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Daisy and crocus, and sea-blue bell, And violet shrinking in dewy cell Sly cells that know the secrets of night, When earth is bathed in fairy light Scarlet, and blue, and golden flowers." And so Mr. Kneebreeches had no reason to complain of his pupil that day. And Miss Grizzel congratulated herself more heartily than ever on her wise management of children.
She sat straight up in her sofa, and exclaimed in a tone of great annoyance "Oh, Aunt Grizzel!" "Well, my dear?" said Miss Grizzel, placidly. "I wish you wouldn't make me begin lessons again just yet. I know they'll make my head ache again, and Mr. Kneebreeches will be so cross. I know he will, and he is so horrid when he is cross."
Kneebreeches'. I have made up my mind about that, for to-day, do you know, cuckoo " "Yesterday," corrected the cuckoo. "Always be exact in your statements, Griselda." "Well, yesterday, then," said Griselda, rather tartly; "though when you know quite well what I mean, I don't see that you need be so very particular. Well, as I was saying, I tried and tried, but still they were fearful.
"It's beautiful," said Dorcas. "It's out of the big blue chinay bottle on your auntie's table, isn't it, missie?" "Stuff and nonsense," replied Griselda; "it's scent of my own, Dorcas. Aunt Grizzel never had any like it in her life. There now! Please give me my slippers, I want to get up and look over my lessons for Mr. Kneebreeches before he comes.
Kneebreeches has just begun to teach me astronomy, and he says they are; but I'm not at all sure that he knows much about it." "He's quite right all the same," replied the cuckoo. "Oh dear me! How tired they must be, then!" said Griselda. "Do they never rest just for a minute?" "Never." "Why not?" "Obeying orders," replied the cuckoo. Griselda gave a little wriggle.
It was as if one grandly proud in kneebreeches should be forced to walk abroad in petticoats. Far rather would the disgraced boy have been whacked soundly with the heavy knob of the tithingman's staff; for bodily pain is soon forgotten, while mortifying abasement lingers long.
Lessons were very well done that day, and Mr. Kneebreeches' report was all that could be wished. "I am particularly gratified," he remarked to Miss Grizzel, "by the intelligence and interest Miss Griselda displays with regard to the study of astronomy, which I have recently begun to give her some elementary instruction in.
Kneebreeches' addition sums "rows," they were far too fat and wide across to be so spoken of! whole slatefuls of these terrible mountains of figures to climb wearily to the top of. And not to climb once up merely. The terrible thing was Mr. Kneebreeches' favourite method of what he called "proving."
"So will you please tell Aunt Grizzel that I'm very sorry about last night, and I'll do just as she likes about staying in my room or anything. But, if she would let me, I'd far rather go down and do my lessons as usual for Mr. Kneebreeches. I won't ask to go out in the garden; but I would like to please Aunt Grizzel by doing my lessons very well." Dorcas was both delighted and astonished.
We saw short hair, hatless, loose, and shining; a suit of some light firm stuff, the closest of tunics and kneebreeches, met by trim gaiters. As bright and smooth as parrots and as unaware of danger, they swung there before us, wholly at ease, staring as we stared, till first one, and then all of them burst into peals of delighted laughter.
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