More William | Page 5

haven't I? I went all the way down to the kitchen
for it."
"Who lent it to you?"
"No one lent it me. I borrowed it. I thought you'd like to see a model
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, sternly. "How
can I get on if you keep takin' all the time up _sayin'_ get on? I can't get
on if you're talkin', can I?"
"It was the Hesper Schoonerus that sailed the wintry sea an' I'm not
goin' on if Ethel's goin' to keep gigglin'. It's not a funny piece, an' if
she's goin' on gigglin' like that I'm not sayin' any more of it."
"Ethel, dear!" murmured Mrs. Brown, reproachfully. Ethel turned her
chair completely round and left her back only exposed to William's
view. He glared at it suspiciously.
"Now, William dear," continued his mother, "begin again and no one
shall interrupt you."
William again went through the preliminaries of coughing and clearing
his throat.
"_It was the schooner Hesperus that sailed the wintry seas._"
He stopped again, and slowly and carefully straightened his collar and
smoothed back the lock of hair which was dangling over his brow.
"_The skipper had brought----_" prompted Aunt Jane, kindly.
William turned on her.
"I was _goin'_ to say that if you'd left me alone," he said. "I was jus'
thinkin'. I've got to think sometimes. I can't say off a great long pome

like that without stoppin' to think sometimes, can I? I'll--I'll do a
conjuring trick for you instead," he burst out, desperately. "I've learnt
one from my book. I'll go an' get it ready."
He went out of the room. Mr. Brown took out his handkerchief and
mopped his brow.
"May I ask," he said patiently, "how long this exhibition is to be
allowed to continue?"
Here William returned, his pockets bulging. He held a large
handkerchief in his hand.
"This is a handkerchief," he announced. "If anyone'd like to feel it to
see if it's a real one, they can. Now I want a shilling," he looked round
expectantly, but no one moved, "or a penny would do," he said, with a
slightly disgusted air. Robert threw one across the room. "Well, I put
the penny into the handkerchief. You can see me do it, can't you? If
anyone wants to come an' feel the penny is in the handkerchief, they
can. Well," he turned his back