Oswald Bastable and Others   By: Edith Nesbit (1858-1924)

[Illustration: '"Don't break down the door! The villains may return any moment and destroy you."' Page 115.]

OSWALD BASTABLE AND OTHERS

By E. NESBIT

Illustrated by CHARLES E. BROCK AND H. R. MILLAR

ERNEST BENN LIMITED LONDON

COWARD McCANN INC NEW YORK

First re issued in this edition 1960

Published by Ernest Benn Limited Bouverie House · Fleet Street · London · EC4 and Coward McCann Inc 210 Madison Avenue · New York 16 · NY

Printed in Great Britain

TO MY DEAR NIECE ANTHONIA NESBIT

CONTENTS

OSWALD BASTABLE

AN OBJECT OF VALUE AND VIRTUE page 1

THE RUNAWAYS 34

THE ARSENICATORS: A TALE OF CRIME 64

THE ENCHANCERIED HOUSE 89

OTHERS

MOLLY, THE MEASLES, AND THE MISSING WILL 123

BILLY AND WILLIAM 151

THE TWOPENNY SPELL 167

SHOWING OFF; OR, THE LOOKING GLASS BOY 181

THE RING AND THE LAMP 200

THE CHARMED LIFE; OR, THE PRINCESS AND THE LIFT MAN 224

BILLY THE KING 247

THE PRINCESS AND THE CAT 275

THE WHITE HORSE 301

SIR CHRISTOPHER COCKLESHELL 318

MUSCADEL 343

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

' Don't break down the door! The villains may return any moment and destroy you ' Frontispiece

'Here is your prize,' said Oswald facing page 30

'Come into the kitchen,' said Oswald; 'you can drip there quite comfortably' 52

We consented to carry the unfortunate bed woman to it 76

The room was a very odd shape page 103

A little person in a large white cap 121

Molly had a splendid ride behind the groom facing page 134

The bicycle started, Billy in the saddle and Harold on the step 164

' And what can we do for you to day, Miss? ' 170

The alligator very nearly had him 194

' Your servant, Miss. Do I understand that you order me to mend this? ' 206

The little girl had slapped Fina, and taken the pagoda away 214

' We'll see if you are going to begin a ordering of me about ' 218

'Come by post, your Lordship,' said the footman 254

'Excuse my hair, Sire,' he said 256

' Speak to the dragon as soon as it arrives ' 262

The two skated into each other's arms 270

'Take that!' cried he, aiming an apple at the old man's head facing page 306

In the drawer was just one jewelled ring. It lay on a written page 346

A black winged monster, with hundreds and hundreds of eyes 350

On the table stood the dazzling figure of a real full sized princess 358

A blowzy, frowzy dairymaid 362

' You've got a face as long as a fiddle ' 366

AN OBJECT OF VALUE AND VIRTUE