Mary: A Nursery Story for Very Little Children

by Mrs. Molesworth

take a look at it. Let's see: they're retriever pups, aren'tthey?" Leigh did not answer for a moment. To tell the truth, he wasnot quite sure what kind of dogs Yakeman's were, though he did not liketo say so. "They are brown and curly," he said at last. "And the topof our one's head is nearly as soft as--as baby," added Mary.

  "Baby would be flattered," said her father. "We're going to call itFuzzy," Mary went on. "It are so very soft."

  "And oh, by the by," said papa, "you've never chosen a name for yourlittle sister, so mamma and I have had to fix on one. What do you thinkof Dorothea?"

  The children looked at their father doubtfully.

  "Dorothea," said Leigh.

  "Doro--" began Artie, stopping in the middle, as he forgot the rest.

  "Dodo--" said Mary, stopping too. "It's a difficult name, papa."

  "And I don't think it's very pretty," said Leigh.

  "Wait a minute," said papa. "You'll like it when I explain about it.You know that baby came on Mary's birthday?"

  "Yes," said Mary. "She were my best birfday present."

  "That's just it," her father went on. "`Dorothea' means a present--apresent from God, which must mean the best kind of present."

  "Oh," said Mary, "that's very nice! Please say it again, papa, and I'lltry to learn it. Dodo--"

  "No," said Artie, looking very superior. "Doro--not Dodo."

  "You needn't look down upon Mary," said Leigh, "if you can't get anyfurther than that. It's Dorothea. I can say it well enough of course,but I do think it's a very long name, papa, for such a very littlebaby."

  "She'll grow up to be a big girl some day, I hope," said their father."But you're all in such a hurry you won't let me finish explaining.Besides having a nice meaning, we like Dorothea because there's such apretty way of shortening it. We're going to call your little sister`Dolly.'"

  "That's not difficult," said Mary. "Only it seems as if she was adolly."

  "No it doesn't," said Leigh. "Your dolls have all got their own names.I like Dolly very much, papa, and I think we'll better call her it now.`Baby' is so common, there's such lots of babies."

  "There's a baby at the baker's shop," said Artie, who did not like beingleft out of the conversation. "It's a lot bigger than our baby, it goesin a sitting-up perambulator all alone."

  "Dear me," said his father. "How very curious! I should like to seeit! We shall be having babies riding tricycles next."

  Artie stared, he did not understand, but Leigh began to laugh.

  "How funny you are, papa," he said. "Of course, Artie doesn't mean thatit pushes itself along, though _I_ think that pushing a perambulator isvery stupid. If I had a baby I know what I'd do."

  "On the whole, I'd rather not be your baby, I think, Leigh. But ifwe're going to the smithy this morning, we'd better set off. Run andget ready, boys."

  Leigh and Artie scampered off, and their father was following them, whena sudden sound made him stop short. It was a wail from Mary.

  "What is the matter, my darling?" he said, turning back to her.

  "I does so want to come too," said Mary through her tears. "'Cos thelittle dog were for me."

  "You shall come, dear," said her father; "but why didn't you ask mewithout beginning to cry? That's not being a sensible girl."

  Mary's face was very like an April day. She smiled up at her father ina minute.

  "I won't cry," she said, "I'll be very good. Will you wait for me ifnurse dresses me very quick, papa?" and she set off after her brothers,mounting upstairs as fast as she could, though "could" was not veryfast, as right leg was obliged to wait on each step till left leg madeup to it.

  CHAPTER SIX.

  "FUZZY."

  Yakeman at the smithy looked very pleased to see his visitors,especially as their father was with the children.

  "The puppies are getting on finely," he said. "Two of them are going totheir new masters to-morrow. But I've held on to the one as Miss Maryfancied, thinking you'd be looking in some day soon."

  "We've wanted to come ever so often," said Leigh.

  "We was waiting for papa," added Mary. "And we didn't come round thisway 'cos it made us want the dear little dog so much."

  Yakeman listened gravely.

  "I thought I hadn't seen you passing the last few days," he said. "ButI wouldn't have let the dog go, not without sending up to ask you."

  "Oh, we knowed you'd keep him," said Mary, and then Yakeman led the wayround to the side of the house again, where the four puppies wererolling and tumbling about in perfect content, their mother watchingtheir gambols with great pride.

  Suddenly a new thought struck Mary.

  "Won't her be very unhappy when them all goes away?" she asked Yakemananxiously. "And won't them cry for their mamma?"

  The smith smiled.

  "They're getting old enough to do without her now," he said. "Butshe'll miss them, no doubt, will poor old Beauty," and he patted theretriever's head as he spoke. "It's the way of the world, bain't it,sir?" turning to the children's father. "Dogs and humans. The youngones leave the old ones cheery enough. It's the old ones as it's hardon!"

  Mary did not quite understand what he meant, but something made hercatch hold of her father's hand.

  "You won't never let me go away, will you, papa?" she whispered. "Not_never_, will you?"

  "Not unless you want to go, certainly," said her father, smiling down ather. "But now show me which is the puppy you'd like to have."

  Mary looked rather puzzled, and so, though they would not have owned it,were the boys.

  "I think," began Leigh, not at all sure of what he was going to say, butjust then, luckily, Yakeman came to their help by picking up one of thepuppies.

  "This here is Miss Mary's one. We've called it hers--the missis and I,ever since the last time you was here."

  He gave a little laugh, though he did not say what he was laughing at.To tell the truth, Mrs Yakeman and he had called the puppy "Miss Mary!"

  Mary rubbed her nose, as she had done before, on the puppy's soft curlyhead.

  "It are so sweet," she said. "We're going to call him `Fuzzy.' But, ohpapa!" and her voice began to tremble. "Oh Leigh and Artie, I don'tthink we should have him if it would make his poor mother unhappy to beleaved all alone."

  "It won't be so bad as that, Miss Mary," said the smith, who, though hewas such a big man, had a very tender heart, and could not bear to seethe little girl's face clouded. "We're going to keep Number 4 forourselves, and after a day or two Beauty will be quite content with him.You can look in and see for yourselves when you're passing."

  "Of course," said Leigh, in his wise tone. "It'll be all right, Mary.And we can bring Fuzzy to see his mother sometimes, to pay her a visit,you know."

  Mary's face cleared. Yakeman and Leigh must know best, and papa wouldnot let them have the dog if it was unkind. It was not what _she'd_like--to live in a house across the fields from mamma, only to pay her amorning call now and then. But still, dogs were different, shesupposed.

  All this time papa had been looking at Fuzzy, as I think we may nowbegin to call him.

  "He's a nice puppy," he said, "a very nice little fellow. Of course,he'll want to be properly taken care of, and careful training. But Ican trust Mellor--you know Mellor, of course, the coachman?" he went onto the smith. "He's not bad with dogs."

  "No, sir, I should say he's very good with 'em," Yakeman replied."Feedin's a deal to do with it--there's a many young dogs spoilt withover feedin'."

  "I'll see to that," said Mr Bertram. "Now, children, we must be movingon, I think."

  But the three stood there looking rather strange.

  "I thought--" began Leigh.

  "Won't we--" began Artie.

  "Oh, papa," began Mary.

  "What in the world is the matter?" said their father in surprise."Aren't you pleased about the puppy? I'll send Mellor to fetch himto-morrow."

  "It's just that," said Leigh.

  "Yes," said Artie.


  "We thought