The Story of the Amulet, E. Nesbit [free ebook reader for iphone txt] 📗

any homes?” repeated the lady. “I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“It’s all different in our country,” said Cyril carefully; “and I have read it used to be different in London. Usedn’t people to have no homes and beg because they were hungry? And wasn’t London very black and dirty once upon a time? And the Thames all muddy and filthy? And narrow streets, and⁠—”

“You must have been reading very old-fashioned books,” said the lady. “Why, all that was in the dark ages! My husband can tell you more about it than I can. He took Ancient History as one of his special subjects.”

“I haven’t seen any working people,” said Anthea.

“Why, we’re all working people,” said the lady; “at least my husband’s a carpenter.”

“Good gracious!” said Anthea; “but you’re a lady!”

“Ah,” said the lady, “that quaint old word! Well, my husband will enjoy a talk with you. In the dark ages everyone was allowed to have a smoky chimney, and those nasty horses all over the streets, and all sorts of rubbish thrown into the Thames. And, of course, the sufferings of the people will hardly bear thinking of. It’s very learned of you to know it all. Did you make Ancient History your special subject?”

“Not exactly,” said Cyril, rather uneasily. “What is the Duties of Citizenship Course about?”

“Don’t you really know? Aren’t you pretending⁠—just for fun? Really not? Well, that course teaches you how to be a good citizen, what you must do and what you mayn’t do, so as to do your full share of the work of making your town a beautiful and happy place for people to live in. There’s a quite simple little thing they teach the tiny children. How does it go⁠ ⁠… ?

“I must not steal and I must learn,
Nothing is mine that I do not earn.
I must try in work and play
To make things beautiful every day.
I must be kind to everyone,
And never let cruel things be done.
I must be brave, and I must try
When I am hurt never to cry,
And always laugh as much as I can,
And be glad that I’m going to be a man
To work for my living and help the rest
And never do less than my very best.”

“That’s very easy,” said Jane. “I could remember that.”

“That’s only the very beginning, of course,” said the lady; “there are heaps more rhymes. There’s the one beginning⁠—

“I must not litter the beautiful street
With bits of paper or things to eat;
I must not pick the public flowers,
They are not mine, but they are ours.”

“And ‘things to eat’ reminds me⁠—are you hungry? Wells, run and get a tray of nice things.”

“Why do you call him ‘Wells’?” asked Robert, as the boy ran off.

“It’s after the great reformer⁠—surely you’ve heard of him? He lived in the dark ages, and he saw that what you ought to do is to find out what you want and then try to get it. Up to then people had always tried to tinker up what they’d got. We’ve got a great many of the things he thought of. Then ‘Wells’ means springs of clear water. It’s a nice name, don’t you think?”

Here Wells returned with strawberries and cakes and lemonade on a tray, and everybody ate and enjoyed.

“Now, Wells,” said the lady, “run off or you’ll be late and not meet your Daddy.”

Wells kissed her, waved to the others, and went.

“Look here,” said Anthea suddenly, “would you like to come to our country, and see what it’s like? It wouldn’t take you a minute.”

The lady laughed. But Jane held up the charm and said the word.

“What a splendid conjuring trick!” cried the lady, enchanted with the beautiful, growing arch.

“Go through,” said Anthea.

The lady went, laughing. But she did not laugh when she found herself, suddenly, in the dining room at Fitzroy Street.

“Oh, what a horrible trick!” she cried. “What a hateful, dark, ugly place!”

She ran to the window and looked out. The sky was grey, the street was foggy, a dismal organ-grinder was standing opposite the door, a beggar and a man who sold matches were quarrelling at the edge of the pavement on whose greasy black surface people hurried along, hastening to get to the shelter of their houses.

“Oh, look at their faces, their horrible faces!” she cried. “What’s the matter with them all?”

“They’re poor people, that’s all,” said Robert.

“But it’s not all! They’re ill, they’re unhappy, they’re wicked! Oh, do stop it, there’s dear children. It’s very, very clever. Some sort of magic-lantern trick, I suppose, like I’ve read of. But do stop it. Oh! their poor, tired, miserable, wicked faces!”

The tears were in her eyes. Anthea signed to Jane. The arch grew, they spoke the words, and pushed the lady through it into her own time and place, where London is clean and beautiful, and the Thames runs clear and bright, and the green trees grow, and no one is afraid, or anxious, or in a hurry.

There was a silence. Then⁠—

“I’m glad we went,” said Anthea, with a deep breath.

“I’ll never throw paper about again as long as I live,” said Robert.

“Mother always told us not to,” said Jane.

“I would like to take up the Duties of Citizenship for a special subject,” said Cyril. “I wonder if Father could put me through it. I shall ask him when he comes home.”

“If we’d found the Amulet, Father could be home now,” said Anthea, “and Mother and The Lamb.”

“Let’s go into the future again,” suggested Jane brightly. “Perhaps we could remember if it wasn’t such an awful way off.”

So they did. This time they said, “The future, where the Amulet is, not so far away.”

And they went through the familiar arch into a large, light room with three windows. Facing them was the familiar mummy-case. And at a table by the window sat the learned gentleman. They knew him at once, though his hair was white. He was one of the faces that do not change with age. In his hand was the Amulet⁠—complete and perfect.

He