The Water Babies

by Charles Kingsley

THE WATER BABIES

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

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

First Published 1915.

Printed in Great Britain.

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

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