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Updated: September 16, 2025
He had often acted as veterinary surgeon to the wooden rocking-horse; once he had saved its life when all human aid was despaired of, and the poor creature was given up for lost, and even the carpenter said he didn't see his way to do anything.
"Thank you," she answered very gently. "And I'm paid for trying to be reasonable." He laughed, suddenly content. Between them, the little lad who had never owned a toy in his life, stowing the red train carefully away between has feet, gave himself wholly to the rocking-horse.
"I am so anxious to see if you like all the house." At last I got her upstairs. I threw open the nursery door. It was too sudden, no doubt. At the sight of the kettle, the rocking-horse, the tea-set, she burst into tears. "Dear, dear Nannie," I said, "it is your own nursery; it's all from Hames." She paused in her sobs.
'Beg your pardon, sir, said a sergeant in charge of the baggage, 'but would you mind backin' a bit till we get the waggons past? 'Certainly, I said. 'You don't happen to have a rocking-horse among your kit, do you? The rattle of our reverse drowned his answer, but I saw his eyes. One of them was blackish-green, about four days old. 'My Son's Wife'
'Took aboard what? I cried. 'One fourteen-hand dapple-grey rocking-horse, with pure green rockers and detachable tail, pair gashly glass eyes, complete set 'orrible grinnin' teeth, and two bloody-red nostrils which, protruding from the brown papers, produced the tout ensemble of a Ju-ju sacrifice in the Benin campaign. Do I make myself comprehensible? 'Perfectly. Did you say anything? I asked.
Her little face was very sad; she was looking at the big rocking-horse, and there were tears in her eyes. She and Jimmy had so often ridden its impossible back together; this deserted room was full of Jimmy and her mother to her sad heart it was peopled with ghost faces, and whispering voices that would never come any more. Kettering turned away. "Shall we see the rest of the house?" he asked.
Strangest of all, he found himself often in the old nursery at the top of the house. Very seldom did any one come there now, and it had the pathos of a room grown cold and comfortless. Most of the toys were put away or given to hospitals, but the rocking-horse with his Christmas-tree tail was there, and the doll's-house, and a railway with trains and stations. He was here.
The enthusiastic Jane even suggested that they should devote a week's wishes to assuring the Baby's future, by asking such gifts for him as the good fairies give to Infant Princes in proper fairy-tales, but Anthea soberly reminded her that as the Sand-fairy's wishes only lasted till sunset they could not ensure any benefit to the Baby's later years; and Jane owned that it would be better to wish for fifty pounds in two-shilling pieces, and buy the Lamb a three-pound-fifteen rocking-horse, like those in the Army and Navy Stores list, with part of the money.
When they fantastically mocked the shapes of household objects, making the nurse an ogress, the rocking-horse a monster, the wondering child, half-scared and half-amused, a stranger to itself, the very tongs upon the hearth, a straddling giant with his arms a-kimbo, evidently smelling the blood of Englishmen, and wanting to grind people's bones to make his bread.
On a wild stormy evening he found himself in the nursery. A week remained now to-day fortnight he would be in another world, an alarming, fierce, tremendous world. He looked at the rocking-horse with its absurd tail and the patch on its back, that had been worn away by its faithful riders, and suddenly he was crying.
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