Troublesome Comforts | Page 2

hair, and poking the point
of her parasol between the laces of Dick's boots, "look at the way he
has laced himself up; you said yourself he was to do it tidily. And his
face is smutty already; look at him."
"Good-bye, Dick," said Mrs. Beauchamp. The train was moving
smoothly out of the station, and she leant out as far as she dared, to get
a last look at the erect figure.--"There, Susie, father is out of sight.

Leave the boys alone."
Susie frowned.
"She'd better," said Tommy, in a choked voice.
"Now you're going to be naughty," said Susie.--"I know they are,
mother--they always begin like that; they're clawing at me with their
sticky fingers. Mother, tell them not to; I didn't say anything."
"You are a beastly blab," said Tommy defiantly.
"Tom, what a word! Sit down by nurse and look out of the
window.--Susie, it is really your fault--you are so interfering."
"I'm not interfering," said Susie, aggrieved. "I'm helping you to keep
them in order."
"Well, don't. I would rather manage them alone.--Don't squabble, boys;
there's plenty of room for every one."
"O mother--" said Amy.
Mrs. Beauchamp still held unconsciously on to the slim black leg, but
the sudden movement of the train had jerked Amy off the seat. She
clung for a moment to the rack, but her hand slipped, and she fell
headlong on to the opposite seat, and there was a dull thud as her head
crashed on to a little wooden box.
"It's all right, darling," her mother said, and she held her close in her
comforting arms.
CHAPTER II.
Amy was a good little girl, and she tried very hard not to cry; but she
sat pressed very close to her mother's side, with her large blue eyes full
and overflowing with tears. Dick, who was very tender-hearted, begged
her to eat his toffee, which would have been comforting; but nurse

would not allow it at any price.
"No, Miss Amy," she said, "I won't hear of it--not in your pretty blue
dress. And don't lean upon your mamma; you'll wear the life out of
her."
Amy pressed her soft cheek against her mother's arm, and looked up in
her face with her tearful blue eyes. She was relieved to see just the
shadow of a smile.
"Give me Master Alick, nurse," said Mrs. Beauchamp; "I am afraid he
has toothache.--There! see, Alick, all the pretty green fields going past
outside."
"It's us that is going past," said Dick.
"Hold me too, mother," said Amy suddenly; "take me in your arms like
you do Alick."
"But Alick will cry if I put him down. See, I can manage like that; there
is room for both of you."
She made a large lap, and Amy scrambled on to it. It was like a nest
with two birds in it--not very restful, perhaps, to the nest, but quite
delightful for the birds. They were very good little birds, too, and they
did not quarrel; and presently Amy nudged mother's arm, and spoke in
the tiniest whisper. "One of the birds has gone to sleep," she said.
Alick's eyes were shut, and his round, flushed face was lying on
mother's hand. When she tried to take it gently away he stirred, and
squeaked restlessly.
"Let's pretend he's a cuckoo and push him out," suggested Tom.
"Tommy!" said his mother.
"Oh, I didn't mean him to fall far," said Tommy--"just a kind of roll."
"Not the kind you eat," said his mother.

"No, dear, I couldn't let you; he would be startled even if he wasn't
hurt."
"A train's so stupid," said Tommy, yawning.
Susie was on the alert in an instant.
"There! I knew he was going to be naughty," she said delightedly.
"Soon he'll be pulling the cord, or trying to break the glass, or doing
something else he oughtn't to. When he begins like that he's generally
very tiresome."
"Hush, Susie," said her mother; "see how good Dick is."
"And me!" cried Tommy.
"Yes, you are good too."
"When you're sleeping," added nurse.
"There, Miss Prig!" said Tom.
"There, mother!" cried Susie, in the same breath.
"Well, Susie, it is your own fault."
Susie flounced away to the farther end of the carriage, and sat looking
at the reflection of herself in the glass. She saw a little girl with short
blue skirts and a shady hat. When she took off the hat she could see
very large, brown eyes and a cross mouth, and the more she looked the
crosser it got. There was a fascination about that cross little mouth. It
seemed to Susie that she sat there a long while, whilst nobody took any
notice of her. In the reflection she could see baby asleep on mother's
lap, with mother's