_A LITTLE GIRL IN A BOOK_
Christabel was a little girl who read a great many books. She noticedthat the girls and boys in the books were not altogether like the girlsand boys who played with her in the Square and came to tea with her. Thechildren in the books were wonderfully brave and clever; and when theywere having their magnificent adventures they always did exactly theright thing at the right moment. They never had a dull minute, and theynever said anything silly. The girls and boys who came to tea withChristabel were not like this, and Christabel knew that she herself wasnot like this. She never had any adventures, and she knew that even ifshe ever did have one she would not behave at all bravely or cleverly.And she was often so dull that she drummed with her fingers on thewindow and said--
"What on earth shall I do?"
Now, Christabel had a Big Sister who wrote books.
One day she said to her Big Sister--
"How I do wish I were a little girl in a book! Nothing ever happens tolittle girls in real life. It is so dull!"
The Big Sister went on writing, and said nothing.
"It's no use talking to her," thought Christabel, "because she alwaysgoes on writing."
A few days after this Christabel began to feel rather strange. A kind ofstiffness came into all her limbs, so that they would not do what shetold them. And sometimes she found herself saying things that she hadnot intended to say at all. This puzzled her and made her veryuncomfortable. She wondered if other people noticed that there wassomething wrong with her. She even thought of speaking to her Big Sisterabout it, but the Big Sister was so busy writing that it was no use totry and make her hear.
This went on for some time. Christabel grew stiffer and stiffer, andmore and more uncomfortable; and her Big Sister went on writing busily.
At last one day Christabel understood what had happened. She woke up andfound that everything round her had changed; the people and the placeand everything. She was frightened at first, and then the truth suddenlyflashed into her mind. A most remarkable and unusual and unexpectedthing had happened: her Big Sister had put her into a book!
"So I really am a little girl in a book, after all!" she said toherself.
She tried to say it aloud, but she found she couldn't. The words werenot in the book, you see.
"Now I am going to enjoy myself," she thought, "and never be dull anymore."
There was not much chance of her being dull, for the book was full ofadventures and narrow escapes, and other delightful things.
First she was captured by pirates; and after having a terrible time withthem she was saved from them by a shipwreck. The shipwreck did not doher much good, however, for she at once fell into the hands of the mostdreadful savages. So you will understand that she was not at all likelyto be dull.
Christabel was delighted to find that she behaved, like other littlegirls in books, with the greatest courage and cleverness. Whenever anadventure was going on she always managed to get out of everydifficulty, and she saved the lives of several of the other people inthe book by her bravery. The strange thing was that she found it quiteeasy to be brave; while she was a little girl in real life she had notfound it easy at all.
"I do hope the book has a happy ending," she thought sometimes.
She wished very much that she could peep into the end of the book, asshe used to do when she was a little girl in real life. Meantime everychapter was more exciting than the last. Of course Christabel did notknow whether she would escape from the savages at all. Perhaps they weregoing to eat her. That would not be a happy ending to the book, shefelt.
After a great many terrible dangers, she managed to escape; for a shipsailed into the bay at the right moment, and took her home to England.This was the end of the book. The person who was reading it shut it upwith a bang--and Christabel went to sleep.
By-and-by, some one else took up the book and began to read it. ThenChristabel woke up and found herself at the beginning of the story.After so many adventures she was rather tired, and did not feel inclinedto begin them all over again. But that was just what she had to do.Being captured by pirates is not nearly so exciting when you know youcan only escape from them by a cold, wet shipwreck; and when you areshipwrecked you are not very anxious to scramble ashore when you knowthere are a large number of fierce savages waiting for you!
"This is rather tiresome," thought Christabel.
She was very glad when the person who was reading the book shut it upagain, and she was allowed to go quietly to sleep.
But her sleep was not long. Every time any one began to read the bookpoor Christabel was obliged to wake up and go through all her troublesagain. She soon became horribly tired of being shipwrecked.
"Have I got to spend the rest of my life with pirates and savages?" sheasked herself in despair.
It was especially annoying that they were always the same pirates andsavages, who said always exactly the same things. Christabel soon knewthe whole book by heart. She wished sometimes she could be one of thepirates for a change, instead of being always a little girl.
"I suppose I shall never even be grown up," she thought sadly.
The most unpleasant thing of all was that she was never able to say whatshe wished to say: she was always obliged to say what was in the book.Sometimes she opened her mouth to say what was in her mind, and thenfound herself speaking words that had nothing to do with her thoughts.
"It is simply hateful not to be able to say and do what one likes," shethought.
She made up her mind to try and be drowned at the very next shipwreck.Of course it was useless for her to try, for the book said she was savedby a big wave which flung her up on a rock. It was uncomfortable for herto be saved in this way, but she could not avoid it. The shipwreckhappened in the usual way, in spite of her efforts to be drowned; andthen, as usual, she met the savages on the Island, and soon afterwardscame the end of the book.
THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE BOOK LOOKED AT HER IN SURPRISE]
Now, it happened this time that the person who was reading the book didnot shut it up at all, but handed it at once to some one else who wishedto read it. This was really too much for Christabel's temper. She hadhad no sleep, and she was determined not to begin all over again withouta rest. It suddenly struck her that this was her only chance--now,before the beginning of the first chapter.
She lost no time. She knew she ought to be standing up--the book saidshe was standing up. Finding to her great joy that she was able to moveof her own accord, she calmly sat down and folded her arms. The otherpeople in the book looked at her in surprise.
"It's no use looking at me like that," she said; "I'm tired of this. I'mnot going on any more saying the same things over and over again. Ifthere's any pirate who would like to change places with me I don't mindbeing a pirate for a bit. But I'm not going on being the little girl."
Then there was indeed an outcry. All the people in the book beganspeaking at once. Just at that moment--before the beginning of the firstchapter--they were all able to say what they chose.
"Make her stand up!" cried one.
"I never heard such nonsense!" said another.
"Why can't she behave as we do?" asked a third angrily.
"The idea of wanting a change!"
"She'll have to behave like other people in the end."
"So discontented!"
"So very odd!"
So they went on, while Christabel still sat calmly, with her armscrossed.
"I'm not going to begin all over again," she repeated firmly.
"But that poor boy is waiting to begin the book," said some one; "and wecan't go on while you are behaving in this silly way."
"I can't help that," said Christabel; "I'm tired of saying things Idon't a bit mean."
Before she knew what was going to happen Christabel found herself in themiddle of a terrible turmoil. All the people in the book seemed to berushing at her.
Far away she heard a voice saying--
"There's something very queer abo
ut this book. It seems all in a muddle,somehow!"
Then there was silence, and Christabel realized that the people in thebook had turned her out! She was no longer a little girl in a book, buta little girl in real life. She looked round and saw her Big Sister,still writing.
"I don't want to be in a book any more," said Christabel. "Real life isnicer. In real life one can at least say what one thinks one's self,instead of always saying what other people think."
"Don't be too sure of that," said her Big Sister.