The Children of the Castle

thou must th

o take kin

p the weeds

will cherish

selda's bed-room, had the shutters closed, there was a round part at the top, high up, which the shutters did not reach

, could not help standing stil

s, I do declare, the mandarins are nodding! I wonder if it is out of politeness to me, or does Aunt Grizzel come in last thing at night and touch them to make them keep noddi

he next room, reaching her ear, reminded her of the object of t

ow. But through the uncovered space at the top of this window t

T YOU SPE

the clock with its qu

ed it and stood b

e said softl

re was

k to me? I know you are there, and you're not asleep, for I he

e clock, but there

felt read

I was so pleased to hear your voice again, for I thought I had killed you, or hurt you very badly; and I didn't me

saw the doors open, and out flew the cuckoo. He stood still for a moment, looked roun

ion, but in her delight she could not

a funny little noise as he made; and then, in a very

said, "are yo

o be a very little in fun, too. And it made me so unhappy when you went away, and my poor aunts have been dreadfully unhappy too. If you hadn't come back I should h

d," said t

quite well,"

oo; "and I couldn't help going away. I

. "How do you m

the cuckoo. "You can understand about obeying your o

ntinued, "I never used to get into tempers at home-hardly never, at l

the cuckoo. "It isn't often that

t be with my being a child-my aunts and the house

did," remarked

ull. I have lots of lessons, but it isn't so much

flapped his wings and was silent for a minute or

selda, not exactly kn

the cuckoo, "you'd better obey pr

to you, then?" asked G

do so," replied the cuc

"for of course you're not like a person, and-and-I've been told a

a fairy?" inqu

sense did too," replied Griselda. "You must

ryfied cuckoo," s

looked

hink it could make much difference. But whatev

said the

orgiven me for throwing the book a

for evil," repl

ng at me," she said. "I mean, have you come back to st

ning," said the cuckoo

ank you, and please don't forget to

t it was meant for good night, but the fact of the matter was th

sleepy! She felt as happy and light-hearted as possible, and she wished it was morning, that she might get up. Yet the moment she laid her little brown curly head o

morning, for the wintry sun was already sending som

"I must have slept a long time. I feel so beautifully unsleepy now. I must dress quickly-how nice

owever. As she went downstairs two or three of the clocks in the house, for there were several, were striking eight. These clocks must have been a little before the

graciously. Nothing was said about the clock, however, till about half-way through the meal, when Griselda,

said, "isn't the cuc

lighted to say it is,"

ght, Aunt Grizzel?" in

ght again, and that is enough. During fifty years that cuckoo has never, till yesterday, missed an

t have done badly," r

iselda could see that at the bottom of their hearts they were both so happy that, even if

ink about and look forward to, which made her quite a different little girl

my having no one to play with?" she said to herself, as she

k just over her head, as i

looked

the languages of the birds and the beasts, like the prince in the fairy tale! I wonder if I should wish for that, if a fairy gave me a wish? No, I don't think I would. I'd far rather have the fai

"Miss Grizzel says you have had play enough, and there's a

'play,' Dorcas? I mustn't loiter even to pick a flower, if there were any, for fear of catching cold, and I mustn't run for f

You'd never do anything so naughty, and y

grandmother; no one would like to be told they were like their grandmother. It makes me feel as

I first saw her," said Dorcas. "She was young

aimed Griselda,

erry. Every creature loved her; even the animals about seemed to know her, as if she was on

s the cuckoo that brought

en he died she came here to her sisters. She wasn't own sister to my ladies, you see, missie. Her mother had come from Germany, and it was in some strange place ther

y. "Why didn't Miss Sybilla take it with

after your father was born, a year after she was married-for a whole hour, from twelve to one, that cuckoo went on cuckooing in a soft, sad way, like some living creature in tro

tly brought to a close by Miss Grizzel's a

so for? Dorcas, you should have ha

to think of and wonder about, and she liked to do her lessons in the ante-room, with the tick-tick of the clock in h

ow hard I am trying to do my lessons well, it wil

to say it was four o'clock. She was busy, and he was busy. She felt it was b

do with. They don't like to be interfered with, or treated except with very great respe

could hardly have been that-that Griselda felt so tired and sleepy that evening, she could hardly keep her eyes open. She begged to go to bed quite half an hour earlier than usual, which made Miss Tabitha afraid again that she was going to be il

slept a good long while, when again she wakened suddenly-just as she had done the night before, and again with the feeling that something had wakened her. And the queer thing was that the moment she was awake she felt so very awake-she h

cuckoo?" she

ner of the room by the door. She got up and, feeling her way, opened it, and the instant she had done so she heard

on the window-panes, through the closed shutters and all. But dark as it was, she made her way along without any difficulty, down the passage, across the great saloon, in through the ante

hem open, it was far too dark to see-and in his ordinary voice, clear and distinct (it was just two o'clock, so the cuckoo

o," said Griselda, w

you mean," sa

" said Griselda. "Have you c

cleared h

obey orders yet, Gri

cuckoo, I've not had very long to learn in-i

ckoo s

at deal to le

ssons I have, I couldn't ever have any worse than those addition sums of Mr. Kne

cuckoo. "Always be exact in

te well what I mean, I don't see that you need be so very particular. Well, as I

to learn, Griselda,

often," said Griselda. "I thought

ng in that. I should like to talk about it. But we could talk

r friend must be go

he exclaimed. "Cuckoo, how c

on't you know that if the world and everything in it, counting yourself of course,

ather muddled; "but, not counting myse

argue. Nobody should argue; it's a shocking bad habit, and ruins the digestion. Come up here

selda. "Aunt Grizzel said I was neve

ock. Catch hold of the chains and swing yoursel