PHANTASTES (With All Original Illustrations). George MacDonald

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СКАЧАТЬ we were born.”

      “She came like a bride

      In a snowy morn.”

      “What’s a bride?”

      “What is snow?

      “Never tried.”

      “Do not know.”

      “Who told you about her?”

      “Little Primrose there

      Cannot do without her.”

      “Oh, so sweetly fair!”

      “Never fear,

      She will come,

      Primrose dear.”

      “Is she dumb?”

      “She’ll come by-and-by.”

      “You will never see her.”

      “She went home to dies,

      “Till the new year.”

      “Snowdrop!” “’Tis no good

      To invite her.”

      “Primrose is very rude,

      “I will bite her.”

      “Oh, you naughty Pocket!

      “Look, she drops her head.”

      “She deserved it, Rocket,

      “And she was nearly dead.”

      “To your hammock — off with you!”

      “And swing alone.”

      “No one will laugh with you.”

      “No, not one.”

      “Now let us moan.”

      “And cover her o’er.”

      “Primrose is gone.”

      “All but the flower.”

      “Here is a leaf.”

      “Lay her upon it.”

      “Follow in grief.”

      “Pocket has done it.”

      “Deeper, poor creature!

      Winter may come.”

      “He cannot reach her —

      That is a hum.”

      “She is buried, the beauty!”

      “Now she is done.”

      “That was the duty.”

      “Now for the fun.”

      And with a wild laugh they sprang away, most of them towards the cottage. During the latter part of the song-talk, they had formed themselves into a funeral procession, two of them bearing poor Primrose, whose death Pocket had hastened by biting her stalk, upon one of her own great leaves. They bore her solemnly along some distance, and then buried her under a tree. Although I say HER I saw nothing but the withered primrose-flower on its long stalk. Pocket, who had been expelled from the company by common consent, went sulkily away towards her hammock, for she was the fairy of the calceolaria, and looked rather wicked. When she reached its stem, she stopped and looked round. I could not help speaking to her, for I stood near her. I said, “Pocket, how could you be so naughty?”

      “I am never naughty,” she said, half-crossly, half-defiantly; “only if you come near my hammock, I will bite you, and then you will go away.”

      “Why did you bite poor Primrose?”

      “Because she said we should never see Snowdrop; as if we were not good enough to look at her, and she was, the proud thing! — served her right!”

      “Oh, Pocket, Pocket,” said I; but by this time the party which had gone towards the house, rushed out again, shouting and screaming with laughter. Half of them were on the cat’s back, and half held on by her fur and tail, or ran beside her; till, more coming to their help, the furious cat was held fast; and they proceeded to pick the sparks out of her with thorns and pins, which they handled like harpoons. Indeed, there were more instruments at work about her than there could have been sparks in her. One little fellow who held on hard by the tip of the tail, with his feet planted on the ground at an angle of forty-five degrees, helping to keep her fast, administered a continuous flow of admonitions to Pussy.

      “Now, Pussy, be patient. You know quite well it is all for your good. You cannot be comfortable with all those sparks in you; and, indeed, I am charitably disposed to believe” (here he became very pompous) “that they are the cause of all your bad temper; so we must have them all out, every one; else we shall be reduced to the painful necessity of cutting your claws, and pulling out your eye-teeth. Quiet! Pussy, quiet!”

      But with a perfect hurricane of feline curses, the poor animal broke loose, and dashed across the garden and through the hedge, faster than even the fairies could follow. “Never mind, never mind, we shall find her again; and by that time she will have laid in a fresh stock of sparks. Hooray!” And off they set, after some new mischief.

      But I will not linger to enlarge on the amusing display of these frolicsome creatures. Their manners and habits are now so well known to the world, having been so often described by eyewitnesses, that it would be only indulging self-conceit, to add my account in full to the rest. I cannot help wishing, however, that my readers could see them for themselves. Especially do I desire that they should see the fairy of the daisy; a little, chubby, round-eyed child, with such innocent trust in his look! Even the most mischievous of the fairies would not tease him, although he did not belong to their set at all, but was quite a little country bumpkin. He wandered about alone, and looked at everything, with his hands in his little pockets, and a white night-cap on, the darling! He was not so beautiful as many other wild flowers I saw afterwards, but so dear and loving in his looks and little confident ways.

      Chapter 4

       Table of Contents

      “When bale is att hyest, boote is nyest.”

      Ballad of Sir Aldingar.

      By this time, my hostess was quite anxious that I should be gone. So, with warm thanks for their hospitality, I took my leave, and went my way through the little garden towards the forest. Some of the garden flowers had wandered into the wood, and were growing here and there along the path, but the trees soon became too thick and shadowy for them. I particularly noticed some СКАЧАТЬ