The Water Babies

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THE WATER BABIES

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HE WAS A LITTLE CONCEITED ABOUT HIS FINE COLOURS AND HIS LARGE WINGS

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THE

WATER-BABIES


A Fairy Tale for
a Land-Baby


BY

CHARLES
KINGSLEY



with illustrations by

W. HEATH
ROBINSON

BOSTON & NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

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First Published 1915.

Printed in Great Britain.

CONTENTS

Chapter (not listed in original)

Chapter 1
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 page 1
Chapter 2
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 39
Chapter 3
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 76
Chapter 4
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 112
Chapter 5
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 160
Chapter 6
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 195
Chapter 7
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 225
Chapter 8
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
 265
Moral
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 318

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LIST OF COLOURED PLATES

He was a little conceited about his fine Colours and his large Wings   Frontispiece
There are Land Babies—then why not Water-Babies? Facing page 66
Down to the Sea, down to the Sea! ,, 100
But the Fairies took to the Water-Babies ,, 176
The other Children warned him ,, 180
And Tom looked up into her Eyes ,, 192
There would be a New Water-Baby in St. Brandan's Isle ,, 248
I have been sitting here waiting for you many a Hundred Years ,, 314

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  PAGE
Playing Leap frog over the Posts 2
And some because they want to climb Alps 6
On they went 7
Trudging along with a Bundle at her Back 9
And began dipping his ugly Head into the Spring 12
"I was told to expect thee" 14
And bade them begin in a lofty and tremendous Voice 19
Up jumped the little white Lady in her Bed 23
And gave Chase to poor Tom 25
And gave Chase to Tom likewise 26
Then he saw Lizards 31
Play by me, bathe in me, Mother and Child 37
The Girls began to cry 44
The Boys began to laugh 45
"What art thou, and what dost want?" cried the old Dame 46
She had stepped down into the cool clear Water 50
They may be just what makes the World go round 53
Somebody would have caught one at least 61
People call them Pterodactyles 65
No Water-babies, indeed? 66
Cousin Cramchild's Arguments 67
Tom was quite alive, and cleaner, and merrier than he ever had been 70
When all the World is young, Lad 72
And every Lass a Queen 74
​And learn your Multiplication Table 75
Not in entire Forgetfulness 79
So he had no one to speak to or play with 82
And jumped clean out of the Water 85
But the Thing whirred up into the Air 87
"Quick, Children; here is Something to eat, indeed" 95
And clapped his little Hands 109
What a well-bred old Salmon he was ! 111
The wicked old Otter 112
And perhaps he would never have found his Way, if the Fairies had not guided him 113
Coasting along the Shore 114
And sat upon a little Point of Rock 117
He felt as strong, and light, and fresh, as if his Veins had run Champagne 121
And he swam on to the Buoy, and got upon it 123
And the Terns hovered over Tom 125
Then there came in a great lazy Sunfish 127
And a very distinguished Lobster he was 130
Professor Ptthmllnsprts 136
There used to be Children in the Water 139
And cried all Day 154
Spearing Eels and sneezing 156
And became ever after a sadder and wiser Man 159
And played Leap-frog with the Town Clerk 165
A real live Water-baby sitting on the white Sand 168
They did not want any Introductions there 170
The Water-babies come inshore after every Storm 173
And the Fishes told the Water-babies 175
A very tremendous Lady she was 180
Then she called up all the careless Nursery-maids 186
More than half of them were nasty . . . old Monks 187
Thou little Child 196
He was all over Prickles 202
"Dear me!" Said the little Girl; "why, I know you now" 205
​Tom asked her 207
Ellie was quite surprised and sad 210
He went to the top of the Water and began crying and screaming 212
And bathed in the warm Springs 215
In little beside a Cocked Hat and a pair of Straps, or some light Summer Tackle of that kind 216
And they sat under the Flapdoodle Trees 217
There were never such comfortable, easy-going, happy-go-lucky People in the World 218
"You would have ended as an Eft in a Pond" 224
"Come wander with me" she said 226
So he asked the Beasts in the Sea 228
And a very grand old Lady she was 232
"Two little Birds they sat on a Stone" 233
And they cawed and cawed 240
Looking as meek and as neat as a Quakeress 241
The Good Crow 242
And fell down dead 243
And turned into a Water-dog 246
And ran over the Crests of the Waves 247
And snapped at the Jelly-fish and the Mackerel 248
But Epimetheus was a very slow Fellow 258
Pandora 260
Old Mother Shipton on her Broomstick 263
He never turned his Head round once 264
Ye are better than all the Ballads 266
He came to the great Sea-serpent himself 268
There Philosophers demonstrate 275
He found Gotham, where the Wise Men live 277
He had a great Pair of Spectacles on his Nose 280
So he told him prettily enough, while the poor Turnip listened very carefully 288
And fainted right away 294
The Sun was drawing Water out of the Sea 297
​He saw before him a huge Building 298
Till he saw running toward him, and shouting "Stop!" three or four People 301
Out of the Top of it, his Head and Shoulders just showing, stuck poor Mr. Grimes 302
So she tied the Bandage on his Eyes 311
The first Thing which Tom saw was the black Cedars 313
And put Tom's Dog up in his Place 317
The End 320


This work was published before January 1, 1930, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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