Troublesome Comforts | Page 7

dead!
But at last Dick was able to be wheeled down to the sands in Alick's
perambulator, and perhaps it was the joy of his recovery that turned
Susie's head, or perhaps she was tired of her long spell of goodness, but
whatever the reason, she was particularly teasing and tiresome. She did
not like to see her mother sitting close to Dick, ready to wheel him
home if he was tired; and she would not allow her to read in peace, but
kept breaking in with silly questions and remarks.
"You never let me sit in your pocket," she said at last crossly.
"My dear Susie"--mother shut her book with a very faint sigh--"there is
not room for all of you on my lap. I should have to nurse an arm or a
leg at a time."

"You could make room," said Susie.
"She would be like the donkey that wanted to be a lap-dog, wouldn't
she, mother?" said Tom. "It sat upon its master's lap."
Every one laughed, except Susie.
"Well, I'm not a donkey," she said, "and I'm not a lap-dog; and, besides,
you want to yourself."
"No, I don't," said Tom stoutly. "I hate to sit on any one's lap; if you are
so anxious you can sit on nurse's."
Susie's eyes threatened to overflow.
"Oh, don't cry, Susie," said her mother, in alarm, "or I shall have to put
up my umbrella. Go and build a castle with Tom, and take Amy. I trust
her to you. Nurse and I must get the babies home."
Susie always rose to any demand made upon her, and was proud of
being trusted. She gathered Dick's shells and seaweed and glittering
stones skilfully into his pail, and was really helpful in rolling up the
rugs and cushions. She was so pleased to see his rather thin, unsteady
legs gathering strength as they wobbled slowly over the sand. When
she put her arm round him, she was proud to feel that he really needed
support. At the foot of the wooden steps leading up the cliff his mother
took him in her arms. She was looking tired and pale, but she smiled
very sweetly at Susie.
"My kind little daughter," she said; and Susie beamed.
When she got back to Tom and Amy she found that they were not alone:
two other children, a boy and a girl, with bare feet and tucked-up skirts,
were standing talking to them.
The boy had black eyes and black hair, and the girl was the image of
him; her long, thin legs were like pipe stems, and she spoke in a loud,
domineering voice.

"We have watched you all the week," she said, "and we made up our
minds to know you. We thought we had better wait until your mother
and nurse were out of sight, in case they forbid us to come. Us two are
twins."
"Oh, they wouldn't forbid you," said Amy, with hasty politeness.
The boy smiled in a superior way. "They might" he said. "Nurses
generally do. We are not particularly good, and nurses are so
narrow-minded."
"We are reckless," said the girl. "Our names are Dot and Dash."
"They're pretty good names," said Tom.
"They fit us," said the twins in a breath.
"Both of we were taken out of church last Sunday," said Dot, in an
explanatory way and with an air of pride. "When the clergyman came
from inside the railings, Dash forgot he was in church, and he jumped
up and said quite loud, 'Shut the gate.'"
"Whatever for?" said Tom.
"You see," said Dash, with his air of modest pride, "I always spend the
time thinking how many sheep I could pen into the pews, and how
many cows I could get behind the railings. I think it could be seventeen
_with a squash_, but of course, if you left the gate open, the cows
would get into the sheep pens; so, when I saw him go out and leave the
bar up, I felt I must run and shut it, and I spoke out loud. I didn't really
mean to, but father marched us out of church, and he wouldn't let me
explain."
"I suppose you oughtn't to have been thinking of cows and sheep in
church," said Amy, in her surprised little voice.
"Shut up, Miss Prig," said Dash; and Amy was obediently silent.
"Shall we play together?" said the twins, with one voice.

"It would be jolly," said Tom.--"Wouldn't it, Susie?"
"Well, you mustn't tell your people," they said, "but every morning
after your babies go in we might have a jolly game."
"Mother wouldn't mind, would she, Susie?" said Amy.
"We don't want your opinion," said Tom loftily.
Amy blushed till the tears came. "Would she?" she repeated
desperately.
"There's no