FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   >>  
ady. "The servants always call me Tangle." "Ah, that was because your hair was so untidy. But that was their fault, the naughty women! Still it is a pretty name, and I will call you Tangle too. You must not mind my asking you questions, for you may ask me the same questions, every one of them, and any others that you like. How old are you?" "Ten," answered Tangle. "You don't look like it," said the lady. "How old are you, please?" returned Tangle. "Thousands of years old," answered the lady. "You don't look like it," said Tangle. "Don't I? I think I do. Don't you see how beautiful I am?" And her great blue eyes looked down on the little Tangle, as if all the stars in the sky were melted in them to make their brightness. "Ah! but," said Tangle, "when people live long they grow old. At least I always thought so." "I have no time to grow old," said the lady. "I am too busy for that. It is very idle to grow old.--But I cannot have my little girl so untidy. Do you know I can't find a clean spot on your face to kiss?" "Perhaps," suggested Tangle, feeling ashamed, but not too much so to say a word for herself--"perhaps that is because the tree made me cry so." "My poor darling!" said the lady, looking now as if the moon were melted in her eyes, and kissing her little face, dirty as it was, "the naughty tree must suffer for making a girl cry." "And what is your name, please?" asked Tangle. "Grandmother," answered the lady. "Is it really?" "Yes, indeed. I never tell stories, even in fun." "How good of you!" "I couldn't if I tried. It would come true if I said it, and then I should be punished enough." And she smiled like the sun through a summer-shower. "But now," she went on, "I must get you washed and dressed, and then we shall have some supper." "Oh! I had supper long ago," said Tangle. "Yes, indeed you had," answered the lady--"three years ago. You don't know that it is three years since you ran away from the bears. You are thirteen and more now." Tangle could only stare. She felt quite sure it was true. "You will not be afraid of anything I do with you--will you?" said the lady. "I will try very hard not to be; but I can't be certain, you know," replied Tangle. "I like your saying so, and I shall be quite satisfied," answered the lady. She took off the girl's night-gown, rose with her in her arms, and going to the wall of the cottage, opened a door. Then Tangl
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   >>  



Top keywords:

Tangle

 

answered

 

melted

 
supper
 
naughty
 

questions

 
untidy

punished

 

opened

 

smiled

 
shower
 

summer

 

stories

 

couldn


washed

 
satisfied
 

thirteen

 

dressed

 

cottage

 
afraid
 

replied


beautiful
 

returned

 

Thousands

 

looked

 

brightness

 

people

 
servants

pretty

 

darling

 

Grandmother

 

making

 

suffer

 

kissing

 

ashamed


thought

 

Perhaps

 

suggested

 

feeling