True, they had wandered away from Eden Place, and
had not the slightest idea of their whereabouts. If they had been a
couple of babes in a wood, or any two respectable lost children of
romance, memories of lullabies and prayers at mother's knee would
have precipitated them at this juncture into floods of tears; but
home to them was simply supper and bed. The situation did not seem
complex to their minds; the only plan was, of course, to howl, and to
do it thoroughly,--stand in a corner of the market-place, and howl in
such a manner that there could be no mistake as to the significance
of the proceeding; when the crowd collected,--for naturally a crowd
would collect,--simply demand supper and bed, no matter what supper
nor which bed; eat the first, lie down in the second, and there you
are! If the twins had been older and more experienced, they would
have known that people occasionally do demand the necessities of life
without receiving them; but in that case they would also have known
that such a misfortune would never fall upon a couple of lost
children who confide their woes to the public. There was no
preconcerted plan between them, no system. They acted without
invention, premonition, or reflection. It was their habit to scream,
while holding the breath as long as possible, whenever the universe
was unfriendly, and particularly when Nature asserted herself in any
way; it was a curious fact that they resented the intervention of
Nature and Providence with just as much energy as they did the
discipline of their caretakers.
Pages:
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112