Mrs. Fenwick, like Mrs. Turner (some of whose Cautionary Stories have
already been published in this series), lived and wrote at the beginning
of this century. Mrs. Turner practised verse, Mrs. Fenwick prose. I can
tell nothing of Mrs. Fenwick's life, except that among her books were
_Infantine Stories_, the _Life of Carlo_, _Mary and her Cat_, _Presents
for Good Boys and Girls_, _Rays from the Rainbow_ (an easy system of
teaching grammar), and _Lessons for Children; or, Rudiments of Good
Manners, Morals, and Humanity_. It is from the last-named book that the
first ten of the following stories have been taken. It was a favourite
work in its day, and not only was it often reprinted in England, but was
translated into French: for little French children, it seems, need
lessons too.
As for these _Rudiments_, although it was Mrs. Fenwick's purpose that
they should lead to good conduct, it would satisfy their present editor
to know that they had amused. That is why they are printed here, and
also to show the kind of reading prepared for the childhood of our
great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. In those days exaggeration
was rather in favour with story-tellers; and we therefore need not
believe that there was ever a family quite so bad as the Bad Family in
this book, or a Good Family so good; or that Mrs. Loft (in 'The Basket
of Plumbs') would have bought fruit from a household down with fever; or
that a boy of ten could write so well as the hero of 'The Journal.' But
after making allowances for exaggeration, we may take everything else as
truth. As I said, these stories are included in this series chiefly to
provide entertainment; but if they also have the use Mrs. Fenwick
wished--if the misadventures of Frank Lawless keep us from robbing
orchards, and 'The Broken Crutch' leads to the befriending of weary and
wooden-legged sailors--why, so much the better.
The last two stories in this book, 'Limby Lumpy' and 'The Oyster
Patties,' were not written by Mrs. Fenwick; but they seem to fit in
here rather well.