Dick, Marjorie and Fidge Part 24

"H'm! Well, I can't say that it was very pleasant," said the Palaeotherium, "but if you are really sorry I'll forgive you--only you mustn't let it happen again."

"Shouldn't have a tail like a snake," said Fidge, half crying, "and shouldn't let it come over in our bed."

The Palaeotherium muttered something that neither of the children could understand, and retired, and, except for the Prehistoric Doctor's snoring, all was quiet again.

This time the children really did get to sleep, and when they awoke the carriage was quite light, and d.i.c.k, looking out through the little window at the side of his berth, could see that they were traveling through some very delightful country.

"Wake up! Wake up, Marjorie," he cried, "it's morning."

"I'm velly hungry," announced Fidge, sitting up and rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Yes, so am I," admitted d.i.c.k; "we must see what we can do to get some food."

"The doors at the ends of the carriage are open," cried Marjorie, from below. "I believe it's a corridor train, like that we went to Scarborough in last year," she added. "Perhaps there's a dining-car at the end of this one."

d.i.c.k and Fidge scrambled down, and, accompanied by Marjorie, determined to explore.

None of the other creatures were apparently awake, and most of the curtains were drawn.

The Dodo, however, true to his word, had left his open, and there he lay in an affected att.i.tude, with his gloves carefully displayed outside the bed-clothes, and his nightcap arranged at the most becoming angle.

d.i.c.k could see that he was not really asleep, for one eye was partially open, and as the children pa.s.sed he murmured, quite loudly enough for d.i.c.k to hear--"Ain't I _beautiful_?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Greedy Eteraedarium.]

d.i.c.k laughed, and pa.s.sed on to where he could see some wash-basins and a water tap, and there the children had a most refres.h.i.+ng wash; and then, to their great delight, found that the next carriage was labeled--"BREAKFAST CAR"; and as it was the easiest matter in the world to step from one carriage to the other, they were soon at the door.

As soon as they opened it they beheld a curious sight.

There were a number of little tables in the carriage, on each of which were basins of steaming hot bread-and-milk.

The Eteraedarium stood at one of the tables, and, with a spoon in each hand, was greedily devouring the bread-and-milk as quickly as he possibly could.

"Come on!" he shouted, with his mouth full. "Just in time. There are one or two basins left; but make haste, before the others come, or you won't get any."

CHAPTER XIX.

AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

The bread-and-milk was very good, and the children enjoyed it immensely.

They would have taken a second basinful had the Eteraedarium been at all pressing in his invitation for them to do so; but instead of asking them in the usual way, "Will you have any more?" he said, in a very anxious tone of voice, "You won't have any more, will you?" which was, of course, a very different thing; and so they each meekly said, "No, thank you," and watched the Eteraedarium finish up the remaining basins.

"There now, I feel that I've done my duty," he said, with a sigh of satisfaction, as he wiped his lips with a serviette, after sc.r.a.ping out the very last spoonful.

"You see," he said, with a sort of half attempt at an apology, "I was afraid the poor, dear Dodo, in his delicate state of health, might come in to breakfast and eat more than was good for him; so, by eating the lot myself, I have prevented him from doing that. He ought to be very grateful to me, I'm sure."

"But what about the others?" asked d.i.c.k.

"Oh, great, strong, healthy animals like them, it will do them good to go without for once in a way. I think, though, that in order to prevent them from feeling any disappointment it will be better to throw the basins out of the window, the sight of them would probably be rather tantalizing." And the Eteraedarium began hurriedly to throw all the breakfast things out of the window--spoons, basins, tablecloths, and serviettes, all disappeared, and only the three basins which the children had been using remained.

They, doubtless, would have followed the others had not the Dodo, leaning heavily on the Prehistoric Doctor's arm, entered the breakfast car just at that moment.

"Ah! bread-and-milk--capital!" exclaimed the Doctor, rubbing his hands, and looking at the children's basins. "I think our patient could manage a small basinful, eh?"

The Dodo, with a great affectation of weakness, feebly nodded his head.

"I think I _could_ manage a small basinful, Doctor--er--er--not _too_ small, you know. A _very_ small quant.i.ty never agrees with me."

"No, no; of course not," said the Doctor, soothingly. "I will see that it is not too small; and perhaps, just to encourage you, I will have a basinful myself."

"It's all gone!" said the Eteraedarium, suddenly and emphatically.

"Gone!" screamed the Dodo, in a loud voice, quite forgetting his supposed weakness. "Do you mean to say there is _none_ left?"

The Eteraedarium shook his head.

"But where's it all gone to?" asked the Doctor.

The Eteraedarium solemnly pointed to the children.

"Pigs!" declared the Dodo, wrathfully.

"Here, who are you calling pigs?" demanded d.i.c.k, getting up angrily.

"Well, I must say that it was exceedingly greedy of you to devour all of the breakfast," said the Doctor, reprovingly.

"But we didn't," said d.i.c.k. "It was the Eteraedarium; he had ever so many basinsful. We only had one each, didn't we, Marjorie?"

"No," said Marjorie; "and mine was a very small one."

"And mine was the littlest of all," said Fidge, flouris.h.i.+ng his spoon, "like the littlest bear's, you know, in the story of the Three Bears."

"Well, where are the other basins, then, if you say the Eteraedarium had such a lot?" demanded the Dodo.

"He threw them out of the window," declared the children.

"Oh! Oh! Well, I _never_--whatever will they say next?" cried the Eteraedarium, throwing up his hands and turning his eyes up to the ceiling.

"I must say it doesn't seem a very probable story," said the Doctor, looking out of the window; "and as I don't see any of the basins lying about I am afraid I cannot believe your statement."

"But that was some time ago," argued d.i.c.k, "and as we are traveling very rapidly they must be some miles down the line by this time."

[Ill.u.s.tration: The arrival at the Crystal Palace.]