THEY had never been to the seaside before, so you can imagine how pleased they were when Mr. Merryweather said, “I think we will go to the sea this summer, it will do the children good.”
They all began to jump about and get very excited, all except John. John had heard about the sea, but he didn’t quite believe it. So he said to his Father:
“When you go to the theathide, do you weally thee the thea?”
All the other children laughed, and Mary the eldest, who knew everything, said, “Silly, of course you do!”
John kept his eyes on his Father, and said, “Do you weally?” And his Father said, “Yes, old boy, you do.” Then John gave a great sigh of happiness and said, “I fort perhaps you did.” And he walked round and round the garden, singing, “I’m going to thee the thea!”
Mary went off with her Mother to talk about what sort of clothes they would all want. Mary was ten; and when you are ten and the eldest, almost everything depends upon you. John was three and the youngest, and sometimes Mary was not quite sure whether she was John’s mother or not. If you could have two mothers, then she was one of them.
“The great question,” said Mr. Merryweather next day, “is, where shall we go?”
John looked at him as if he could hardly believe. “I fort we were going to the thea,” he said, almost crying.
“Silly, of course we are,” said Mary. “But there are lots of places by the sea. Let’s go to a place where there are heaps of lovely shells.”