Читать книгу The Missing Prince - G. E. Farrow - Страница 12

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“A Cat amidst the Burdock leaves

Sat all disconsolate,

And sadsomely did wop and wole

And role against her fate.

“‘Ah! hollow, hollow,’ wole the Cat,

‘Is all Societee,

And falshish shamiosity

In all around I see.’

“‘Oh! why,’ I crew in sympathy,

‘Lamentuate like that?

Pray tell me all your sorrowness’;

And down I flumply sat.

“The Cat did then all sobbishly

Her woesome tale repeat.

‘This world is full of mockishness,

And also of deceit.

“‘For why? This mom at dawnitude

A mouse I did espy;

‘Twas running whirligigishly

Beneath my very eye.

‘And feeling somewhat breakfastish

I straightway gave a spring,

And landed right upon the back

Of that activeous thing.

“‘To my surprise it did not squeak,

And neither did it squeal;

And as ‘twas rather littleish,

I ate it at one meal.

“‘I much regret my hastiness,

For soon, to my dismay,

‘Twas acting most unmouseishly,

In an eccentric way.

“‘’Twas what they term a clockwork mouse,

And governed by a spring;

Its works behaved revolvingly,

And hurt like anything.

“‘Oh! tell me, is life livable

When things go on like that?

When clockwork mice and feathered shams

Impose upon a Cat?’

“I could not answer her, and so

I softly snoke away;

I felt that ‘twould be synicish

To wish that Cat ‘Good-day.’”

All the company applauded vigorously at the conclusion of the recitation; and whilst the clapping was still going on a black india-rubber doll rushed in with a very scared face and cried out, “The tide is coming in!” and there was immediately a great commotion throughout the room.

The company rushed helter-skelter to the gate, where they could see that the tide had indeed risen so high as to cut off all communication with the shore. Mr. Waxxe-Doll was stamping about in fury.

“See what comes of all this tomfoolery! Parties, indeed! and hiring Sand Castles for a lot of scatterbrains to make idiots of themselves in! Wait till I get safely home again on my shelf, and you don’t catch me giving any more parties, I can tell you.”

The remainder of the dolls were rushing madly about, wringing their hands and crying that they should all be drowned. One-and-Nine seemed to be the only person able to suggest anything.

“Here is a plank,” he said, pointing to one which had been left on the sand; “we had better all get on to it, and the tide will carry us back to the shore.”