Mary: A Nursery Story for Very Little Children

by Mrs. Molesworth

"But, I'm sure poordear Miss Mary's head will never hold all the explaining you've beengiving her. If you take my advice, Master Leigh, you'll run off to yourmamma and tell her what you want and settle about the price andeverything. She will be just finishing luncheon, I should think. Itwas to be early to-day."

  Leigh thought it a good idea, and did as nurse proposed. Mary was veryglad not to have to remember all about the reins; her little head wasfull enough already. She was looking quite pale with excitement whennurse began to dress her in her best things to go out with her mamma.But it was very interesting to have all her Sunday things on on aweek-day, and by the time she was ready--her best boots buttoned and herlittle white silk gloves drawn on, and her fair curls, nicely brushed,hanging down under her big straw hat, which had white bows and tuftyfeathers at one side--Mary's face had grown rosier again.

  CHAPTER TEN.

  SHOPPING.

  She felt _quite_ happy when she found herself at last settled by mamma'sside in the victoria. She gave a deep sigh--it was a sigh of content--just because she was so happy.

  But mamma turned round quickly.

  "My darling," she said, "is there anything the matter? Why are yousighing so?"

  Mary cuddled a little bit nearer to mamma, and looked up in her facewith a smile.

  "I'm quite _dreffully_ happy, mamma dear," she said. "The breavingcomes like that when I'm dreffully happy. But oh, mamma," she went on,with an anxious look creeping over her face, "I _hope_ we'll 'amemberall the lotses of things there is to buy!"

  "I wrote them down, dear," said mamma. "You saw me?"

  "Yes, but doesn't writing sometimes get rubbed out? I think I can'amember neely all if you asked me. Did Leigh tell you all about hisreins, mamma?"

  "Yes, dear. He was very particular indeed. I can't think what has putreins in his head again. He told me some time ago that he thought hewas getting too big for playing at horses. Perhaps it's to amuseArtie."

  "I wonder," said Mary, "if p'raps it's something to do with Fuzzy."

  But her mother did not hear, or at least did not notice what she said.She had taken the paper with the list of things she had to do, out ofher bag and was looking it over.

  It seemed a long way to the town to Mary. It was between five and sixmiles, and she had not often driven so far, for you know she was still avery little girl. Now and then her mamma looked at her to see if shewas getting sleepy, but every time she seemed quite bright. Her littlemind was so full of all the messages they had to do that I don't thinkshe _could_ have grown sleepy.

  And there were a great many pretty and strange and interesting things tonotice as they went along. Mamma kept pointing them out to her andtalking about them. There were the flowers in the hedges to beginwith--some late ones were still in bloom--here and there stray sprays ofhoneysuckle even, and low down, nearer the ground, there came now andthen little glimpses of pretty colours where smaller wild-flowers, suchas "ragged robin," "speedwell," "crow's-foot," and a few others werestill peeping out.

  "If I were a tiny flower," said mamma, "I think I would choose my homeon the inside of the hedge--the field-side. It would be so hot anddusty near the road."

  But Mary thought it would be nice to see the carriages and cartspassing, and that it would be rather dull to see nothing but the grass,and then she and mamma laughed at their funny fancies, as if flowers hadeyes and ears like children.

  Then they passed a very queer-looking waggon lumbering along. It seemedlike a house built of baskets and straw chairs and brushes instead ofbrick or stone, and Mary's mamma told her it was a travelling shop, andthat the people lived inside and had a little kitchen and a littlebedroom, and that _sometimes_ they were quite clean and tidy and nicepeople. There was a tiny window with a red curtain at the side of thewaggon they passed, and Mary saw a little girl, with a nice rosy face,peeping out at her. She nearly jumped when she saw the little girl, andshe pulled mamma to make her look.

  "See, see, mamma!" she cried. "They must be nice people that lives inthat basket shop, mustn't they, for that little girl's got a clean face,and she's smilin' so sweetly?"

  "Yes," said mamma; "it looks as if she had a kind father and mother, andI hope she has. For many poor children have quite as kind fathers andmothers as rich children have, you know, Mary."

  "Like the Perrys--the Perrys at the Lavender Cottages," said Mary.

  And then she went on thinking to herself how nice it would be to live ina "going-about house," as she called it. And she wished very muchindeed she could have seen inside the waggon.

  The next thing they passed after that, was a great high carriage withfour horses; a man in a red coat was blowing a horn, and there were everso many ladies and gentlemen sitting up on the top. It made _such_ adust! Mary began to think mamma was right about the field-side of thehedges, for even though she was a little girl in a carriage and not aflower, she felt quite choked for a minute. Mamma told her it was astagecoach, and that long ago, before clever men had found out how tomake railway trains go, drawn by steam-engines instead of horses, peoplewere obliged to travel in these big coaches.

  Mary was very much surprised. She thought there had always beenrailways, but mamma had not time to explain any more about them to her,for just then the carriage began to make a very rattling noise over thestones, so that they could scarcely hear each other speak. They wereentering the town.

  Mary looked about her with great interest. It was a long time since shehad been there, and the last day she remembered being driven through thestreets it had only been to go to the railway station. For the childrenand their mother were then on their way to visit their grandmamma. Thatwas six months ago, half a year--before Mary's birthday, which hadbrought her the wonderful present of Baby Dolly--a very long time ago.

  But Mary remembered how she had wished that day to stop at the shops andlook in at the windows. And now she was not only going to look in; shewas going to _go_ in to help mamma to choose all the things she had tobuy.

  It was very nice, but it seemed rather to take away her breath again tothink of all they had to do. Mary gave a deep sigh, which made hermamma turn round.

  "Mary, my dear, you are looking quite troubled," she said; "what is it?"

  "It's on'y the lotses of things," said Mary.

  "But you mustn't be like that, or I shall be afraid to bring you outshopping with me," said mamma. "It will be all right, you'll see. Herewe are at the first shop--the draper's. That's right; give Thomas yourhand and get out slowly."

  Thomas was quite ready to have lifted her out, but Mary did not likebeing lifted. It seemed as if she was a baby. Mamma knew this, andunless she was in a great hurry she let Mary manage for herself like abig girl.

  Mary was not like some children, who do not care about any shops excepta toy-shop and a confectioner's; she was interested in all the thingsmamma had to buy, and she liked to watch the careful way mamma wentabout it. She had a list all ready, and she had put the same sorts ofthings together on it, so that she did not need to go backwards andforwards from one counter to another. It was a large shop, but therewere not many people in it, so Mary climbed up on a chair and sat therecomfortably watching, while mamma chose tape and buttons and reels ofcotton and needles, and lots of what are called "small-wares."

  Mary enjoyed seeing them all brought out in their neat boxes anddrawers; she thought to herself that she would like very much to have ashop and have all these interesting things to take care of. And then,when they moved a little farther down, to that part of the counter wherepretty silks and ribbons were hanging up--silks and ribbons of all sortsof colours and shades--she was still more delighted.

  "We are going to choose a sash for you now, Mary," said mamma.

  "And ribbins to tie up Baby Dolly's sleeves. Weren't you forgettingabout the ribbins?" said Mary.

  Mamma had not forgotten, but she did not say so, for she saw her littlegirl was proud of remembering; and she was pleased too to see that Marythought of D
olly before herself.

  "Yes; of course there are baby's bows to get," she said. "Thank you forreminding me. What colour shall they be? Would you like to choose?"

  The shopman--I think it was the draper himself, who knew Mary's mammaand was pleased to wait upon her--smiled as he brought out a large boxfull of ribbons of the right width for tying up babies' sleeves. Therewere so many pretty colours that Mary felt as if she _could not_ choose.

  "I'd like some of all of them," she said.

  But mamma helped her by putting aside those that would not do. Yellowwould not be pretty for baby, she said, nor green, nor bright red, nordeep blue