United States or Germany ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Toddlekins wants her tea before she goes to bed." "Lucy has had her tea in the nursery," said Mrs. Lister, as she took her seat before the cups and saucers. "But she will have some more with papa," replied Martin, who had an amiable knack of spoiling his children. There were only two this bright fair-haired Lucy, aged nine, and a sturdy boy of seven.
"I don't know. She's coming, at any rate," said Peggy, rather crossly. "Bunty sent me to find out if everybody had really gone. Toddlekins will have to get a taxi, that's all. Whew! I'm being blown to bits! I want to get back to my pen-painting. I'm making a birthday present for my cousin. Ta-ta!" Diana stood watching Peggy's retreating figure as the latter raced up the garden and into the house.
It was necessary to step along briskly if they meant to accomplish the walk which Miss Todd had in her mind's eye, and anybody who has ever acted leader to a party of twenty-four knows the difficulty of making everyone keep the pace. "I believe Toddlekins would like to rope us all together as if we were Swiss mountaineers," giggled Magsie, "or a gang of prisoners clanking chains.
"Well, Toddlekins," he cried to the little girl, "I hope you were very attentive to the sermon; listened for two, and made up for your lazy dad. That's a vicarious kind of devotion that ought to be permitted occasionally to a hard-working fellow like me. I'm glad you've come back to give us some tea, Belle. Don't go upstairs; let Susan carry up your bonnet and shawl. It's nearly nine o'clock.
I was happy, too, although I had not yet had a chance of speaking to Min privately in the boat there were more listeners near than I cared for, and on shore she was too busy entertaining a small crowd of toddlekins, for whose delectation she told deeply-involved fairy stories, and wove unlimited daisy-chains of intricate patterns and simple workmanship.
Toddlekins, the little aunt, was the image of her mother, and very sedate even at that early age; Miss Muffet, so called from her dread of spiders, was a timid black and white kit; Beauty, a pretty Maltese, with a serene little face and pink nose; Ragbag, a funny thing, every color that a cat could be; and Scamp, who well deserved his name, for he was the plague of Miss Bat's life, and Molly's especial pet.
I've told you Brother Lawrence was up to tricks sometimes, and got the discipline. The Prior used to be down on him, just as Toddlekins is down on us. He was more sinner than saint. That's why he can't rest quietly." "Doesn't he rest?" Jess's voice held a note of uneasiness. "No, I don't think he does. I've a kind of feeling that he haunts the place, coming back to find out what it's like now."
As she spoke, a little toddlekins, three or four years old, came running to me, exclaiming, "Cedar, can't I ride on the 'bog-gan?" That settled it! My Brook Farm name was thenceforth Cedar, and would be Cedar, still, were there any of my companions left to remember it.
"But I thought perhaps if I went about on tiptoe and whispered, and" hopefully "I could keep my eyes half-shut, couldn't I?" Violet shook her head decisively. "That twinkle would ooze out of the smallest chink, and besides, even if you managed to look a saint, that wouldn't influence Toddlekins. You don't know her yet. Once she says a thing she sticks to it like glue.
The girls, very much thrilled at the prospect, dispersed to talk it over. "Is Pendlemere to be a sort of farm, then?" asked Wendy. "Looks like it, if we're to keep hens and bees, and grow all our own vegetables! Bags me help with the chickens. I love them when they're all yellow, like canaries. Toddlekins hinted something about launching out into a horse if things prospered." "A horse!
Word Of The Day