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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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command of her face quite as great; and though Miss Ophelia could not help feel- ing that so many accidents could not possibly happen in succession, yet she could not, without a watchfulness which would leave her no time for anything else, de- tect her. Topsy was soon a noted character in the establishment. Her talent for every species of drollery, grimace, and mimicry,- for dancing, tumbling, climbing, sing- ing, whistling, imitating every sound that hit her fancy,- seemed inexhaustible. In her play-hours, she invariably had every child in the establishment at her heels, open-mouthed with admiration and wonder,- not excepting Miss Eva, who ap- peared to be fascinated by her wild diablerie, as a dove is sometimes charmed by a glittering serpent. Miss Ophelia was uneasy that Eva should fancy Topsy’s soci- ety so much, and implored St. Clare to forbid it. “Poh! let the child alone,” said St. Clare. “Topsy will do her good.” “But so depraved a child,- are you not afraid she will teach her some mis- chief?” “She can’t teach her mischief: she might teach it to some children, but evil rolls off Eva’s mind like dew off a cabbage-leaf,- not a drop sinks in.” “Don’t be too sure,” said Miss Ophelia. “I know I’d never let a child of mine play with Topsy.” “Well, your children needn’t,” said St. Clare, “but mine may; if Eva could have been spoiled, it would have been done years ago. |
