A Great Emergency and Other Tales

A free download from http://www.dertz.in

A Great Emergency and Other Tales

The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Great Emergency and Other Tales, by Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: A Great Emergency and Other Tales A Great Emergency; A Very Ill-Tempered Family; Our Field; Madam Liberality
Author: Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing

Release Date: November 15, 2005 [eBook #17069]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GREAT EMERGENCY AND OTHER TALES***
E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/)

A GREAT EMERGENCY AND OTHER TALES.
by
JULIANA HORATIA EWING

London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Northumberland Avenue, W.C. Brighton: 129, North Street. New York: E. & J. B. Young & Co. [Published under the direction of the General Literature Committee.]

DEDICATED TO
JOHN,
LORD BISHOP OF FREDERICTON,
AND TO HIS DEAR WIFE
MARGARET,
IN PLEASANT AND GRATEFUL MEMORY OF
NEW BRUNSWICK,
BY J.H.E.

CONTENTS.
A GREAT EMERGENCY.
I. Rupert's Lectures--The Old Yellow Leather Book
II. Henrietta--A Family Chronicle--The School Mimic--My First Fight
III. School Cricket--Lemon-Kali--The Boys' Bridge--An Unexpected Emergency
IV. A Doubtful Blessing--A Family Failing--Old Battles--The Canal-Carrier's Home
V. The Navy Captain--Seven Parrots in a Fuchsia Tree--The Harbour Lion and the Silver Chain--The Legless Giants--Down Below--Johnson's Wharf
VI. S. Philip and S. James--The Monkey-Barge and the Dog--War, Plague, and Fire--The Dulness of Everyday Life
VII. We Resolve to Run Away--Scruples--Baby Cecil--I Prepare--I Run Away
VIII. We Go on Board--The Pie--An Explosion-Mr. Rowe the Barge-Master--The _White Lion_--Two Letters--We Doubt Mr. Rowe's Good Faith
IX. A Coasting Voyage--Musk Island--Linnet Flash--Mr. Rowe an Old Tar--The Dog-Fancier at Home
X. Locks--We Think of Going on the Tramp--Pyebridge--We Set Sail
XI. Mr. Rowe on Barge-Women--The River--Nine Elms--A Mysterious Noise--Rough Quarters--A Cheap Supper--John's Berth--We Make Our Escape--Out into the World
XII. Emergencies and Policemen--Fenchurch Street Station--Third Class to Custom House--A Ship Forest
XIII. A Dirty Street--A Bad Boy--Shipping and Merchandise--We Stowaway on Board the 'Atalanta'--A Salt Tear
XIV. A Glow on the Horizon--A Fantastic Peal--What I Saw when the Roof Fell In
XV. Henrietta's Diary--A Great Emergency
XVI. Mr. Rowe on the Subject--Our Cousin--Weston Gets Into Print--The Harbour's Mouth--What Lies Beyond
A VERY ILL-TEMPERED FAMILY.
I. A Family Failing
II. Ill-Tempered People and Their Friends--Narrow Escapes--The Hatchet-Quarrel
III. Warnings--My Aunt Isobel--Mr. Rampant's Temper, and His Conscience
IV. Cases of Conscience--Ethics of Ill-Temper
V. Celestial Fire--I Choose a Text
VI. Theatrical Properties--I Prepare a Play--Philip Begins to Prepare the Scenery--A New Friend
VII. A Quarrel--Bobby is Willing--Exit Philip
VIII. I Hear from Philip--A New Part Wanted--I Lose My Temper--We All Lose Our Tempers
IX. Self-Reproach--Family Discomfort--Out on the Marsh--Victory
* * * * *
OUR FIELD
* * * * *
MADAM LIBERALITY.

PART I
PART II

A GREAT EMERGENCY.
CHAPTER I.
RUPERT'S LECTURES--THE OLD YELLOW LEATHER BOOK.
We were very happy--I, Rupert, Henrietta, and Baby Cecil. The only thing we found fault with in our lives was that there were so few events in them.
It was particularly provoking, because we were so well prepared for events--any events. Rupert prepared us. He had found a fat old book in the garret, bound in yellow leather, at the end of which were "Directions how to act with presence of mind in any emergency;" and he gave lectures out of this in the kitchen garden.
Rupert was twelve years old. He was the eldest. Then came Henrietta, then I, and last of all Baby Cecil, who was only four. The day I was nine years old, Rupert came into the nursery, holding up his handsome head with the dignified air which became him so well, that I had more than once tried to put it on myself before the nursery looking-glass, and said to me, "You are quite old enough now, Charlie, to learn what to do whatever happens; so every half-holiday, when I am not playing cricket, I'll teach you presence of mind near the cucumber frame, if you're punctual. I've put up a bench."
I thanked him warmly, and the next day he put his head into the nursery at three o'clock in the afternoon, and said--"The lecture."
I jumped up, and so did Henrietta.
"It's not for girls," said Rupert; "women are not expected to do things when there's danger."
"We take care of _them_" said I, wondering if my mouth looked like Rupert's when I spoke, and whether my manner impressed Henrietta as much as his impressed me. She sat down again and only said, "I stayed in all Friday afternoon, and worked in bed on Saturday morning to finish your net."
"Come along," said Rupert. "You know I'm very much obliged to you for the net; it's a splendid one."
"I'll bring a camp-stool if there's not room on the bench," said Henrietta cheerfully.
"People never take camp-stools to lectures," said Rupert, and when we got to the cucumber frame we found that the old plank, which he had raised on inverted flower-pots, would