The Peace Egg and Other tales | Page 6

tears, and he squatted down before her,
looking most dismal. He had a fellow-feeling for her attachment to an

old toy, and yet Robin's will was law to him.
"Couldn't we make a coffin, and pretend the body was inside?" he
suggested.
"No, we couldn't," said Robin. "I wouldn't play the Dead March after
an empty candle-box. It's a great shame--and I promised she should be
chaplain in one of my night-gowns, too."
"Perhaps you'll get just as fond of the new one," said Nicholas, turning
to Dora.
But Dora only cried, "No, no! He shall have the new one to bury, and
I'll keep my poor, dear, darling Betsy." And she clasped Betsy tighter
than before.
"That's the meanest thing you've said yet," retorted Robin; "for you
know Mamma wouldn't let me bury the new one." And, with an air of
great disgust, he quitted the nursery.
"A MUMMING WE WILL GO."
Nicholas had sore work to console his little sister, and Betsy's prospects
were in a very unfavourable state, when a diversion was caused in her
favour by a new whim which put the military funeral out of Robin's
head.
After he left the nursery he strolled out of doors, and, peeping through
the gate at the end of the drive, he saw a party of boys going through
what looked like a military exercise with sticks and a good deal of
stamping; but, instead of mere words of command, they all spoke by
turns, as in a play. In spite of their strong Yorkshire accent, Robin
overheard a good deal, and it sounded very fine. Not being at all shy, he
joined them, and asked so many questions that he soon got to know all
about it. They were practising a Christmas mumming-play, called "The
Peace Egg." Why it was called thus they could not tell, as there was
nothing whatever about eggs in it, and so far from being a play of peace,
it was made up of a series of battles between certain valiant knights and

princes, of whom St. George of England was the chief and conqueror.
The rehearsal being over, Robin went with the boys to the sexton's
house (he was father to the "King of Egypt"), where they showed him
the dresses they were to wear. These were made of gay-coloured
materials, and covered with ribbons, except that of the "Black Prince of
Paradine," which was black, as became his title. The boys also showed
him the book from which they learned their parts, and which was to be
bought for one penny at the post-office shop.
"Then are you the mummers who come round at Christmas, and act in
people's kitchens, and people give them money, that Mamma used to
tell us about?" said Robin.
St. George of England looked at his companions as if for counsel as to
how far they might commit themselves, and then replied, with
Yorkshire caution, "Well, I suppose we are."
"And do you go out in the snow from one house to another at night?
and oh, don't you enjoy it?" cried Robin.
"We like it well enough," St. George admitted.
Robin bought a copy of "The Peace Egg." He was resolved to have a
nursery performance, and to act the part of St. George himself. The
others were willing for what he wished, but there were difficulties. In
the first place, there are eight characters in the play, and there were
only five children. They decided among themselves to leave out the
"Fool," and Mamma said that another character was not to be acted by
any of them, or indeed mentioned; "the little one who comes in at the
end," Robin explained. Mamma had her reasons, and these were always
good. She had not been altogether pleased that Robin had bought the
play. It was a very old thing, she said, and very queer; not adapted for a
child's play. If Mamma thought the parts not quite fit for the children to
learn, they found them much too long; so in the end she picked out
some bits for each, which they learned easily, and which, with a good
deal of fighting, made quite as good a story of it as if they had done the
whole. What may have been wanting otherwise was made up for by the
dresses, which were charming.

Robin was St. George, Nicholas the Valiant Slasher, Dora the Doctor,
and the other two Hector and the King of Egypt. "And now we've no
Black Prince!" cried Robin in dismay.
"Let Darkie be the Black Prince," said Nicholas. "When you wave your
stick he'll jump for it, and then you can pretend to fight with him."
"It's not a stick, it's a sword," said Robin. "However, Darkie may be the
Black Prince."
"And