The door of this apartment was gently opened, and two children—a boy and a girl—entered. They had just stolen away unknown to the nurse, and had come here to amuse themselves. There was, however, very little in that room to amuse them. Neither hoop nor ball nor doll was here; but there was the clock ticking away like a cricket who had lost its mother. They say that curiosity [[185]]is much stronger in the female, be it child or adult, than in the male portion of humanity, so the little girl drew a chair to the fireplace, and on the top of it she placed a stool, and then both the children mounted and stood face to face with the clock.
They examined the polished wooden case, and the marble base, the figures and the painted scroll work which adorned its face, then the minute-hand which they could see moving, and listened to the “Tick, tick, tick,” which seemed to come from some voice within it. “Tick-tick,” cried the clock, and still as the little boy looked and listened it went on without stopping, “Tick, tick, tick.”
“What can it be?” said the little girl. “Where can the noise come from, Teddy?”
“Oh!” answered Teddy, “it comes from the wee fellow inside there; can’t you see him moving his arm about, eh, Lily?”
Lily looked and discovered a door. “It comes from here,” she said. “I should like to open it and let the old man out.”
“No, no,” cried Teddy, “we must not. Papa would be angry. Come away back again to nurse.” But Lily poked about with her fingers, unknowingly touched a spring, and the door flew open.
There they saw a wonderful sight. There were [[186]]wheels moving round and round, and the inside shone like gold, and there was a long piece of steel hanging down like a tail, which moved from side to side, and the timepiece said louder than ever, “Tick, tick, tick.”
Lily put in her finger and touched the golden inside, and still the clock ticked on. Then she touched the pendulum, and though the clock paused for a moment as if to take breath, it went on again fresher than ever, “Tick, tick, tick.”
But at last she happened to poke her finger between the spokes of the little wheel, and the timepiece stopped. Lily thought it would tick again in a minute, but she was disappointed. She touched the pendulum, she touched the wheel, she touched every part; yet all to no purpose. And then the boy, Teddy, tried his hand in vain. The clock wouldn’t say “Tick, tick” any more.
What was to be done?