OFF TO THE SEA-SHORE.
UNCLE JACK was as good as his word, and the next morning was a busy time
at the Mouse-trap.
[Illustration]
Trunks were packed, jackets were brushed, and wonders were accomplished
in the way of getting ready before breakfast. As I looked in my glass,
there seemed to be only two rooms in the house where there was no bustle
and confusion: one was the nursery, where Puff lay, half-awake and
wondering what all the noise was about; and the other was the room next
to it, where my dear little Fluff was kneeling by the bed, praying that
her darling sister might be "quite all perfectly well" very soon.
And now the carriage was announced; the "good-byes" were softly
whispered at the nursery door, and away went four of my mice, leaving
the poor old Mouse-trap quite deserted, with only Mrs. Posset and the
cook and faithful Tomty, beside the poor little sick mouse.
[Illustration]
A few hours journey on the train brought the travelers to the lovely
sea-shore place where Aunt Grace Wilton was spending the summer: and
what was their delight on leaving the train, to find Aunt Grace herself
waiting for them, with her basket-wagon, and Max, the pretty black pony.
I know Mrs. Wilton, though she does not remember me. I used to pay her
frequent visits when she was a child, and now I go to see Roger, her
little boy, who is a great friend of mine, and a fine little fellow. He
had the scarlet fever when he was two years old, so that his mother had
no fear of his taking it again. Well how all those mice managed to get
into that pony-carriage is more than I can tell you: but they did manage
it somehow, and after bidding good-bye to their dear Uncle Jack, who was
going back in the next train, as he did not like to stay away from Puff,
they rolled away at a fine pace toward Glenwood, while Susan followed in
the carts with the trunks.
[Illustration]
A very pretty place Glenwood is, and very much delighted the four mice
were, when they tumbled out of the carriage, and saw Roger waiting to
welcome them. Here I will make a little picture of Roger, by the way, as
of course a great many of you have never seen him.
"How do, Nibble?" he cried, jumping up and down with joy as he saw his
cousins. "How do, all of you! come and see my pets! I-have-a-cat-and-
some-birds-and-a-rabbit-and-a-lamb-because-I-haven't-any-brothers-and-
sisters-you-know-and-a-dog--big-enough--to-eat-them-all-up-and-do-you-
think-Puff-would-like-a-white-kitten?"
Roger said all this as if it were one word, and it was no wonder that
the four mice looked rather bewildered.
"Gently, Roger! gently!" said his mother, laughing. "Your cousins cannot
understand a word you say, if you talk so fast."
"I heard 'lamb' and 'kitten,' Auntie," said Fluff, sedately, "and I
should like to see them very much indeed."
[Illustration]
"I want to go down to the beach, please, Auntie!" cried Nibble.
"And so do I!" said Brighteyes, eagerly.
"Very well, dears," said Mrs. Wilton; "you may run wherever you like, if
you are not tired. I shall take little Downy in the house with me, for I
see he is very sleepy, and wants a nap. But, my chickens, don't you want
some lunch before you go out to play?" she added, turning back from the
door.
"Oh! no, Auntie!" they all cried. "We had lunch in the train, as much as
we wanted."
And off they all scampered in different directions, while Mrs. Wilton
went into the house, carrying little sleepy Downy in her arms. Fluff and
Roger walked away hand in hand, and I tipped my glass so that I could
follow.
"Have you many pets, Fluff?" asked Roger.
"No!" replied Fluff. "We have only the three dogs, and Jose, the brown
donkey, and the kitten that Brighteyes found in the tree. But then we
have a great many dolls," she added, "and I suppose you have'nt any
dolls, because you are a boy."
[Illustration]
"Animals is better than dolls," said Roger. "Here is my lamb, under this
tree. Isn't he lovely? here, Belladonna, come and have some sugar,
dear!" The lamb, which was a very pretty one, came up to be petted, and
ate a lump of sugar with every sign of approval.
"What did you say his name was?" asked Fluff.
"Belladonna," replied Roger, "because he wears a bell, you know. _I_
think it is a very pretty name, but Mamma laughs at it."
"It's medicine, isn't it?" said Fluff, doubtfully.
"Well, yes!" said Roger; "but that doesn't make any difference. Rhubarb
is medicine, too, and yet it makes nice pies and tarts."
"So it does!" said Fluff; "I never thought of that. And have your other
pets, medicine-names, too, Roger?"
"The dog is Blanco," replied Roger. "I called him that before I had him,
because I thought he was going to be white, and Blanco means white. And
then he went and was black when he came, but I don't like to change
names, so I called him so just the same. And I call my cat Plunket,
after the story of the Chattering Cat, and the rabbit is Binks, and--oh!
well, let us go in and see them, for they are all in the play-room, and
it is hot out here!"
[Illustration]
And Roger led the way to the house, while Fluff followed meekly,
wondering, as she said afterwards to Brighteyes, how any one could talk
so fast without "getting his tongue all tied up with his teeth."
In the large, sunny play-room I left the two little ones, having a grand
game of romps with Blanco and Binks, while the birds, let loose from
their cage, fluttered about their heads, in no fear of the well-behaved
cat, who sat and looked at them as if she had no idea that they were
good to eat. Yes it was a regular Happy Family, and a very pretty
sight.
[Illustration]
But I wanted to see what Nibble and Brighteyes were about, so I turned
my glass towards the beach, which was not far from the house, though in
the other direction. There I found my two eldest mice deep in
consultation. Nibble was just saying, "but, Bright, mermaids don't have
legs and tails, too, for that would be ridiculous. Don't you remember?
'The little white mermaidens live in the sea,
In a palace of silver and gold.
And their neat little tails are all covered with scales,
Most beautiful for to behold.'
But it doesn't say anything about legs, and there aren't any in the
pictures." "I can't help it, Nibble!" replied Brighteyes, rather
pettishly. "I can't cut off my legs, and I _am_ going to play mermaid. I
can be the queen, and queens have everything they want, I know." And she
turned round, displaying to my view a superb tail of seaweed, fastened
to her sash, and trailing upon the ground.
"Well," said Nibble, "it is a lovely tail, after all. But we must take
off our shoes and stockings, and put them in the fort for safe keeping.
Then we can play 'wild white horses' and 'mermaid' too."
The shoes and stockings were soon off, and safely hidden in a sand fort
of very superior construction. Then began a wild rushing up and down the
smooth sandy beach, with much neighing and kicking on Nibble's part,
while Brighteyes waved her seaweed tail in a graceful and effective
manner, and sang her song of the mermaids.
"On wild white horses they ride, they ride,
And in chairs of pink coral they sit,
They swim all the night, with a smile of delight,
And never feel tired a bit."
"Look!" said Nibble, "at that line of rocks running out into the water.
What fun to jump from one to the other! come on, Brighteyes!" No sooner
said than done. It was no easy matter to jump from one smooth slippery
rock to the next, without losing foothold, but that made it all the more
exciting.
"I am the Nixie!" said Brighteyes, "and you are the knight who caught
her asleep and cut off one of her golden ringlets, so that she could not
disappear or turn into a fish. Sing, now, and catch me if you can!"
[Illustration: ON THE BEACH.]
She sprang lightly to the next rock, and thence to the next, while
Nibble, pursuing her, sang:
"Nixie, white Nixie, I have you now!
The magic ringlet is clipped from your brow.
You vanish no more 'neath the shining tide,
And I have you and hold you, my snow-white bride!"
Brighteyes sang again:
"Hunter, rash hunter, your triumph's not long,
Your arm drops down 'neath the spell of my song.
You turn to ice and you turn to stone,
And the sea-waves laugh as they hear you moan."
Here the Nixie waved her tail triumphantly, and flirted it in the
hunter's face in a way that was too provoking to be endured. The rash
youth sprang forward, alighting on the rock and on the Nixie's toe at
the same instant. There was a moment of shrieking and clutching at the
air, as they tried to regain their balance, and then with a loud splash,
pursuer and pursued disappeared beneath the water.
This was really past a joke, and I became much alarmed. As for Bmfkgth,
that excellent dog was quite frantic with excitement, and his green hair
stood on end, causing him to present a truly remarkable appearance. In
another minute, however, we saw the two brown heads emerge from the
water; Nibble clambered up the rock, and pulled his sister up after him;
then breathless and dripping, they jumped and climbed back over the long
line of rocks, till they reached the shore. They sat down on the beach
and looked at each other in silence for a few minutes. Then Nibble said,
"I say, Brighteyes, ain't you just glad that Mrs. Posset isn't here?
look at your frock, now!" "Oh! I don't want to look at it!" said
Brighteyes; "and besides your knickerbockers are just as bad. But we
have lost our hats, Nibble, and they were our best ones. We ought to
have taken them off when we took off our shoes and--but, goodness me!
where _are_ our shoes and stockings? Nibble, where is the fort? I don't
see it anywhere."
Indeed, it would have been strange if they had seen it, for the rising
tide had completely covered it some fifteen minutes before. As for the
shoes and stockings--"Look, Bright!" said Nibble, grasping his sister's
arm, and pointing to the water. Yes, sure enough, there they were. Far
out of reach, floating serenely along, the boots nodding a graceful
farewell to their former owners as the little waves bore them off on
their voyage of discovery, while the stockings, less courageous, had
yielded to despair, and floated limp and piteous, stretching out their
scarlet length in a vain appeal for rescue.
This last blow completely sobered the bold spirits of my two mice, and
as the loud ringing of a bell proclaimed that dinner-time was come, they
turned silently and mournfully towards the house.
[Illustration]
A bee came tumbling into my ear,
And what do you think he remarked, my dear?
He said that two tens made up a score,
And really and truly, I knew that before.