The Adventures of Herr Baby

wind ble

sun shon

y would find the 'normous boat waiting to take them over the sea. They had to pass through London on the way, and, by t

t in London. Baby has never had a long railway journey before,

by. He was lying on Lisa's knee with his eyes shut, as if he were asleep, but he wasn't. He heard what they sai

more quickly white if he is tired than other children. And he has been such a good little man all

ite loud I don't think they would have heard, and, indeed, it seemed as if they wanted to show that auntie's wor

the matter? ev

," said Fritz,

all Fritz and Ce

to the dormice's cage when Fritz wasn't looking, and she poked out Tim, who was just beginning to come awake for

door of the cage," sobbed Denny. "A

untie stopped her by a look-the children were

iage, "you might be peaceable for five minutes, and then we shall

of tea, and they were a little ashamed of themselv

ease," said Baby, as she passed

mother; "but it really is too silly,

my fault. Denny and Fritz asked me to tell them a st

This is only the first day, you know. You can't be expected to be very clever tra

your things

y in time?"

e railway?" said De

untie; "but they're not the thing I was

d in another minute or two they all got out and were standing together on the bustling platform, dimly l

a said "yes," he added rather mournfully,

after all, Fritz him

hand in hand on th

eling, rather d

to E

platform, looking, and feeling, rather desolate. Lisa was busy helping with the rugs and bags that had been in

ing anywhere. Off she trotted to have a look at the luggage too, and Celia wa

r, "don't go away too. Fritz is taking

difference enough, as she thought, and for keeping her still a good deal in the nursery. Mother had her own good reasons, and it is not always wise for big people to tell children their reasons, as Celia got to kn

e said, "you won't be lost. Fritz would

rom their life at home, had rather upset him-but he would not have liked to say so! And now he was quite pleased at Celia telling Baby that, of course, Fritz was big enough to

all safe, to see that a table was placed for them by themselves. He, himself, went off to get some real dinner, for, of course, it was not to be expected that a gentleman, and especially an old gentlem

tially, "for we are none of us very big, are we? And you know we might get lost somehow

station-room, their little faces grave and rather tired looking, a sort of sorry feeling came over her too, as she thought of the snug, cosy nursery at home, and the neat nursery tea, with the pretty pink and white cups she had chosen, and the canaries and "Bully" twittering in the window. Poor "calanies" and poor Bully! they didn't know where they had got to! The

hildren," thought mother. She was a little tired hersel

very queer to start on another journey with so little rest between. I think, however, once they were all settled in the railway carriage, that the children slept the most of the way; Baby, a

said. "Is him in

sed and have a nice sleep all night in bed, to rest him w

his eyes open; him is quite awake now," an

I cannot hold yo

aid his mother, who was just behind,

is so 'tiff," said Baby. "P'ease let

mother had said. Lisa put Baby down on the ground; at first he really tumbled over, his legs felt so funny, but with Lisa's hand he s

moon in zit countly? Denny says in her hymn 'the moon to sh

ering about, little

to know if there isn't any moon here. He thi

from poor Baby

d Thomas, and Jones, and the trees, and the flowers, and him's dear little bed, and

ch was as cold as a little dog's. This made Herr Baby begin laughing, which was a good thing, wasn't it? And he was so taken up in explaining to Lisa how funny it felt when Denn

ht sight of some of the waiters running about, he asked Li

liged to assure him the servants were not going to be instead of Thomas and Jones, they were all only just go

The other children thought it great fun to sleep in strange rooms, in beds quite unlike those they had at home, and to have to hunt for their nightgowns and brushes and sponges in two or three wr

kissed him for good-night. "It is ever so much late

Herr Baby, brightening up. "Him were up dedful la

aby was in this sort of humour there was no telling whether other p

twenty o'clock to-morrow morning, if you like. We don't need to start early,

Celia, and Lisa, and mother, and auntie, and grandfather, and the "bully," and the "calanies," and Tim, and Peepy-Snoozle, and Linley, mother's maid, and Peters, grandfather's man, and I forget if there was any one else, but I think not; and all the boxes and carpet-bags, and railway-rugs, were safely arrived at Santino, the pretty little town with mountains on one

grandfather couldn't make them go all the way to Santino in the nice boat, and when they explained to him that it couldn't be, because there was no sea for boats to go on all the way, he thought ther

reproachfully, "you toldene

o come all round the land, and it would have been much longer. Look, it is like this," and mother traced with her parasol a s

ing on without speaking for a min

first lesson in geog

ared up

raphy were awful, dedful difficult. Denny is s

, with books and maps and ever so long rows of names to learn. Baby's so stupid-he always takes u

a very superior air.

graphy?" he

to E

im and calling Denny a naughty, unkind girl to tease him. Mother and auntie had walk

r. See what one beautifullest place this is-sky so blue and sea so bl

king round, "it is an

ly beautiful things in a way that when children are very little, t

heads to run races, of which Lisa was very glad, and Celia stood still by herself, looking round at the lovely sea and sky,

ys," said Baby's voice; "it are so

suppose Heaven must be prettier

sa says," said Baby; "him sinks blu

I," sai

see less clearly. Mother and auntie were in front too, and when Fritz and Denny raced back again, quite hot and out of breath, mother said it was time for them all to go in; i

winter. Just think how we were wrapped up when we started on the journe

d hereabouts comes quite suddenly, and it even seems colder from having been so warm before. I daresay you will be glad of your

reakfast yet," said Baby. "Him's had him's brea

e! It couldn't have been hundreds of years ag

aby, "how does you kn

en't there," s

adict each other. It's

" said Baby, "t'we

Baby wasn't born hundreds of year

urst as twice

e was a funny look on her face, b

ng over you," she said. "It isn

red, and he tur

hat ganfather were lazy,"

aid mother. "I know you were joking when you

," said Baby, on t

be very good and happy this first day. And she was a little afraid of Baby's begi

d auntie. "Here nobody has big breakfast when they first get up

milk every day except Sunday-on Sunday we have bacon o

stared

that you have got all your senses. How can you have 'nothing for breakfast

idn't say 'hippotamus' right-I called it a 'nippotamus,' and he made me say 'hi-hi-hip,'

you hear any difference between 'a negg,'

repeat

s having," observed Baby; "I

a negg' nothing for br

nothing for breakf

just one little cup of tea and a bit of bread-and-butter after the bread-and-milk. But on Sundays, and birthdays, there's nothing for the first, and so we g

ry hungry, and look, there's grandfather coming out to meet us, which looks as if he were hungry too. And what have you to say

not for him's breakfast; in course