Milly and Olly | Page 6

there was the children's collar-box, a large round
cardboard-box with a lid, jumping from side to side like a box in a fairy
tale; and such dreadful pitiful little mews coming from the inside!
Nurse undid the lid, and out sprang Spot like a flash of lightning, and
ran as if she were running for her life out of the door and down the
stairs, and safe into the kitchen, where she cuddled herself up in a
corner of the fender, wishing with all her poor trembling little heart that
there were no such things in the world as small boys. And then nurse
heard a kind of kicking and scuffling in the china cupboard, and when
she opened it there sat Olly doubled up, his brown eyes dancing like
will-o'-the-wisps, and his little white teeth grinning.
"Oh! Nana, she did make a funny me-ow! I just said to her, Now,
Spottie, wouldn't you like to go in my box? and she said, Yes; and I

made her such a comfy bed, and then I stuck all those frocks on the top
of her to keep her warm. Why did you let her out, Nana?"
"You little mischief," said Nana, "do you know you might have
smothered poor little Spot? And look at all these frocks; do you think I
have got nothing better to do than to tidy up after your tricks?"
But nurse never knew how to be very hard upon Olly; so all she did
was to set him up on a high chair with a picture-book, where she could
see all he was doing. There was no saying what he might take a fancy
to pack up next if she didn't keep an eye on him.
Well, presently all the packing was done, and Milly and Olly had gone
to say good-bye to Fräulein, and to Jacky and Francis. Wednesday
evening came, and they were to start early on Thursday morning. Olly
begged nurse to put him to bed very early, that he might "wake up
krick"--quick was a word Olly never could say. So to bed he went at
half-past six, and his head had scarcely touched the pillow two minutes
before he had gone cantering away into dreamland, and was seeing all
the sights and hearing all the delicious stories that children do see and
hear in dreamland, though they don't always remember them when they
wake up. Both Milly and he woke up very early on Thursday morning;
and directly his eyes were open Olly jumped out of bed like an
india-rubber ball, and began to put on his stockings in a terrible hurry.
The noise of his jump woke nurse, and she called out in a sleepy voice:
"Get into bed again, Master Olly, directly. It is only just six o'clock,
and I can't have you out of bed till seven. You'll only be under my feet,
and in everybody's way."
"Nana, I won't be in anybody's way," exclaimed Olly, running up to her
and scrambling on to her bed with his little bare toes half way into his
stockings. "I can't keep still in my bed all such a long time. There's
something inside of me, Nana, keeps jumping up and down, and won't
let me keep still. Now, if I get up, you know, Nana, I can help you."
"Help me, indeed!" said nurse, kissing his little brown face, or as much
of it as could be seen through his curls. "A nice helping that would be.

Come back to bed, sir, and I'll give you some picture-books till I'm
ready to dress you."
So back to bed Master Olly went, sorely against his will, and there he
had to stay till nurse and Milly were dressed, and the breakfast things
laid. Then nurse gave him his bath and dressed him, and put him up to
eat his bread and milk while she finished the packing. Olly was always
very quiet over his meals, and it was the only time in the day when he
was quiet.
Presently up rattled the cab, and down ran the children with their
walking things on to see father and John lift the boxes on to the top;
and soon they were saying good-bye to Susan the cook, and Jenny the
housemaid, who were going to stay and take care of the house while
they were away; and then crack went the whip, and off they went to the
station. On the way they passed Jacky and Francis standing at their gate,
and all the children waved their hats and shouted "Hurrah! hurrah!" At
the station nurse kept tight hold of Olly till father had got the tickets
and put all the boxes into the train, and then he and Milly were safely
lifted up into