London's Heart: A Novel. Farjeon Benjamin Leopold
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little maid?"
"And then you shall marry me," said Pollypod, coming down to earth, and placing her hand in that of her companion. "I'll be your little wife."
"That's a bargain," said Felix merrily; "we're sweethearts from now."
"You ought to kiss me," said the forward little maid; and after being kissed, she fell to bunching her buttercups and daisies together.
"And now tell me, Pollypod," said Felix, anxious to learn something of Lily and the old man. "Where do you all come from?"
"O, along, long, long way! It was such a nice ride!"
"Then you live a long way from here?"
"O, yes, we live in London, in Soho."
"That is a long-way indeed, Pollypod. Are you Lily's cousin?"
"O, no; we're none of us relations, not even the baby! But we all live together. Lily lives on the first floor; baby and Mr. and Mrs. Gribble live on the second floor-they're umbrella makers; father and mother and me live on the third floor."
"That's very high up, Pollypod!"
"I like it because of that; there's such a lot of light! It's nearer the sky, father says. Father's a railway man, and comes home so late! But we play in bed every morning. And we've got a dog; Snap's his name. He goes out to work every morning with father, and comes back at night. We have such fun together! We've got such a nice room."
"Only one, Pollypod?"
"Yes; we don't want more, do we?" inquired the little maid. "There's such pretty paper on the walls. Roses-such red ones! Father's fond of flowers, that's why. I like to look at them before I go to sleep; sometimes I see pretty faces in them, like Lily's. I dream of everything. I shall dream of you to-night, and shall look for your face among the roses. I'm making a bunch of buttercups and daisies for father, but they're all one colour" – with a wistful look at the flowers in her companion's coat.
Felix saw the wish in the look, and taking the flowers from his coat, gave them to Pollypod.
"If you put these in the bunch," he said, "there will be more than one colour."
Pollypod held up her face to be kissed again, and nestled closer to him.
"I knew you were good," she said.
When she had arranged the flowers, Felix found a piece of string in his pocket, and tied them together for her. The party near the coffin were in the same position as they had been when he came into the churchyard; the old man and Gribble junior had not returned. Having nothing better to do, and burning with a desire to know more of the fair girl whose acquaintance he had made in so strange a manner, Felix resumed his conversation with little Pollypod. He had no difficulty in doing so; Pollypod was brimful of talk.
"So you dream of everything," he said.
Pollypod nodded, repeated "E-ve-ry-thing" under her breath, and held up her bunch of flowers admiringly, turning them this way and that, and thinking how pleased father would be with them.
"What did you dream of last night?"
"I don't remember," replied Pollypod, after a little consideration. "I know what I dreamt of the night before."
"Of what?"
"Of my Doll," said the little maid, showing by her manner that the subject was of very serious importance. "And, O, it looked so beautiful! It had large blue eyes-and moved them! – and a pink face, and red lips, and it was dressed in blue silk, with such a lovely bonnet!"
"Was it as pretty as your own doll?" inquired Felix.
Pollypod shook her head a dozen times, and pursed her lips. "I haven't got one," she said wistfully, "I never saw it; I only dream of it."
Felix did not say anything in the pause that followed, knowing that he was about to be enlightened.
"It's in father's ship. Father told me, O, such a long time ago! that when his ship came home, he would give me the Doll; and the naughty ship won't come home. Father is so angry sometimes because it's so long away. There's a toy-shop not far from where we live, with such funny things in the window-and there's a Doll in the middle of them, just like mine that's in father's ship. Father says mine is handsomer, and that mine has a smaller nose and pinker lips. I go to look at it whenever I can, and wish, and wish, and wish that father's ship would come home! I often dream that it has, and when I wake up I say, 'Father, has your ship come home?' and he says, 'No, Pollypod;' and I know by his voice that he's sorry."
"Now, Pollypod," said Felix, holding up his finger to denote that she was to give him all her attention, "I'm going to tell you something. I'm a wizard."
"A wiz-ard," repeated Pollypod thoughtfully; and then said, with a sharp look at Felix, "I want to know!"
"What a wizard is! So you shall, little one. A wizard can see things, and tell things before they occur."
"Can he!" exclaimed Pollypod, her blue eyes dilating. "Can you see and tell anything now?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"I can see a little girl lying in bed, looking at the roses on the wall."
"That's me," said Pollypod, in a tone of infinite content. "Who's in the room with the little girl? Not father!"
"No; not father, because father comes home so late."
"And the little girl is asleep before he comes home."
"Fast asleep, Pollypod. But there's some one else in the room-mother is there, working."
"That's right! that's right!" cried Pollypod, twining her fingers together in her excitement. "You are a wizard!"
"The little girl is lying with her eyes open, looking at the roses. She fixes her eyes upon one, and it changes. Lips come-like Lily's; eyes come, bright-like Lily's. Presently Lily's face is in the rose, smiling at the little girl. But the face fades – "
"Does it?" whispered Pollypod anxiously.
"And in its place a Doll appears – "
"Yes! yes!"
"And the little girl falls asleep and dreams of it, and holds it in her arms. And while she dreams, I see a ship coming over the seas – "
"Father's ship!" cried Pollypod in ecstacy.
"No; another ship."
"O!" sighed Pollypod, drooping.
"Here it comes sailing-sailing-sailing; and the waves are curling-curling-curling; and the captain is bowing-bowing-bowing; and the stars are shining-shining-shining into the waters, lighting them up with smiles! But what is this I see on the ship? A Doll!"
"Doll!" cried Pollypod, reviving. "For the little girl?"
"Yes, for the little girl. The little girl's Doll! Pollypod's Doll! And as sure as we sit here talking, the captain, if he's alive, will bring it home before the week's out."
In a very flutter of delight Pollypod jumped to her feet, and clasped her hands.
"You mustn't be frightened of me, Pollypod," said Felix, sharing in Pollypod's delight; "I'm a good wizard."
"I know that! I know that!" said the little maid, almost in a whisper. "But I want to know! Is She beautiful?"
"Yes, she is beautiful," replied Felix, dwelling long on each syllable.
"And has she got blue eyes?"
"The bluest in the world."
"And a pink face?"
"As pink as this rose, Pollypod."
"And red lips?"
"Red as cherries."
"And what is She dressed in?"
"Blue silk, with a large sash behind, and mauve boots, and the loveliest bonnet that ever was made."
So filled with joy that she could not speak, Pollypod sat down on the tombstone, shut her eyes, and saw Her in all Her silken glory. The little maid was in a state of beatific bliss; and she saw the ship sailing, and the waves