Anonymous

“ Kitty. Enough to make you vexed, indeed. But you seem to have got a squirrel just as pretty as Tom was.
Nancy. And we got it in the oddest manner. My aunt was walking in the garden, [Pg 15] and found it, with its chain on, entangled in the bushes.
Henry. Exactly the way I found my dog. He was in the garden with a great stick tied to his tail, all over mud and dirt; but I cleaned him, and now I would not part with him for a guinea.
Kitty. Suppose, Nancy, we let him out: I think he seems very tame.
Nancy. I really do not think he is very tame; we have not had him a day yet. ”

“ When these young ladies were all seated, their conversation was as follows.
Miss Bentley. O, Miss Huntley, I had such a present made me to-day. My good brother always sends me some present from school, between the holidays; but this last, is the best he ever sent me. Only look, what a pretty squirrel! What makes you sigh, Miss Huntley?
Miss Huntley. Your squirrel puts me in mind of one I had lately. Young Eaton came to drink tea with us before he went to school, when he let the squirrel out, and it jumped out of the window. ”

“ Sophia, too, was not silent. At last, when poor Thomas was lifted up, and his wounds examined, there was nothing found but a great bump on the back part of his head; which, when he found out, he gave a loud laugh, and ran up stairs as fast as he did before. ”

“ The boy luckily loved money better than squirrels, so went and sold me at a shop where they buy and sell all sorts of birds and animals. Here I led a quiet but stupid life, shut up in a cage, till somebody chose to buy me. However, in about a week's time after I had been there, a lady and her daughter went by the shop, and seeing me, the little girl begged her mamma would ask the price of me, which she did; and the man surprised me greatly, by asking four shillings for me, as he only gave the boy sixpence, who sold me to him. ”

“ I like every body to be served right, and I think I am now serving you right.
Henrietta. Oh!
Alderman. Pray, Miss, mind what you say another time, or you will get into disgrace, depend upon it.
The servant coming in at this instant, put a stop to what Mrs. Bumble was going to say. She had opened her mouth in the greatest rage, but the servant giving [Pg 31] her a shilling, as change out of the guinea, and giving Henrietta the cage, she was forced to shut it. I had now the sad fortune to be put into a cage, exactly resembling that in which I lived at Mrs. Howard's. ”

“ He offered me in my cage for two shillings. Nobody would give it. At last a boy came to him and offered tenpence for me. Eaton, in a rage, hit him a box on the ear, and sent the boy away crying. At last, finding nobody would give more, he went to the boy he had struck, whose name was Bentley, [Pg 41] asked his pardon, and said he should have me for tenpence. Bentley now refused, saying, that as he had been struck, he would give no more than sixpence. At this time, the man who used to come with cakes and apples for the boys to buy, came into the play-ground. ”

“ Henny then ran up stairs, tied me to the bed-post, and began to dress. When she had done, she untied me, and carried me down stairs. "Now," said the alderman, "you look something more like a human creature: let us hear your story." "Well then," said Henrietta, "this is the case: I was just going to get up, when I saw this pretty squirrel in my cap; and how it came there, I am sure I cannot tell. He never offered to stir, but lay very quiet till I took [Pg 28] him out. Do let me have a cage for him." "Well, my dear," replied her mamma, "you shall have a cage for him, and a very nice one too." ”

“ Here I was tied to a long pole, till he could procure a cage, which was not till the end of three weeks; when (what he termed) a very nice one came home, with a chain to fasten round my neck, with a padlock, when I came out of the cage. The chain he fastened on me directly, and it remained on, till my house was properly aired. When he thought I might with safety enter my house, he [Pg 6] took off the chain, and carried me, exulting in his prize, to his sister; for he had kept me quite secure, till he could present me to her politely. ”

“ Hawkins. I told you I should get it. Poor Bentley!
Lively. Why how could you get it?
Hawkins. I put my bottle and bason close to the cage, so that when he went to take out his squirrel, down they came, and broke to pieces. I went up and demanded payment, which he not being able to give me, I took his squirrel, which he held on his hand all the time we talked.
[Pg 46] Lively. Upon my word, I think you did wrong.
Hawkins. What! are you one of those fools who are afraid of doing wrong. ”

“ Mr. Clarkson's academy, I cannot tell at what time; let it suffice, that when he got there, he took me out, and tied a piece of string round my neck, while he showed me to his schoolfellows! He then asked, if any body [Pg 40] had a cage to sell. They none of them had one, except one boy, who came and said he would sell his, but that it would put him to a great inconvenience, as he had a bird in it at present, and could not sell it under three shillings; for he knew Eaton would buy it, let it cost what it would. He therefore tried to make the most of it. ”

“ Price Sixpence.
[Pg iii] PREFACE.
To MISS ANNE S*****.
My dear Anne,
When I was upon a visit at your good mamma's, I promised to make you a present. Now a present for a girl of your age (if I only considered your age) is easy enough to find; but when I think on your good sense, I cannot reconcile myself to buy for you what I otherwise should. Not to keep you in suspense, I have at last found out a present, which I hope will be agreeable to you. Attend to the following adventure: I was walking, about a week ago, in the fields adjoining my house at Croydon. ”

“ Having [Pg 7] finished my repast, I was alarmed at hearing the voice of Thomas, (whom I wished at York,) bawling to his sister, "Shall I bring him down;" and still more alarmed by hearing her squeaking voice (which I wished at Dover) pronounce, "Yes." I sat in my cage trembling, every minute expecting to be taken down and exercised; but was relieved by hearing Tom fall almost from the top of the stairs to the bottom. In a minute the whole house was in an uproar. Mr. and Mrs. Howard came running out: she applied the hartshorn to his nose and temples ”

“ He began clambering over the chairs and tables; so I sent it back, with a letter, in which I told him, monkeys [Pg 50] were not presents for young ladies, and that he could better take care of his brother than I could. Don't you think I was pretty severe upon him, Miss Newman?
Miss Newman. Yes, indeed, I think you was. But, my dear girl, you forget that you was just as severe upon yourself; for as you are brother and sister, the monkey cannot be brother to one of you, without being brother to the other. ”

“ We all crowded in, till it was full. My mistress happened to get an inside place, and we went off laughing at the disaster. At last we came to London, where I did not dare stir from the pocket of the lady, so kept my place with [Pg 59] great composure. My mistress, for so I shall call her, was then put into another stage, and after a journey of about four miles, she stopped at a very handsome house. My mistress being in a great hurry to get out and compose herself, opened the coach door herself, but not having sufficient power, her foot slipped and she fell out. ”

“ I say, Jack, let us have some fun with this lop-tail squirrel: while they are talking, they will not see us.
John. Ay, so we will.
They then proceeded to action. The young ladies were so busy, they did not see these two mischievous boys, till they [Pg 34] had set me on Eliza's head; who giving a violent scream, alarmed the whole company. Emily, in getting up in a hurry, overturned Fanny, who was not sitting quite steadily in her chair; she gave her a blow, which Emily returned, and confusion was the word for near an hour ”

“ He is always doing mischief, I think. It was but on Friday, when he came to see us, that he killed my canary bird, by putting a shot in the place where the seeds were, which stuck in its throat, and it died in a few minutes. ”