rich now,” said Mrs. Johns. “I can repay my friends for the kindnesses they’ve so often shown me. And it’s a wonderful feeling to return a bit of kindness, Miss Eileen. You take the money now, straight away, and give me a bit of pleasure to-night, thinking of the fine presents you’ll buy!”
But Eileen would only take one pound note, to spend on her mother. She would spend it on fruit and books. She sped home to tell her mother all about it.
She finished covering the cushion. It was so soft— exactly what her mother wanted behind her back!
“It’s really lovely, dear,” said Mother, leaning back
on it. “Just right. Thank you so much for covering it
for me so beautifully! And now I must write a little note to thank Mrs. Johns for her kindness to me! I really can’t let her give you a pound to spend on me, poor old lady!”
But Eileen did spend it on her mother, and how she enjoyed it! She bought her grapes one day and a peach the next, and a new book the next, and a magazine the next. How nice it was to feel really extravagant like that!
Mrs. Johns didn’t have to move, of course. She had plenty of money now to pay more rent. Eileen went to see her the next week, and there, sitting on the sofa, was the biggest doll she had ever seen!
“Oh, what a beauty!” she said. “Is it for one of your great-nieces, Mrs. Johns?”
“It’s for a little girl I know,” said Mrs. Johns. “I’ve called the doll Eileen, after the little girl! It can shut and open its eyes, and all its clothes come off, right down to its vest. And look at its real eyelashes and its tiny fingernails! You’ll be her mother, Eileen, so see you look after her well!”
What do you think of that? Eileen could hardly believe it. She picked up the doll and nursed her. “I don’t deserve you,” she said. “I really don’t!”
But Mrs. Johns said she did—and I agree with her, don’t you?
A Peep into the Magic Mirror
Jennifer woke up with a jump. She sat up in bed. Goodness gracious! What was all that noise?
She reached over to her brother’s bed and woke him, too. “Benjy! Wake up! There’s such a noise!”
Benjy sat up in alarm. Bells were ringing, someone was blowing a trumpet, and there was the noise of gongs being banged loudly.
“Oh, Jennifer—how silly of us! It’s the people welcoming in the New Year,” said Benjy at last. “You know Mummy told us—everyone was going to ring bells and bang gongs at midnight.”
“So she did—and I’d quite forgotten,” said Jennifer. “Goodness, I was awfully frightened.”
She got out of bed and leaned out of the window with her eiderdown round her. “There are lights everywhere—people with lamps and lanterns. And there’s Mr. Brown banging his gong—and I do believe that’s Mr. Trent blowing a trumpet—how queer in the middle of the night.”
Then she jumped in fright, because a low voice spoke almost in her ear. “Excuse me—may I come in
for a minute? They think they’re welcoming me in, but really I feel rather scared!”
Jennifer drew back, wondering and a little alarmed. Who was sitting in the tree outside her window? She soon knew.
In came someone who looked like a small child, with fair curly hair and a white robe to his knees with a girdle round his waist. Benjy stared at him in surprise.
“Why—you’re just like the picture of the little New Year I saw in the papers yesterday,” he said.
“I
am
the little New Year,” said the child-like creature. “I’m young now—but if you saw me next Christmas you’d think I was as old as Santa Claus. It only takes twelve months for me to grow from a little New Year to a poor bent Old Year. Oh dear—to think of all the things that are going to happen in my twelve months!”
“Do you
know
what’s going to happen, then?” asked Jennifer, in surprise. “Look—wrap this eiderdown round you. You’ll be cold.”
“Oh no—I’m not cold,” said the little fellow, and he sat down at the end
But Eileen would only take one pound note, to spend on her mother. She would spend it on fruit and books. She sped home to tell her mother all about it.
She finished covering the cushion. It was so soft— exactly what her mother wanted behind her back!
“It’s really lovely, dear,” said Mother, leaning back
on it. “Just right. Thank you so much for covering it
for me so beautifully! And now I must write a little note to thank Mrs. Johns for her kindness to me! I really can’t let her give you a pound to spend on me, poor old lady!”
But Eileen did spend it on her mother, and how she enjoyed it! She bought her grapes one day and a peach the next, and a new book the next, and a magazine the next. How nice it was to feel really extravagant like that!
Mrs. Johns didn’t have to move, of course. She had plenty of money now to pay more rent. Eileen went to see her the next week, and there, sitting on the sofa, was the biggest doll she had ever seen!
“Oh, what a beauty!” she said. “Is it for one of your great-nieces, Mrs. Johns?”
“It’s for a little girl I know,” said Mrs. Johns. “I’ve called the doll Eileen, after the little girl! It can shut and open its eyes, and all its clothes come off, right down to its vest. And look at its real eyelashes and its tiny fingernails! You’ll be her mother, Eileen, so see you look after her well!”
What do you think of that? Eileen could hardly believe it. She picked up the doll and nursed her. “I don’t deserve you,” she said. “I really don’t!”
But Mrs. Johns said she did—and I agree with her, don’t you?
A Peep into the Magic Mirror
Jennifer woke up with a jump. She sat up in bed. Goodness gracious! What was all that noise?
She reached over to her brother’s bed and woke him, too. “Benjy! Wake up! There’s such a noise!”
Benjy sat up in alarm. Bells were ringing, someone was blowing a trumpet, and there was the noise of gongs being banged loudly.
“Oh, Jennifer—how silly of us! It’s the people welcoming in the New Year,” said Benjy at last. “You know Mummy told us—everyone was going to ring bells and bang gongs at midnight.”
“So she did—and I’d quite forgotten,” said Jennifer. “Goodness, I was awfully frightened.”
She got out of bed and leaned out of the window with her eiderdown round her. “There are lights everywhere—people with lamps and lanterns. And there’s Mr. Brown banging his gong—and I do believe that’s Mr. Trent blowing a trumpet—how queer in the middle of the night.”
Then she jumped in fright, because a low voice spoke almost in her ear. “Excuse me—may I come in
for a minute? They think they’re welcoming me in, but really I feel rather scared!”
Jennifer drew back, wondering and a little alarmed. Who was sitting in the tree outside her window? She soon knew.
In came someone who looked like a small child, with fair curly hair and a white robe to his knees with a girdle round his waist. Benjy stared at him in surprise.
“Why—you’re just like the picture of the little New Year I saw in the papers yesterday,” he said.
“I
am
the little New Year,” said the child-like creature. “I’m young now—but if you saw me next Christmas you’d think I was as old as Santa Claus. It only takes twelve months for me to grow from a little New Year to a poor bent Old Year. Oh dear—to think of all the things that are going to happen in my twelve months!”
“Do you
know
what’s going to happen, then?” asked Jennifer, in surprise. “Look—wrap this eiderdown round you. You’ll be cold.”
“Oh no—I’m not cold,” said the little fellow, and he sat down at the end
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