Holiday Romance | Page 7

to his father, as he himself should so soon be ninety, when
he thought shoes would be more convenient. The colonel also told me,
with his hand upon his hip, that he felt himself already getting on in life,
and turning rheumatic. And I told him the same. And when they said at
our house at supper (they are always bothering about something) that I
stooped, I felt so glad!
This is the end of the beginning-part that you were to believe most.



PART II. - ROMANCE. FROM THE PEN
OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD (Aged
seven.)

THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest
of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers. The king was, in his
private profession, under government. The queen's father had been a
medical man out of town.
They had nineteen children, and were always having more. Seventeen
of these children took care of the baby; and Alicia, the eldest, took care
of them all. Their ages varied from seven years to seven months.
Let us now resume our story.
One day the king was going to the office, when he stopped at the
fishmonger's to buy a pound and a half of salmon not too near the tail,
which the queen (who was a careful housekeeper) had requested him to
send home. Mr. Pickles, the fishmonger, said, 'Certainly, sir; is there
any other article? Good-morning.'
The king went on towards the office in a melancholy mood; for
quarter-day was such a long way off, and several of the dear children
were growing out of their clothes. He had not proceeded far, when Mr.
Pickles's errand-boy came running after him, and said, 'Sir, you didn't
notice the old lady in our shop.'
'What old lady?' inquired the king. 'I saw none.'
Now the king had not seen any old lady, because this old lady had been
invisible to him, though visible to Mr. Pickles's boy. Probably because
he messed and splashed the water about to that degree, and flopped the
pairs of soles down in that violent manner, that, if she had not been
visible to him, he would have spoilt her clothes.
Just then the old lady came trotting up. She was dressed in shot- silk of
the richest quality, smelling of dried lavender.
'King Watkins the First, I believe?' said the old lady.
'Watkins,' replied the king, 'is my name.'
'Papa, if I am not mistaken, of the beautiful Princess Alicia?' said the
old lady.
'And of eighteen other darlings,' replied the king.
'Listen. You are going to the office,' said the old lady.
It instantly flashed upon the king that she must be a fairy, or how could
she know that?
'You are right,' said the old lady, answering his thoughts. 'I am the good
Fairy Grandmarina. Attend! When you return home to dinner, politely

invite the Princess Alicia to have some of the salmon you bought just
now.'
'It may disagree with her,' said the king.
The old lady became so very angry at this absurd idea, that the king
was quite alarmed, and humbly begged her pardon.
'We hear a great deal too much about this thing disagreeing, and that
thing disagreeing,' said the old lady, with the greatest contempt it was
possible to express. 'Don't be greedy. I think you want it all yourself.'
The king hung his head under this reproof, and said he wouldn't talk
about things disagreeing any more.
'Be good, then,' said the Fairy Grandmarina, 'and don't. When the
beautiful Princess Alicia consents to partake of the salmon, - as I think
she will, - you will find she will leave a fish-bone on her plate. Tell her
to dry it, and to rub it, and to polish it till it shines like mother-of-pearl,
and to take care of it as a present from me.'
'Is that all?' asked the king.
'Don't be impatient, sir,' returned the Fairy Grandmarina, scolding him
severely. 'Don't catch people short, before they have done speaking.
Just the way with you grown-up persons. You are always doing it.'
The king again hung his head, and said he wouldn't do so any more.
'Be good, then,' said the Fairy Grandmarina, 'and don't! Tell the
Princess Alicia, with my love, that the fish-bone is a magic present
which can only be used once; but that it will bring her, that once,
whatever she wishes for, PROVIDED SHE WISHES FOR IT AT THE
RIGHT TIME. That is the message. Take care of it.'
The king was beginning, 'Might I ask the reason?' when the fairy
became absolutely furious.
'WILL you be good, sir?' she exclaimed, stamping her foot on the
ground. 'The reason for this, and the reason for that, indeed! You are
always