"There was
Nannykins to begin with, but she had a bad knee and left for the North. Then
there was Miss Perdue who, when she was not sleeping was cross, and when she
was not cross, was dozing near the fireplace with her apron flung over her
face. Of course the children meant well—who would hint otherwise?—but they got
rather into the habit of making loud noises just so—“Bam!”—and giggling when
the apron flapped like the sail of a clipper ship in a gale." ~The beginning to this untitled story
"Mr. Macefield
sighed, and rasped his chin once more. “No…no, I suppose it does not matter.
Only now I shall have to spend another three weeks looking up a nanny for you
when I could be making us wealthy.”
It was a favorite
pastime of Mr. Macefield’s—making them wealthy, I mean. Not that he ever
succeeded with more than the usual success, but it kept him occupied and happy
enough, and the Macefield children lived under the general impression that all
fathers spent hours in their studies, scribbling things to get wealthy." ~Ibid.
"The truth was Mrs.
Macefield had a horrid case of what is generally known as Nerves. If it rained,
she was ill. If it shone she was ill. If the children made more noise than
usual she was ill. If her favorite horse did not win the races, she was ill.
And, since it is a general maxim in life that things will not always go the way
we wish them to, it is safe to say that Mrs. Macefield was nearly always ill." ~Untitled Story
“Hallo! Who are
you?” Darby asked, tugging the brim of his cap in the manner of a
coal-bargeman, and offering a small hand to the person on her rear amongst the
flowers. The young lady allowed herself to be dragged to her feet by Darby and
Bertram, who had since recovered himself.
She brushed off
her skirt and tried to pin up her wealth of hair. It was useless—like trying to
pin up great quantities of brook-water, or something equally rippling and
beautiful." ~Ibid.
"I am Cecily Woodruff, and I have come to be
your nanny.” She said it, not in the usual manner of nannies coming to be
interviewed and hoping to be accepted, but as if she were doing them an extreme
favor." ~Ibid.
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