The Apple Dumpling and Other Stories for Young Boys and Girls | Page 2

the pot and looked in.
As she was looking in, her spectacles tumbled off her nose, and fell into the pot.
"Oh, dear! oh, dear!--that's bad! that's bad!" said the old woman.
She got the bright tongs, and fished up her spectacles, and wiped them with the corner of her apron, and put them on her nose again, and then she stuck the fork into the apple dumpling.
The apples were hard. "No, no, no," she said; "it is not done yet."
So she put on the lid of the pot, and laid the fork on the mantelpiece, and sat down in her arm-chair, and began to knit again on the big blue woollen stocking.
She knit six times round the stocking, and then she said to herself, "I wonder if the dumpling is done?"
So she put her knitting down, and took the fork from the mantelpiece, and lifted the lid of the pot and looked in.
As she was looking in, her spectacles tumbled off her nose, and fell into the pot.
"Oh, dear! oh, dear!--that's bad! that's bad!" said the old woman.
She got the bright tongs and fished up her spectacles, and wiped them with the corner of her apron, and put them on her nose again, and took the fork and stuck it into the dumpling. The apples were just beginning to get soft.
"No, no, no; it is not quite done yet," said the old woman.
So she put on the lid of the pot, and laid the fork on the mantelpiece, and sat down in her arm-chair, and began to knit again on the big blue woollen stocking.
She knit twice round the stocking, and then she said to herself, "I wonder if the dumpling is done?"
So she laid down her knitting, and took the fork from the mantelpiece, and lifted the lid of the pot, and looked in.
As she was looking in, her spectacles tumbled off her nose, and fell into the pot.
"Oh, dear! oh, dear!--that's bad! that's bad!" said the old woman.
She got the bright tongs and fished up her spectacles, and wiped them with the corner of her apron, and put them on her nose again, and took the fork and stuck it into the dumpling.
The apples were quite soft. "Yes, yes, yes; the dumpling is done," said the old woman.
So she took the dumpling out of the pot, and untied the cloth, and turned it into a yellow dish, and set it upon the table.
Then she went to the cupboard and got a plate, and then to the knife-box and got a knife; then she took the fork from the mantelpiece, and drew her arm-chair close up to the table, and sat down in it, and cut off a piece of the dumpling, and put it on her plate.
It was very hot, and it smoked a great deal; so the old woman began to blow it. She blew very hard. As she was blowing, her spectacles tumbled off her nose, and fell into the dumpling.
"Oh, dear! oh, dear!--that's bad! that's bad!" said the old woman.
She took her spectacles out of her plate, and wiped them with the corner of her apron, and said to herself, "I must get a new nose. My nose is so little, that my spectacles will not stick on my nose."
So she put her spectacles into her pocket, and began to eat the dumpling.
It was quite cool now. So the old woman ate it all up, and said it was very good indeed.

THE BROTHERS.
One day Henry came bounding home from school, his face beaming with joy. He was head of his class, and he held fast in his hand a fine silver medal, which had been awarded to him for good behaviour.
"Oh!" said he to himself, as he ran along, "how happy this will make my dear Mother. I know she will kiss me; perhaps she will kiss me five or six times, and call me her dear, dear boy. Oh! how I love my Mother!"
He ran up the steps of the house where he lived as he said this, and pulled the bell very hard, for he was in a great hurry. His Father opened the door. "Hush! Henry," said he, "come in very softly, your Mother is very ill."
"My Mother! Dear Father, what is the matter with her? May I go in to her if I will step very softly?"
"No," said his Father, "you must not see her now; you must be very still indeed. I see, my dear boy, that you have been rewarded for good conduct in school; I am glad that I have so good a son. And now, Henry, I know you love your Mother so much, that you will promise me to be very still, and wait patiently until she is able to see you." As he said this, he drew