Search -
The Day of Small Things, by the Author of 'mary Powell'.
The Day of Small Things by the Author of 'mary Powell' Author:Anne Manning General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1860 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: We must not, on that account, however, relax our humble endeavours, nor despise the day of small things. Line upon line, precept on precept, here a little and there a little, effect something at last. Grains of sand buried the Sphinx. Directly I saw Phillis, I perceived a very queer expression on her face. " Ah," thought I, " she remembers what she said about the weather, and is rather ashamed of my having been caught in the rain. I shall charge her with it, and hear what excuses she can make. She is a capital hand at self-defence." But, at that moment, my ears were struck by a loud, harsh, jarring sound, that absolutely petrified me -- the piercing scream of a cockatoo ! " Where in the world is that bird!" cried I, in dismay. " In our kitchen, ma'am," said Phillis, demurely. " "Tis a present from Miss Burt. I guess she thought you was fond of birds." " Fond of them ? Why, I'm so fond of them that I can't bear to see them in cages." " But this here thing's on a stand !" " Or anywhere but in their native woods," continued I, rapidly. " I have been offered canaries and bullfinches again and again, and always refused. The sweetest melody could not reconcile me to their captivity. And a cockatoo, of all birds in the world! Why, it will drive me distracted!" "Well, there, / says 'tis a nasty beast," says Phillis, with a groan, " and has made a precious mess on my clean floor already, scattering and spirting its untidy messes of food all about, and screeching till one can't hear one's self speak. ' Do be quiet, then !' I 've bawled to it a dozen times, and it answered me quite pert with, 'cockatoo!'"...« less