joyful occasion, and when I soar up into the air I intend to tell the
stars all about it. You will see them twinkle when I talk to them about
the pretty bride."
"Ah! what a trivial view of life!" said the Rocket; "but it is only what
I expected. There is nothing in you; you are hollow and empty. Why,
perhaps the Prince and Princess may go to live in a country where there
is a deep river, and perhaps they may have one only son, a little
fair-haired boy with violet eyes like the Prince himself; and perhaps
some day he may go out to walk with his nurse; and perhaps the nurse may
go to sleep under a great elder-tree; and perhaps the little boy may
fall into the deep river and be drowned. What a terrible misfortune!
Poor people, to lose their only son! It is really too dreadful! I shall
never get over it."
"But they have not lost their only son," said the Roman Candle;
"no misfortune has happened to them at all."
"I never said that they had," replied the Rocket; "I said that they
might. If they had lost their only son there would be no use in saying
anything more about the matter. I hate people who cry over spilt milk.
But when I think that they might lose their only son, I certainly am
much affected."
"You certainly are!" cried the Bengal Light. "In fact, you are the most
affected person I ever met."
"You are the rudest person I ever met," said the Rocket, "and you cannot
understand my friendship for the Prince."
"Why, you don't even know him," growled the Roman Candle.
"I never said I knew him," answered the Rocket. "I dare say that if I
knew him I should not be his friend at all. It is a very dangerous thing
to know one's friends."
"You had really better keep yourself dry," said the Fire-balloon. "That
is the important thing."
"Very important for you, I have no doubt," answered the Rocket, "but I
shall weep if I choose;" and he actually burst into real tears, which
flowed down his stick like rain-drops, and nearly drowned two little
beetles, who were just thinking of setting up house together, and were
looking for a nice dry spot to live in.
"He must have a truly romantic nature," said the Catherine Wheel, "for
he weeps when there is nothing at all to weep about;" and she heaved a
deep sigh and thought about the deal box.
But the Roman Candle and the Bengal Light were quite indignant, and
kept saying, "Humbug! humbug!" at the top of their voices. They were
extremely practical, and whenever they objected to anything they called
it humbug.
Then the moon rose like a wonderful silver shield; and the stars began
to shine, and a sound of music came from the palace.
The Prince and Princess were leading the dance. They danced so
beautifully that the tall white lilies peeped in at the window and
watched them, and the great red poppies nodded their heads and beat
time.
Then ten o'clock struck, and then eleven, and then twelve, and at the
last stroke of midnight every one came out on the terrace, and the King
sent for the Royal Pyrotechnist.
"Let the fireworks begin," said the King; and the Royal Pyrotechnist
made a low bow, and marched down to the end of the garden. He had six
attendants with him, each of whom carried a lighted torch at the end of
a long pole.
It was certainly a magnificent display.
Whizz! Whizz! went the Catherine Wheel, as she spun round and round.
Boom! Boom! went the Roman Candle. Then the Squibs danced all over the
place, and the Bengal Lights made everything look scarlet. "Good-bye,"
cried the Fire-balloon as he soared away, dropping tiny blue sparks.
Bang! Bang! answered the Crackers, who were enjoying themselves
immensely. Every one was a great success except the Remarkable Rocket.
He was so damp with crying that he could not go off at all. The best
thing in him was the gunpowder, and that was so wet with tears that it
was of no use. All his poor relations, to whom he would never speak,
except with a sneer, shot up into the sky like wonderful golden flowers
with blossoms of fire. Huzza! Huzza! cried the Court; and the little
Princess laughed with pleasure.
"I suppose they are reserving me for some grand occasion," said the
Rocket; "no doubt that is what it means," and he looked more
supercilious than ever.
[Illustration: "LET THE FIREWORKS BEGIN," SAID THE KING]
The next day the workmen came to put everything tidy. "This is evidently
a deputation," said the Rocket; "I will receive them with becoming
dignity": so he put his nose in the air, and began to frown severely as
if he were thinking about some very important subject. But they took no
notice of him at all till they were just going away. Then one of them
caught sight of him. "Hallo!" he cried, "what a bad rocket!" and he
threw him over the wall into the ditch.
"BAD Rocket? BAD Rocket?" he said, as he whirled through the air;
"impossible! GRAND Rocket, that is what the man said. BAD and GRAND
sound very much the same, indeed they often are the same;" and he fell
into the mud.
"It is not comfortable here," he remarked, "but no doubt it is some
fashionable watering-place, and they have sent me away to recruit my
health. My nerves are certainly very much shattered, and I require
rest."
Then a little Frog, with bright jewelled eyes, and a green mottled coat,
swam up to him.
"A new arrival, I see!" said the Frog. "Well, after all there is nothing
like mud. Give me rainy weather and a ditch, and I am quite happy. Do
you think it will be a wet afternoon? I am sure I hope so, but the sky
is quite blue and cloudless. What a pity!"
"Ahem! ahem!" said the Rocket, and he began to cough.
"What a delightful voice you have!" cried the Frog. "Really it is quite
like a croak, and croaking is of course the most musical sound in the
world. You will hear our glee-club this evening. We sit in the old duck
pond close by the farmer's house, and as soon as the moon rises we
begin. It is so entrancing that everybody lies awake to listen to us.
In fact, it was only yesterday that I heard the farmer's wife say to her
mother that she could not get a wink of sleep at night on account of us.
It is most gratifying to find oneself so popular."
"Ahem! ahem!" said the Rocket angrily. He was very much annoyed that he
could not get a word in.
"A delightful voice, certainly," continued the Frog; "I hope you will
come over to the duck-pond. I am off to look for my daughters. I have
six beautiful daughters, and I am so afraid the Pike may meet them. He
is a perfect monster, and would have no hesitation in breakfasting off
them. Well, good-bye: I have enjoyed our conversation very much,
I assure you."
"Conversation, indeed!" said the Rocket. "You have talked the whole time
yourself. That is not conversation."
"Somebody must listen," answered the Frog, "and I like to do all the
talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments."
"But I like arguments," said the Rocket.
"I hope not," said the Frog complacently. "Arguments are extremely
vulgar, for everybody in good society holds exactly the same opinions.
Good-bye a second time; I see my daughters in the distance;" and the
little Frog swam away.
"You are a very irritating person," said the Rocket, "and very ill-bred.
I hate people who talk about themselves, as you do, when one wants to
talk about oneself, as I do. It is what I call selfishness, and
selfishness is a most detestable thing, especially to any one of my
temperament, for I am well known for my sympathetic nature. In fact, you
should take example by me; you could not possibly have a better model.
Now that you have the chance you had better avail yourself of it, for I
am going back to Court almost immediately. I am a great favourite at
Court; in fact, the Prince and Princess were married yesterday in my
honour. Of course you know nothing of these matters, for you are a
provincial."
"There is no good talking to him," said a dragon-fly, who was sitting on
the top of a large brown bulrush; "no good at all, for he has gone
away."
"Well, that is his loss, not mine," answered the Rocket. "I am not going
to stop talking to him merely because he pays no attention. I like
hearing myself talk. It is one of my greatest pleasures. I often have
long conversations all by myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I
don't understand a single word of what I am saying."
"Then you should certainly lecture on Philosophy," said the Dragon-fly,
and he spread a pair of lovely gauze wings and soared away into the sky.
"How very silly of him not to stay here!" said the Rocket. "I am sure
that he has not often got such a chance of improving his mind. However,
I don't care a bit. Genius like mine is sure to be appreciated some
day;" and he sank down a little deeper into the mud.
After some time a large White Duck swam up to him. She had yellow legs,
and webbed feet, and was considered a great beauty on account of her
waddle.
"Quack, quack, quack," she said. "What a curious shape you are! May I
ask were you born like that, or is it the result of an accident?"
"It is quite evident that you have always lived in the country,"
answered the Rocket, "otherwise you would know who I am. However,
I excuse your ignorance. It would be unfair to expect other people to be
as remarkable as oneself. You will no doubt be surprised to hear that I
can fly up into the sky, and come down in a shower of golden rain."
"I don't think much of that," said the Duck, "as I cannot see what use
it is to any one. Now, if you could plough the fields like the ox, or
draw a cart like the horse, or look after the sheep like the collie-dog,
that would be something."
"My good creature," cried the Rocket in a very haughty tone of voice,
"I see that you belong to the lower orders. A person of my position is
never useful. We have certain accomplishments, and that is more than
sufficient. I have no sympathy myself with industry of any kind, least
of all with such industries as you seem to recommend. Indeed, I have
always been of opinion that hard work is simply the refuge of people who
have nothing whatever to do."
"Well, well," said the Duck, who was of a very peaceable disposition,
and never quarrelled with any one, "everybody has different tastes.
I hope, at any rate, that you are going to take up your residence here."
"Oh! dear no," cried the Rocket. "I am merely a visitor, a distinguished
visitor. The fact is that I find this place rather tedious. There is
neither society here, nor solitude. In fact, it is essentially suburban.
I shall probably go back to Court, for I know that I am destined to make
a sensation in the world."
"I had thoughts of entering public life once myself," remarked the Duck;
"there are so many things that need reforming. Indeed, I took the chair
at a meeting some time ago, and we passed resolutions condemning
everything that we did not like. However, they did not seem to have much
effect. Now I go in for domesticity, and look after my family."
"I am made for public life," said the Rocket, "and so are all my
relations, even the humblest of them. Whenever we appear we excite great
attention. I have not actually appeared myself, but when I do so it will
be a magnificent sight. As for domesticity, it ages one rapidly, and
distracts one's mind from higher things."
"Ah! the higher things of life, how fine they are!" said the Duck; "and
that reminds me how hungry I feel:" and she swam away down the stream,
saying, "Quack, quack, quack."
"Come back! come back!" screamed the Rocket, "I have a great deal to say
to you;" but the Duck paid no attention to him. "I am glad that she has
gone," he said to himself, "she has a decidedly middle-class mind;" and
he sank a little deeper still into the mud, and began to think about the
loneliness of genius, when suddenly two little boys in white smocks came
running down the bank, with a kettle and some faggots.
"This must be the deputation," said the Rocket, and he tried to look
very dignified.
"Hallo!" cried one of the boys, "look at this old stick! I wonder how it
came here;" and he picked the Rocket out of the ditch.
"OLD Stick!" said the Rocket, "impossible! GOLD Stick, that is what he
said. Gold Stick is very complimentary. In fact, he mistakes me for one
of the Court dignitaries!"
"Let us put it into the fire!" said the other boy, "it will help to boil
the kettle."
So they piled the faggots together, and put the Rocket on top, and lit
the fire.
"This is magnificent," cried the Rocket, "they are going to let me off
in broad daylight, so that everyone can see me."
"We will go to sleep now," they said, "and when we wake up the kettle
will be boiled;" and they lay down on the grass, and shut their eyes.
The Rocket was very damp, so he took a long time to burn. At last,
however, the fire caught him.
"Now I am going off!" he cried, and he made himself very stiff and
straight. "I know I shall go much higher than the stars, much higher
than the moon, much higher than the sun. In fact, I shall go so high
that----"
Fizz! Fizz! Fizz! and he went straight up into the air.
"Delightful," he cried, "I shall go on like this for ever. What a
success I am!"
But nobody saw him.
Then he began to feel a curious tingling sensation all over him.
"Now I am going to explode," he cried. "I shall set the whole world on
fire, and make such a noise that nobody will talk about anything else
for a whole year." And he certainly did explode. Bang! Bang! Bang! went
the gunpowder. There was no doubt about it.
But nobody heard him, not even the two little boys, for they were sound
asleep.
Then all that was left of him was the stick, and this fell down on the
back of a Goose who was taking a walk by the side of the ditch.
"Good heavens!" cried the Goose. "It is going to rain sticks;" and she
rushed into the water.
"I knew I should create a great sensation," gasped the Rocket, and he
went out.
PRINTED BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
* * * * *
Errors Noted by Transcriber:
"What a remarkable phenomenon," said the Professor of Ornithology
[_comma invisible_]
all my flowers are doing well." [_" for ' in nested quote_]