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And the moment they were all in their places managers,
secretaries, clerks, and porters they all started, and each looked
cautiously round to see if any one was looking at him. For each
thought that he had fallen asleep for a few minutes, and had
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dreamed a very odd dream about the Phoenix and the board-room.
And, of course, no one mentioned it to any one else, because going to
sleep at your office is a thing you simply MUST NOT do.
The extraordinary confusion of the board-room, with the remains of
the incense in the plates, would have shown them at once that the
visit of the Phoenix had been no dream, but a radiant reality, but no
one went into the board-room again that day; and next day, before
the office was opened, it was all cleaned and put nice and tidy by a
lady whose business asking questions was not part of. That is why
Cyril read the papers in vain on the next day and the day after that;
because no sensible person thinks his dreams worth putting in the
paper, and no one will ever own that he has been asleep in the
daytime.
The Phoenix was very pleased, but it decided to write an ode for
itself. It thought the ones it had heard at its temple had been too
hastily composed. Its own ode began
For beauty and for modest worth
The Phoenix has not its equal on earth. '
And when the children went to bed that night it was still trying to
cut down the last line to the proper length without taking out any of
what it wanted to say.
That is what makes poetry so difficult.
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The Phoenix and the Carpet
CHAPTER 6
DOING GOOD
We shan t be able to go anywhere on the carpet for a whole week,
though, ' said Robert.
And I m glad of it, ' said Jane, unexpectedly.
Glad? ' said Cyril; GLAD? '
It was breakfast-time, and mother s letter, telling them how they
were all going for Christmas to their aunt s at Lyndhurst, and how
father and mother would meet them there, having been read by
every one, lay on the table, drinking hot bacon-fat with one corner
and eating marmalade with the other.
Yes, glad, ' said Jane. I don t want any more things to happen just
now. I feel like you do when you ve been to three parties in a week
like we did at granny s once and extras in between, toys and chocs
and things like that. I want everything to be just real, and no fancy
things happening at all. ' I don t like being obliged to keep things
from mother, ' said Anthea. I don t know why, but it makes me feel
selfish and mean. '
If we could only get the mater to believe it, we might take her to the
jolliest places, ' said Cyril, thoughtfully. As it is, we ve just got to be
selfish and mean if it is that but I don t feel it is. '
I KNOW it isn t, but I FEEL it is, ' said Anthea, and that s just as
bad. '
It s worse, ' said Robert; if you knew it and didn t feel it, it wouldn t
matter so much. '
That s being a hardened criminal, father says, ' put in Cyril, and he
picked up mother s letter and wiped its corners with his
handkerchief, to whose colour a trifle of bacon-fat and marmalade
made but little difference.
We re going to-morrow, anyhow, ' said Robert. Don t, ' he added,
with a good-boy expression on his face don t let s be ungrateful for
our blessings; don t let s waste the day in saying how horrid it is to
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The Phoenix and the Carpet
keep secrets from mother, when we all know Anthea tried all she
knew to give her the secret, and she wouldn t take it. Let s get on the
carpet and have a jolly good wish. You ll have time enough to repent
of things all next week. '
Yes, ' said Cyril, let s. It s not really wrong. '
Well, look here, ' said Anthea. You know there s something about
Christmas that makes you want to be good however little you wish
it at other times. Couldn t we wish the carpet to take us somewhere
where we should have the chance to do some good and kind action?
It would be an adventure just the same, ' she pleaded.
I don t mind, ' said Cyril. We shan t know where we re going, and
that ll be exciting. No one knows what ll happen. We d best put on
our outers in case '
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