beganbeforewecouldstophim。Hesaid： ’AreyoutheG。B。？’ ’Thewhat？’saidthelittleoldgentleman。 ’TheG。B。，’saidH。O。，andIwinkedathimtoshutup，buthedidn’tseeme，andtheG。B。did。Hewavedhishandatmetoshutup，soIhadto，andH。O。wenton—’ItstandsforGenerousBenefactor。’ Theoldgentlemanfrowned。Thenhesaid，’YourFathersentyouhere，Isuppose？’ ’Nohedidn’t，’saidDicky。’Whydidyouthinkso？’ Theoldgentlemanheldoutthecard，andIexplainedthatwetookthatbecauseFather’snamehappenstobethesameasDicky’s。 ’Doesn’theknowyou’vecome？’ ’No，’saidAlice，’weshan’ttellhimtillwe’vegotthepartnership，becausehisownbusinessworrieshimagooddealandwedon’twanttobotherhimwithourstillit’ssettled，andthenweshallgivehimhalfourshare。’ Theoldgentlemantookoffhisspectaclesandrumpledhishairwithhishands，thenhesaid，’Thenwhatdidyoucomefor？’ ’Wesawyouradvertisement，’Dickysaid，’andwewantahundredpoundsonournoteofhand，andmysistercamesothatthereshouldbebothkindsofus;andwewantittobuyapartnershipwithinthelucrativebusinessforsaleofusefulpatent。Nopersonalattendancenecessary。’ ’Idon’tthinkIquitefollowyou，’saidtheG。B。’ButonethingIshouldlikesettledbeforeenteringmorefullyintothematter： whydidyoucallmeGenerousBenefactor？’ ’Well，yousee，’saidAlice，smilingathimtoshowshewasn’tfrightened，thoughIknowreallyshewas，awfully，’wethoughtitwassoverykindofyoutotrytofindoutthepoorpeoplewhowantmoneyandtohelpthemandlendthemyourmoney。’ ’Hum！’saidtheG。B。’Sitdown。’ Heclearedtheclocksandvasesandcandlesticksoffsomeofthechairs，andwesatdown。Thechairswerevelvety，withgiltlegs。 Itwaslikeaking’spalace。 ’Now，’hesaid，’yououghttobeatschool，insteadofthinkingaboutmoney。Whyaren’tyou？’ WetoldhimthatweshouldgotoschoolagainwhenFathercouldmanageit，butmeantimewewantedtodosomethingtorestorethefallenfortunesoftheHouseofBastable。Andwesaidwethoughtthelucrativepatentwouldbeaverygoodthing。Heaskedalotofquestions，andwetoldhimeverythingwedidn’tthinkFatherwouldmindourtelling，andatlasthesaid— ’Youwishtoborrowmoney。Whenwillyourepayit？’ ’Assoonaswe’vegotit，ofcourse，’Dickysaid。 ThentheG。B。saidtoOswald，’Youseemtheeldest，’butI explainedtohimthatitwasDicky’sidea，somybeingeldestdidn’tmatter。ThenhesaidtoDicky—’Youareaminor，I presume？’ Dickysaidhewasn’tyet，buthehadthoughtofbeingaminingengineersomeday，andgoingtoKlondike。 ’Minor，notminer，’saidtheG。B。’Imeanyou’renotofage？’ ’Ishallbeintenyears，though，’saidDicky。 ’Thenyoumightrepudiatetheloan，’saidtheG。B。，andDickysaid’What？’ Ofcourseheoughttohavesaid’Ibegyourpardon。Ididn’tquitecatchwhatyousaid’—thatiswhatOswaldwouldhavesaid。Itismorepolitethan’What。’ ’Repudiatetheloan，’theG。B—repeated。’Imeanyoumightsayyouwouldnotpaymebackthemoney，andthelawcouldnotcompelyoutodoso。’ ’Oh，well，ifyouthinkwe’resuchsneaks，’saidDicky，andhegotupoffhischair。ButtheG。B。said，’Sitdown，sitdown;Iwasonlyjoking。’ Thenhetalkedsomemore，andatlasthesaid—’Idon’tadviseyoutoenterintothatpartnership。It’saswindle。Manyadvertisementsare。AndIhavenotahundredpoundsbymeto—daytolendyou。ButIwilllendyouapound，andyoucanspenditasyoulike。Andwhenyouaretwenty—oneyoushallpaymeback。’ ’Ishallpayyoubacklongbeforethat，’saidDicky。’Thanks，awfully！Andwhataboutthenoteofhand？’ ’Oh，’saidtheG。B。，’I’lltrusttoyourhonour。Betweengentlemen，youknow—andladies’—hemadeabeautifulbowtoAlice—’awordisasgoodasabond。’ Thenhetookoutasovereign，andhelditinhishandwhilehetalkedtous。Hegaveusalotofgoodadviceaboutnotgoingintobusinesstooyoung，andaboutdoingourlessons—justswattingabit，onourownhook，soasnottobeputinalowformwhenwewentbacktoschool。Andallthetimehewasstrokingthesovereignandlookingatitasifhethoughtitverybeautiful。 Andsoitwas，foritwasanewone。ThenatlasthehelditouttoDicky，andwhenDickyputouthishandforittheG。B。suddenlyputthesovereignbackinhispocket。 ’No，’hesaid，’Iwon’tgiveyouthesovereign。I’llgiveyoufifteenshillings，andthisnicebottleofscent。It’sworthfarmorethanthefiveshillingsI’mchargingyouforit。And，whenyoucan，youshallpaymebackthepound，andsixtypercentinterest—sixtypercent，sixtypercent。’ ’What’sthat？’saidH。O。 TheG。B。saidhe’dtellusthatwhenwepaidbackthesovereign，butsixtypercentwasnothingtobeafraidof。HegaveDickythemoney。Andtheboywasmadetocallacab，andtheG。B。putusinandshookhandswithusall，andaskedAlicetogivehimakiss，soshedid，andH。O。woulddoittoo，thoughhisfacewasdirtierthanever。TheG。B。paidthecabmanandtoldhimwhatstationtogoto，andsowewenthome。 ThateveningFatherhadaletterbytheseven—o’clockpost。Andwhenhehadreadithecameupintothenursery。Hedidnotlookquitesounhappyasusual，buthelookedgrave。 ’You’vebeentoMrRosenbaum’s，’hesaid。 Sowetoldhimallaboutit。Ittookalongtime，andFathersatinthearmchair。Itwasjolly。Hedoesn’toftencomeandtalktousnow。Hehastospendallhistimethinkingabouthisbusiness。 Andwhenwe’dtoldhimallaboutithesaid— ’Youhaven’tdoneanyharmthistime，children;rathergoodthanharm，indeed。MrRosenbaumhaswrittenmeaverykindletter。’ ’Isheafriendofyours，Father？’Oswaldasked。 ’Heisanacquaintance，’saidmyfather，frowningalittle，’wehavedonesomebusinesstogether。Andthisletter—’hestoppedandthensaid：’No;youdidn’tdoanyharmto—day;butIwantyouforthefuturenottodoanythingsoseriousastotrytobuyapartnershipwithoutconsultingme，that’sall。Idon’twanttointerferewithyourplaysandpleasures;butyouwillconsultmeaboutbusinessmatters，won’tyou？’ Ofcoursewesaidweshouldbedelighted，butthenAlice，whowassittingonhisknee，said，’Wedidn’tliketobotheryou。’ Fathersaid，’Ihaven’tmuchtimetobewithyou，formybusinesstakesmostofmytime。Itisananxiousbusiness—butIcan’tbeartothinkofyourbeingleftallalonelikethis。’ Helookedsosadweallsaidwelikedbeingalone。Andthenhelookedsadderthanever。 ThenAlicesaid，’Wedon’tmeanthatexactly，Father。Itisratherlonelysometimes，sinceMotherdied。’Thenwewereallquietalittlewhile。Fatherstayedwithustillwewenttobed，andwhenhesaidgoodnighthelookedquitecheerful。Sowetoldhimso，andhesaid—’Well，thefactis，thatlettertookaweightoffmymind。’Ican’tthinkwhathemeant—butIamsuretheG。B。wouldbepleasedifhecouldknowhehadtakenaweightoffsomebody’smind。Heisthatsortofman，Ithink。 WegavethescenttoDora。Itisnotquitesuchgoodscentaswethoughtitwouldbe，butwehadfifteenshillings—andtheywereallgood，soistheG。B。 Anduntilthosefifteenshillingswerespentwefeltalmostasjollyasthoughourfortuneshadbeenproperlyrestored。Youdonotnoticeyourgeneralfortunesomuch，aslongasyouhavemoneyinyourpocket。Thisiswhysomanychildrenwithregularpocket—moneyhaveneverfeltittheirdutytoseekfortreasure。 So，perhaps，ournothavingpocket—moneywasablessingindisguise。Butthedisguisewasquiteimpenetrable，likethevillains’inthebooks;anditseemedstillmoresowhenthefifteenshillingswereallspent。ThenatlasttheothersagreedtoletOswaldtryhiswayofseekingfortreasure，buttheywerenotatallkeenaboutit，andmanyaboylessfirmthanOswaldwouldhavechuckedthewholething。ButOswaldknewthataheromustrelyonhimselfalone。Sohestucktoit，andpresentlytheotherssawtheirduty，andbackedhimup。 CHAPTER10 LORDTOTTENHAM Oswaldisaboyoffirmandunswervingcharacter，andhehadneverwaveredfromhisfirstidea。Hefeltquitecertainthatthebookswereright，andthatthebestwaytorestorefallenfortuneswastorescueanoldgentlemanindistress。Thenhebringsyouupashisownson：butifyoupreferredtogoonbeingyourownfather’ssonIexpecttheoldgentlemanwouldmakeituptoyousomeotherway。 Inthebookstheleastthingdoesit—youputuptherailwaycarriagewindow—oryoupickuphispursewhenhedropsit—oryousayahymnwhenhesuddenlyasksyouto，andthenyourfortuneismade。 Theothers，asIsaid，wereveryslackaboutit，anddidnotseemtocaremuchabouttryingtherescue。Theysaidtherewasn’tanydeadlyperil，andweshouldhavetomakeonebeforewecouldrescuetheoldgentlemanfromit，butOswalddidn’tseethatthatmattered。However，hethoughthewouldtrysomeoftheeasierwaysfirst，byhimself。 Sohewaitedaboutthestation，pullinguprailwaycarriagewindowsforoldgentlemenwholookedlikely—butnothinghappened，andatlasttheporterssaidhewasanuisance。Sothatwasnogo。Nooneeveraskedhimtosayahymn，thoughhehadlearnedaniceshortone，beginning’Neweverymorning’—andwhenanoldgentlemandiddropatwo—shillingpiecejustbyEllis’sthehairdresser’s，andOswaldpickeditup，andwasjustthinkingwhatheshouldsaywhenhereturnedit，theoldgentlemancaughthimbythecollarandcalledhimayoungthief。ItwouldhavebeenveryunpleasantforOswaldifhehadn’thappenedtobeaverybraveboy，andknewthepolicemanonthatbeatverywellindeed。Sothepolicemanbackedhimup，andtheoldgentlemansaidhewassorry，andofferedOswaldsixpence。Oswaldrefuseditwithpolitedisdain，andnothingmorehappenedatall。 WhenOswaldhadtriedbyhimselfandithadnotcomeoff，hesaidtotheothers，’We’rewastingourtime，nottryingtorescuetheoldgentlemanindeadlyperil。Come—buckup！Dolet’sdosomething！’ Itwasdinner—time，andPincherwasgoingroundgettingthebitsofftheplates。Therewereplentybecauseitwascold—muttonday。 AndAlicesaid— ’It’sonlyfairtotryOswald’sway—hehastriedallthethingstheothersthoughtof。Whycouldn’twerescueLordTottenham？’ LordTottenhamistheoldgentlemanwhowalksovertheHeatheverydayinapapercollaratthreeo’clock—andwhenhegetshalfway，ifthereisnooneabout，hechangeshiscollarandthrowsthedirtyoneintothefurze—bushes。 Dickysaid，’LordTottenham’sallright—butwhere’sthedeadlyperil？’ Andwecouldn’tthinkofany。TherearenohighwaymenonBlackheathnow，Iamsorrytosay。AndthoughOswaldsaidhalfofuscouldbehighwaymenandtheotherhalfrescueparty，Dorakeptonsayingitwouldbewrongtobeahighwayman—andsowehadtogivethatup。 ThenAlicesaid，’WhataboutPincher？’ Andweallsawatoncethatitcouldbedone。 Pincherisverywellbred，andhedoesknowoneortwothings，thoughwenevercouldteachhimtobeg。Butifyoutellhimtoholdon—hewilldoit，evenifyouonlysay’Seizehim！’inawhisper。 Sowearrangeditall。Dorasaidshewouldn’tplay;shesaidshethoughtitwaswrong，andsheknewitwassilly—soweleftherout，andshewentandsatinthedining—roomwithagoody—book，soastobeabletosayshedidn’thaveanythingtodowithit，ifwegotintoarowoverit。 AliceandH。O。weretohideinthefurze—bushesjustbywhereLordTottenhamchangeshiscollar，andtheyweretowhisper，’Seizehim！’toPincher;andthenwhenPincherhadseizedLordTottenhamweweretogoandrescuehimfromhisdeadlyperil。Andhewouldsay，’HowcanIrewardyou，mynobleyoungpreservers？’anditwouldbeallright。 SowewentuptotheHeath。Wewereafraidofbeinglate。OswaldtoldtheotherswhatProcrastinationwas—sotheygottothefurze—bushesalittleaftertwoo’clock，anditwasrathercold。 AliceandH。O。andPincherhid，butPincherdidnotlikeitanymorethantheydid，andaswethreewalkedupanddownweheardhimwhining。AndAlicekeptsaying，’Iamsocold！Isn’thecomingyet？’AndH。O。wantedtocomeoutandjumpabouttowarmhimself。 ButwetoldhimhemustlearntobeaSpartanboy，andthatheoughttobeverythankfulhehadn’tgotabeastlyfoxeatinghisinsideallthetime。H。O。isourlittlebrother，andwearenotgoingtoletitbeourfaultifhegrowsupamilksop。Besides，itwasnotreallycold。Itwashisknees—hewearssocks。Sotheystayedwheretheywere。Andatlast，wheneventheotherthreewhowerewalkingaboutwerebeginningtofeelratherchilly，wesawLordTottenham’sbigblackcloakcomingalong，flappinginthewindlikeagreatbird。SowesaidtoAlice— ’Hist！heapproaches。You’llknowwhentosetPincheronbyhearingLordTottenhamtalkingtohimself—healwaysdoeswhileheistakingoffhiscollar。’ Thenwethreewalkedslowlyawaywhistlingtoshowwewerenotthinkingofanything。Ourlipswererathercold，butwemanagedtodoit。 LordTottenhamcamestridingalong，talkingtohimself。PeoplecallhimthemadProtectionist。Idon’tknowwhatitmeans—butIdon’tthinkpeopleoughttocallaLordsuchnames。 Ashepassedushesaid，’Ruinofthecountry，sir！Fatalerror，fatalerror！’AndthenwelookedbackandsawhewasgettingquitenearwherePincherwas，andAliceandH。O。Wewalkedon—sothatheshouldn’tthinkwewerelooking—andinaminuteweheardPincher’sbark，andthennothingforabit;andthenwelookedround，andsureenoughgoodoldPincherhadgotLordTottenhambythetrouserlegandwasholdingonlikebilly—ho，sowestartedtorun。 LordTottenhamhadgothiscollarhalfoff—itwasstickingoutsidewaysunderhisear—andhewasshouting，’Help，help，murder！’ exactlyasifsomeonehadexplainedtohimbeforehandwhathewastodo。Pincherwasgrowlingandsnarlingandholdingon。WhenwegottohimIstoppedandsaid— ’Dicky，wemustrescuethisgoodoldman。’LordTottenhamroaredinhisfury，’Goodoldmanbe—’somethingorothered。’Callthedogoff。’ SoOswaldsaid。’Itisadangeroustask—butwhowouldhesitatetodoanactoftruebravery？’ AndallthewhilePincherwasworryingandsnarling，andLordTottenhamshoutingtoustogetthedogaway。HewasdancingaboutintheroadwithPincherhangingonlikegrimdeath;andhiscollarflappingabout，whereitwasundone。 ThenNoelsaid，’Haste，ereyetitbetoolate。’SoIsaidtoLordTottenham— ’Standstill，agedsir，andIwillendeavourtoalleviateyourdistress。’ Hestoodstill，andIstoopeddownandcaughtholdofPincherandwhispered，’Dropit，sir;dropit！’ SothenPincherdroppedit，andLordTottenhamfastenedhiscollaragain—heneverdoeschangeitifthere’sanyonelooking—andhesaid— I’mmuchobliged，I’msure。Nastyviciousbrute！Here’ssomethingtodrinkmyhealth。’ ButDickyexplainedthatweareteetotallers，anddonotdrinkpeople’shealths。SoLordTottenhamsaid，’Well，I’mmuchobligedanyway。AndnowIcometolookatyou—ofcourse，you’renotyoungruffians，butgentlemen’ssons，eh？Still，youwon’tbeabovetakingatipfromanoldboy—Iwasn’twhenIwasyourage，’ andhepulledouthalfasovereign。 Itwasverysilly;butnowwe’ddoneitIfeltitwouldbebeastlymeantotaketheoldboy’schinkafterputtinghiminsuchafunk。 Hedidn’tsayanythingaboutbringingusupashisownsons—soI didn’tknowwhattodo。IletPinchergo，andwasjustgoingtosayhewasverywelcome，andwe’drathernothavethemoney，whichseemedthebestwayoutofit，whenthatbeastlydogspoiledthewholeshow。DirectlyIlethimgohebegantojumpaboutatusandbarkforjoy，andtrytolickourfaces。Hewassoproudofwhathe’ddone。LordTottenhamopenedhiseyesandhejustsaid，’Thedogseemstoknowyou。’ AndthenOswaldsawitwasallup，andhesaid，’Goodmorning，’andtriedtogetaway。ButLordTottenhamsaid— ’Notsofast！’AndhecaughtNoelbythecollar。Noelgaveahowl，andAliceranoutfromthebushes。NoElisherfavourite。 I’msureIdon’tknowwhy。LordTottenhamlookedather，andhesaid— Sotherearemoreofyou！’AndthenH。O。cameout。 ’Doyoucompletetheparty？’LordTottenhamaskedhim。AndH。O。 saidtherewereonlyfiveofusthistime。 LordTottenhamturnedsharpoffandbegantowalkaway，holdingNoelbythecollar。Wecaughtupwithhim，andaskedhimwherehewasgoing，andhesaid，’TothePoliceStation。’SothenIsaidquitepolitely，’Well，don’ttakeNoel;he’snotstrong，andheeasilygetsupset。Besides，itwasn’thisdoing。Ifyouwanttotakeanyonetakeme—itwasmyveryownidea。’ Dickybehavedverywell。Hesaid，’IfyoutakeOswaldI’llgotoo，butdon’ttakeNoel;he’ssuchadelicatelittlechap。’ LordTottenhamstopped，andhesaid，’Youshouldhavethoughtofthatbefore。’NoElwashowlingallthetime，andhisfacewasverywhite，andAlicesaid— ’Oh，doletNoelgo，dear，good，kindLordTottenham;he’llfaintifyoudon’t，Iknowhewill，hedoessometimes。Oh，Iwishwe’dneverdoneit！Dorasaiditwaswrong。’ ’Doradisplayedconsiderablecommonsense，’saidLordTottenham，andheletNoelgo。AndAliceputherarmroundNoelandtriedtocheerhimup，buthewasalltrembly，andaswhiteaspaper。ThenLordTottenhamsaid— ’Willyougivemeyourwordofhonournottotrytoescape？’ Sowesaidwewould。 ’Thenfollowme，’hesaid，andledthewaytoabench。Weallfollowed，andPinchertoo，withhistailbetweenhislegs—heknewsomethingwaswrong。ThenLordTottenhamsatdown，andhemadeOswaldandDickyandH。O。standinfrontofhim，butheletAliceandNoElsitdown。Andhesaid— ’Yousetyourdogonme，andyoutriedtomakemebelieveyouweresavingmefromit。Andyouwouldhavetakenmyhalf—sovereign。 Suchconductismost—No—youshalltellmewhatitis，sir，andspeakthetruth。’ SoIhadtosayitwasmostungentlemanly，butIsaidIhadn’tbeengoingtotakethehalf—sovereign。 ’Thenwhatdidyoudoitfor？’heasked。’Thetruth，mind。’ SoIsaid，’Iseenowitwasverysilly，andDorasaiditwaswrong，butitdidn’tseemsotillwedidit。Wewantedtorestorethefallenfortunesofourhouse，andinthebooksifyourescueanoldgentlemanfromdeadlyperil，hebringsyouupashisownson— orifyouprefertobeyourfather’sson，hestartsyouinbusiness，sothatyouendinwealthyaffluence;andtherewasn’tanydeadlyperil，sowemadePincherintoone—andso—’IwassoashamedIcouldn’tgoon，foritdidseemanawfullymeanthing。 LordTottenhamsaid— ’Averynicewaytomakeyourfortune—bydeceitandtrickery。I haveahorrorofdogs。IfI’dbeenaweakmantheshockmighthavekilledme。Whatdoyouthinkofyourselves，eh？’ WewereallcryingexceptOswald，andtheotherssayhewas;andLordTottenhamwenton—’Well，well，Iseeyou’resorry。Letthisbealessontoyou;andwe’llsaynomoreaboutit。I’manoldmannow，butIwasyoungonce。’ ThenAliceslidalongthebenchclosetohim，andputherhandonhisarm：herfingerswerepinkthroughtheholesinherwoollygloves，andsaid，’Ithinkyou’reverygoodtoforgiveus，andwearereallyvery，verysorry。Butwewantedtobelikethechildreninthebooks—onlyweneverhavethechancestheyhave。 Everythingtheydoturnsoutallright。Butwearesorry，very，very。AndIknowOswaldwasn’tgoingtotakethehalf—sovereign。 DirectlyyousaidthataboutatipfromanoldboyIbegantofeelbadinside，andIwhisperedtoH。O。thatIwishedwehadn’t。’ ThenLordTottenhamstoodup，andhelookedliketheDeathofNelson，forheiscleanshavedanditisagoodface，andhesaid— ’Alwaysremembernevertodoadishonourablething，formoneyorforanythingelseintheworld。’ Andwepromisedwewouldremember。Thenhetookoffhishat，andwetookoffours，andhewentaway，andwewenthome。Ineverfeltsocheapinallmylife！Dorasaid，’Itoldyouso，’butwedidn’tmindeventhatsomuch，thoughitwasindeedhardtobear。ItwaswhatLordTottenhamhadsaidaboutungentlemanly。Wedidn’tgoontotheHeathforaweekafterthat;butatlastweallwent，andwewaitedforhimbythebench。WhenhecamealongAlicesaid，’Please，LordTottenham，wehavenotbeenontheHeathforaweek，tobeapunishmentbecauseyouletusoff。Andwehavebroughtyouapresenteachifyouwilltakethemtoshowyouarewillingtomakeitup。’ Hesatdownonthebench，andwegavehimourpresents。Oswaldgavehimasixpennycompass—heboughtitwithmyownmoneyonpurposetogivehim。Oswaldalwaysbuysusefulpresents。TheneedlewouldnotmoveafterI’dhaditadayortwo，butLordTottenhamusedtobeanadmiral，sohewillbeabletomakethatgoallright。Alicehadmadehimashaving—case，witharoseworkedonit。AndH。O。gavehimhisknife—thesameoneheoncecutallthebuttonsoffhisbestsuitwith。Dickygavehimhisprize，NavalHeroes，becauseitwasthebestthinghehad，andNoelgavehimapieceofpoetryhehadmadehimself— WhensinandshamebowdownthebrowThenpeoplefeeljustlikewedonow。 WearesosorrywithgriefandpainWeneverwillbesoungentlemanlyagain。 LordTottenhamseemedverypleased。Hethankedus，andtalkedtousforabit，andwhenhesaidgood—byehesaid— ’All’sfairweathernow，mates，’andshookhands。 Andwheneverwemeethimhenodstous，andifthegirlsarewithushetakesoffhishat，sohecan’treallybegoingonthinkingusungentlemanlynow。 CHAPTER11 CASTILIANAMOROSO OnedaywhenwesuddenlyfoundthatwehadhalfacrownwedecidedthatwereallyoughttotryDicky’swayofrestoringourfallenfortuneswhileyetthedeedwasinourpower。Becauseitmighteasilyhavehappenedtousnevertohavehalfacrownagain。Sowedecidedtodallynolongerwithbeingjournalistsandbanditsandthingslikethem，buttosendforsampleandinstructionshowtoearntwopoundsaweekeachinoursparetime。Wehadseentheadvertisementinthepaper，andwehadalwayswantedtodoit，butwehadneverhadthemoneytosparebefore，somehow。Theadvertisementsays：’Anyladyorgentlemancaneasilyearntwopoundsaweekintheirsparetime。Sampleandinstructions，twoshillings。Packedfreefromobservation。’Agooddealofthehalf—crownwasDora’s。Itcamefromhergodmother;butshesaidshewouldnotmindlettingDickyhaveitifhewouldpayherbackbeforeChristmas，andifweweresureitwasrighttotrytomakeourfortunethatway。Ofcoursethatwasquiteeasy，becauseoutoftwopoundsaweekinyoursparetimeyoucaneasilypayallyourdebts，andhavealmostasmuchleftasyoubeganwith;andastotherightwetoldhertodryup。 Dickyhadalwaysthoughtthatthiswasreallythebestwaytorestoreourfallenfortunes，andweweregladthatnowhehadachanceoftryingbecauseofcoursewewantedthetwopoundsaweekeach，andbesides，wewererathertiredofDicky’salwayssaying，whenourwaysdidn’tturnoutwell，’Whydon’tyoutrythesampleandinstructionsaboutoursparetime？’ Whenwefoundoutaboutourhalf—crownwegotthepaper。NoElwasplayingadmiralsinit，buthehadmadethecockedhatwithouttearingthepaper，andwefoundtheadvertisement，anditsaidjustthesameasever。Sowegotatwo—shillingpostalorderandastamp，andwhatwasleftofthemoneyitwasagreedwewouldspendinginger—beertodrinksuccesstotrade。 WegotsomenicepaperoutofFather’sstudy，andDickywrotetheletter，andweputinthemoneyandputonthestamp，andmadeH。 O。postit。Thenwedranktheginger—beer，andthenwewaitedforthesampleandinstructions。Itseemedalongtimecoming，andthepostmangotquitetiredofusrunningoutandstoppinghiminthestreettoaskifithadcome。 Butonthethirdmorningitcame。Itwasquitealargeparcel，anditwaspacked，astheadvertisementsaiditwouldbe，’freefromobservation。’Thatmeansitwasinabox;andinsidetheboxwassomestiffbrownycardboard，crinkledlikethegalvanizedirononthetopsofchicken—houses，andinsidethatwasalotofpaper，someofitprintedandsomescrappy，andintheverymiddleofitallabottle，notverylarge，andblack，andsealedonthetopofthecorkwithyellowsealing—wax。 Welookedatitasitlayonthenurserytable，andwhilealltheothersgrabbedatthepaperstoseewhattheprintingsaid，Oswaldwenttolookforthecorkscrew，soastoseewhatwasinsidethebottle。Hefoundthecorkscrewinthedresserdrawer—italwaysgetsthere，thoughitissupposedtobeinthesideboarddrawerinthedining—room—andwhenhegotbacktheothershadreadmostoftheprintedpapers。 ’Idon’tthinkit’smuchgood，andIdon’tthinkit’squitenicetosellwine，’Dorasaid’andbesides，it’snoteasytosuddenlybegintosellthingswhenyouaren’tusedtoit。’ ’Idon’tknow，’saidAlice;’IbelieveIcould。’Theyalllookedratherdowninthemouth，though，andOswaldaskedhowyouweretomakeyourtwopoundsaweek。 ’Why，you’vegottogetpeopletotastethatstuffinthebottle。 It’ssherry—CastilianAmorosoitsnameis—andthenyougetthemtobuyit，andthenyouwritetothepeopleandtellthemtheotherpeoplewantthewine，andthenforeverydozenyousellyougettwoshillingsfromthewinepeople，soifyouselltwentydozenaweekyougetyourtwopounds。Idon’tthinkweshallsellasmuchasthat，’saidDicky。 ’Wemightnotthefirstweek，’Alicesaid，’butwhenpeoplefoundouthowniceitwas，theywouldwantmoreandmore。Andifweonlygottenshillingsaweekitwouldbesomethingtobeginwith，wouldn’tit？’ Oswaldsaidheshouldjollywellthinkitwould，andthenDickytookthecorkoutwiththecorkscrew。Thecorkbrokeagooddeal，andsomeofthebitswentintothebottle。Doragotthemedicineglassthathastheteaspoonsandtablespoonsmarkedonit，andweagreedtohaveateaspoonfuleach，toseewhatitwaslike。 ’Noonemusthavemorethanthat，’Dorasaid，’howeverniceitis。’ Dorabehavedratherasifitwereherbottle。Isupposeitwas，becauseshehadlentthemoneyforit。 ThenshemeasuredOuttheteaspoonful，andshehadfirstgo，becauseofbeingtheeldest。Weaskedatoncewhatitwaslike，butDoracouldnotspeakjustthen。 Thenshesaid，’It’slikethetonicNoelhadinthespring;butperhapssherryoughttobelikethat。’ ThenitwasOswald’sturn。Hethoughtitwasveryburny;buthesaidnothing。Hewantedtoseefirstwhattheotherswouldsay。 Dickysaidhiswassimplybeastly，andAlicesaidNoelcouldtastenextifheliked。 Noelsaiditwasthegoldenwineofthegods，buthehadtoputhishandkerchiefuptohismouthallthesame，andIsawthefacehemade。 ThenH。O。hadhis，andhespatitoutinthefire，whichwasveryrudeandnasty，andwetoldhimso。 ThenitwasAlice’sturn。Shesaid，’Onlyhalfatea—spoonfulforme，Dora。Wemustn’tuseitallup。’Andshetasteditandsaidnothing。 ThenDickysaid：’Lookhere，Ichuckthis。I’mnotgoingtohawkroundsuchbeastlystuff。Anyonewholikescanhavethebottle。 Quis？’ AndAlicegotout’Ego’beforetherestofus。Thenshesaid，’I knowwhat’sthematterwithit。Itwantssugar。’ Andatonceweallsawthatthatwasalltherewasthematterwiththestuff。Sowegottwolumpsofsugarandcrusheditonthefloorwithoneofthebigwoodenbrickstillitwaspowdery，andmixeditwithsomeofthewineuptothetablespoonmark，anditwasquitedifferent，andnotnearlysonasty。 ’Youseeit’sallrightwhenyougetusedtoit，’Dickysaid。I thinkhewassorryhehadsaid’Quis？’insuchahurry。 ’Ofcourse，’Alicesaid，’it’sratherdusty。Wemustcrushthesugarcarefullyincleanpaperbeforeweputitinthebottle。’ Dorasaidshewasafraiditwouldbecheatingtomakeonebottlenicerthanwhatpeoplewouldgetwhentheyorderedadozenbottles，butAlicesaidDoraalwaysmadeafussabouteverything，andreallyitwouldbequitehonest。 ’Yousee，’shesaid，’Ishalljusttellthem，quitetruthfully，whatwehavedonetoit，andwhentheirdozenscometheycandoitforthemselves。’ Sothenwecrushedeightmorelumps，verycleanlyandcarefullybetweennewspapers，andshookitupwellinthebottle，andcorkeditupwithascrewofpaper，brownandnotnews，forfearofthepoisonousprintinginkgettingwetanddrippingdownintothewineandkillingpeople。WemadePincherhaveataste，andhesneezedforeversolong，andafterthatheusedtogounderthesofawheneverweshowedhimthebottle。 ThenweaskedAlicewhoshewouldtryandsellitto。Shesaid：’I shallaskeverybodywhocomestothehouse。Andwhilewearedoingthat，wecanbethinkingofoutsidepeopletotakeitto。Wemustbecareful：there’snotmuchmorethanhalfofitleft，evencountingthesugar。’ WedidnotwishtotellEliza—Idon’tknowwhy。Andsheopenedthedoorveryquicklythatday，sothattheTaxesandamanwhocametoourhousebymistakefornextdoorgotawaybeforeAlicehadachancetotrythemwiththeCastilianAmoroso。ButaboutfiveElizaslippedoutforhalfanhourtoseeafriendwhowasmakingherahatforSunday，andwhileshewasgonetherewasaknock。Alicewent，andwelookedoverthebanisters。Whensheopenedthedoor，shesaidatonce，’Willyouwalkin，please？’ Thepersonatthedoorsaid，’IcalledtoseeyourPa，miss。Isheathome？’ Alicesaidagain，’Willyouwalkin，please？’ Thentheperson—itsoundedlikeaman—said，’Heisin，then？’ ButAliceonlykeptonsaying，’Willyouwalkin，please？’soatlastthemandid，rubbinghisbootsveryloudlyonthemat。 ThenAliceshutthefrontdoor，andwesawthatitwasthebutcher，withanenvelopeinhishand。Hewasnotdressedinblue，likewhenheiscuttingupthesheepandthingsintheshop，andheworeknickerbockers。Alicesayshecameonabicycle。Sheledthewayintothedining—room，wheretheCastilianAmorosobottleandthemedicineglasswerestandIngonthetableallready。 Theothersstayedonthestairs，butOswaldcreptdownandlookedthroughthedoor—crack。 ’Pleasesitdown，’saidAlicequitecalmly，thoughshetoldmeafterwardsIhadnoideahowsillyshefelt。Andthebutchersatdown。ThenAlicestoodquitestillandsaidnothing，butshefiddledwiththemedicineglassandputthescrewofbrownpaperstraightintheCastilianbottle。 ’WillyoutellyourPaI’dlikeawordwithhim？’thebutchersaid，whenhegottiredofsayingnothing。 ’He’llbeinverysoon，Ithink，’Alicesaid。 Andthenshestoodstillagainandsaidnothing。Itwasbeginningtolookveryidioticofher，andH。O。laughed。Iwentbackandcuffedhimforitquitequietly，andIdon’tthinkthebutcherheard。 ButAlicedid，anditrousedherfromherstupor。Shespokesuddenly，veryfastindeed—sofastthatIknewshehadmadeupwhatshewasgoingtosaybefore。Shehadgotmostofitoutofthecircular。 Shesaid，’IwanttocallyourattentiontoasampleofsherrywineIhavehere。ItiscalledCastiliansomethingorother，andatthepriceitisunequalledforflavourandbouquet。’ Thebutchersaid，’Well—Inever！’ AndAlicewenton，’Wouldyouliketotasteit？’ ’Thankyouverymuch，I’msure，miss，’saidthebutcher。 Alicepouredsomeout。 Thebutchertastedaverylittle。Helickedhislips，andwethoughthewasgoingtosayhowgooditwas。Buthedidnot。Heputdownthemedicineglasswithnearlyallthestuffleftinit（weputitbackinthebottleafterwardstosavewaste）andsaid，’Excuseme，miss，butisn’titalittlesweet？—forsherryI mean？’ ’Therealisn’t，’saidAlice。’Ifyouorderadozenitwillcomequitedifferenttothat—welikeitbestwithsugar。Iwishyouwouldordersome。’Thebutcheraskedwhy。 Alicedidnotspeakforaminute，andthenshesaid— ’Idon’tmindtellingyou：youareinbusinessyourself，aren’tyou？Wearetryingtogetpeopletobuyit，becauseweshallhavetwoshillingsforeverydozenwecanmakeanyonebuy。It’scalledapurrsomething。’ ’Apercentage。Yes，Isee，’saidthebutcher，lookingattheholeinthecarpet。 ’Youseetherearereasons，Alicewenton，’whywewanttomakeourfortunesasquicklyaswecan。’ ’Quiteso，’saidthebutcher，andhelookedattheplacewherethepaperiscomingoffthewall。 ’Andthisseemsagoodway，’Alicewenton。’Wepaidtwoshillingsforthesampleandinstructions，anditsaysyoucanmaketwopoundsaweekeasilyinyourleisuretime。’ ’I’msureIhopeyoumay，miss，’saidthebutcher。AndAlicesaidagainwouldhebuysome？ ’Sherryismyfavouritewine，’hesaid。Aliceaskedhimtohavesomemoretodrink。