Oswald Bastable and Others

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  OSWALD BASTABLE AND OTHERS

  '"Don't break down the door! The villains may return anymoment and destroy you."'--Page 115.]

  OSWALD BASTABLE AND OTHERS

  _By_ E. NESBIT

  _Illustrated by_ CHARLES E. BROCK AND H. R. MILLAR

  ERNEST BENN LIMITED LONDON

  COWARD-McCANN INC NEW YORK

  _First re-issued in this edition 1960_

  _Published by Ernest Benn Limited Bouverie House . Fleet Street . London . EC4 and Coward-McCann Inc 210 Madison Avenue . New York 16 . NY_

  _Printed in Great Britain_

  TO MY DEAR NIECE ANTHONIA NESBIT

  CONTENTS

  OSWALD BASTABLE

  AN OBJECT OF VALUE AND VIRTUE _page_ 1

  THE RUNAWAYS 34

  THE ARSENICATORS: A TALE OF CRIME 64

  THE ENCHANCERIED HOUSE 89

  OTHERS

  MOLLY, THE MEASLES, AND THE MISSING WILL 123

  BILLY AND WILLIAM 151

  THE TWOPENNY SPELL 167

  SHOWING OFF; OR, THE LOOKING-GLASS BOY 181

  THE RING AND THE LAMP 200

  THE CHARMED LIFE; OR, THE PRINCESS AND THE LIFT-MAN 224

  BILLY THE KING 247

  THE PRINCESS AND THE CAT 275

  THE WHITE HORSE 301

  SIR CHRISTOPHER COCKLESHELL 318

  MUSCADEL 343

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  '_Don't break down the door! The villains may return any moment and destroy you_' _Frontispiece_

  _'Here is your prize,' said Oswald_ _facing page_ 30

  _'Come into the kitchen,' said Oswald; 'you can drip there quite comfortably'_ 52

  _We consented to carry the unfortunate bed-woman to it_ 76

  _The room was a very odd shape_ _page_ 103

  _A little person in a large white cap_ 121

  _Molly had a splendid ride behind the groom_ _facing page_ 134

  _The bicycle started, Billy in the saddle and Harold on the step_ 164

  '_And what can we do for you to-day, Miss?_' 170

  _The alligator very nearly had him_ 194

  '_Your servant, Miss. Do I understand that you order me to mend this?_' 206

  _The little girl had slapped Fina, and taken the pagoda away_ 214

  '_We'll see if you are going to begin a-ordering of me about_' 218

  _'Come by post, your Lordship,' said the footman_ 254

  _'Excuse my hair, Sire,' he said_ 256

  '_Speak to the dragon as soon as it arrives_' 262

  _The two skated into each other's arms_ 270

  _'Take that!' cried he, aiming an apple at the old man's head_ _facing page_ 306

  _In the drawer was just one jewelled ring. It lay on a written page_ 346

  _A black-winged monster, with hundreds and hundreds of eyes_ 350

  _On the table stood the dazzling figure of a real full-sized princess_ 358

  _A blowzy, frowzy dairymaid_ 362

  '_You've got a face as long as a fiddle_' 366