el railway signal. I thought you'd be interested. Anyone would
think anyone would be interested in seein' a railway signal made out
of a mincin' machine."

His tone implied that the dullness of people in general was simply
beyond him. "An' you haven't got a right sort of mincin' machine. It's
wrong. Its parts are the wrong shape. I've been hammerin' them, tryin'
to make them right, but they're _made_ wrong."

Mrs. Brown was past expostulating. "Take them all down to the kitchen
to cook," she said. "She's waiting for them."

On the stairs William met Aunt Lucy carrying her volume of sermons.

"It's not quite the same as the spoken word, William, dear," she said.
"It hasn't the _force_. The written word doesn't reach the _heart_ as
the spoken word does, but I don't want you to worry about it."

William walked on as if he had not heard her.

It was Aunt Jane who insisted on the little entertainment after tea.

"I _love_ to hear the dear children recite," she said. "I'm sure they
all have some little recitation they can say."

Barbara arose with shy delight to say her piece.

"Lickle bwown seed, lickle bwown bwother,
And what, pway, are you goin' to be?
I'll be a poppy as white as my mother,
Oh, DO be a poppy like me!
What, you'll be a sunflower? Oh, how I shall miss you
When you are golden and high!
But I'll send all the bees up to tiss you.
Lickle bwown bwother, good-bye!"

She sat down blushing, amid rapturous applause.

Next Jimmy was dragged from his corner. He stood up as one prepared
for the worst, shut his eyes, and--

"Licklaxokindness lickledeedsolove--
make--thisearfanedenliketheeav'nabovethasalliknow."

he gasped all in one breath, and sat down panting.

This was greeted with slightly milder applause.

"Now, William!"

"I don't know any," he said.

"Oh, you _do_," said his mother. "Say the one you learnt at school
last term. Stand up, dear, and speak clearly."

Slowly William rose to his feet.

"_It was the schooner Hesperus that sailed the wintry sea_,"

he began.

Here he stopped, coughed, cleared his throat, and began again.

"_It was the schooner Hesperus that sailed the wintry sea._"

"Oh, get _on_!" muttered his brother, irritably.

[Illustration: "IT WAS THE HESPER SCHOONERUS THAT SAILED THE WINTRY
SEA AN' I'M NOT GOIN' ON IF ETHEL'S GOIN' TO KEEP GIGGLIN'."]

"I can't get on if you keep talkin' to me," said William