Princess Mary's Gift Book Part 23

Maman was lying on a horse-hair sofa at the other end of the room, with Marguerite beside her, and papa sat in a low chair by her side holding her hand.

The voice I loved was speaking in its quaint, somewhat drawly cadence:

"You are quite safe now, my dear Monsieur Lemercier," it said. "After Madame and the young people have had a rest some of my friends will find you suitable disguises, and they will escort you out of Paris, as they have some really genuine pa.s.sports in their possession, which we obtain from time to time through the agency of a personage highly placed in this murdering Government, and with the help of English banknotes. Those pa.s.sports are not always unchallenged, I must confess," added my hero, with a quaint laugh, "but to-night every one is busy murdering in one part of Paris, so the other parts are comparatively safe."

Then he turned to one of his friends and spoke to him in English:

"You had better see this through, Tony," he said, "with Hastings and Mackenzie. Three of you will be enough: I shall have need of the others."

No one seemed to question his orders. He had spoken and the others made ready to obey. Just then papa spoke up:

"How are we going to thank you, sir?" he asked, speaking broken English, but with his habitual dignity of manner.

"By leaving your welfare in our hands, Monsieur," replied our gallant rescuer quietly.

Papa tried to speak again, but the Englishman put up his hand to stop any further talk.

"There is no time now, Monsieur," he said, with gentle courtesy. "I must leave you, as I have much work yet to do."

"Where are you going, Blakeney?" asked one of the others.

"Back to the Abbaye prison," he said; "there are other women and children to be rescued there!"

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WHAT CAN A LITTLE CHAP DO?

BY JOHN OXENHAM

_Painting by_ EUGENE HASTAIN _and Drawings by GORDON BROWNE, R.I._

_WHAT can a little chap do For his country and for you?

What_ CAN _a little chap do?_

He can fight like a Knight For the Truth and the Right-- _That's one good thing he can do._

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"He can march in the queue Of the Good and the Great, Who battled with fate And won through."

_Painted for Princess Mary's Gift Book by Eugene Hastain_]

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He can shun all that's mean, He can keep himself clean, Both without and within-- _That's another good thing he can do_.

His soul he can brace Against everything base, And the trace will be seen All his life in his face-- _That's a very fine thing he can do_.

He can look to the Light, He can keep his thought white, He can fight the great fight, He can do with his might What is good in G.o.d's sight-- _Those are excellent things he can do_.

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Though his years be but few, He can march in the queue Of the Good and the Great, Who battled with fate And won through-- _That's a wonderful thing he can do_.

And--in each little thing He can follow The King.

Yes--in each smallest thing He can follow The King-- He can follow The Christ, The King.

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ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT

BY W. PETT RIDGE

_Painting by_ M. E. GRAY _and Drawings by_ LEWIS BAUMER

I KNEW a child who----

Some friends of mine have a daughter, and she----

Not very many years ago, I remember hearing----

Once upon a time--that is the proper way to begin this story--once upon a time there was a little girl, of about the usual age, who lived near to St. John's Wood Road Station, handy to Lord's cricket ground, and not far from the Zoological Gardens. You would think that any one who, in the summer, could look out of her window and see Mr. P. F. Warner batting, and in the winter was able to go any afternoon she liked, to watch the lions and tigers take high tea at four, ought to have been as happy as the days were long; cheerful even when the days were short. Yet she was not entirely satisfied; it may be said that her one failing was a spirit of discontent. When grown-ups are discontented, it is called ambition; but that is another matter.

On a certain Tuesday evening in November it happened that she felt quite pleased with the world until about seven o'clock. Seven in the evening was the hour that frequently made her peevish.

Nurse left her alone for a minute to see if everything was ready upstairs, and in that minute the little girl jumped on a chair and moved back the long hand. She was reading her picture-book with great interest when nurse returned.