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NY PUBLIC LIBRARY THE BRANCH L BRAR ES
3 3333 08115 1983
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THE MAGIC FISHBONE
BY CHARLES DICKENS
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
BY S. BEATRICE PEARSE
n
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The Queen came in most splendidly dressed
BY
CHARLES DICKENS
THE MAC 1C
F I S H B O>J E
j A HOL I DAY ROMANCE
FROM THE PEN OF
MISS ALICE RATNBIRJ)
AGED -
&
LONDON: CONSTABLE AND CO. LTD.
FOREWORD
story contained herein was
written by Charles Dickens in
1 8 6 7 . It is the second of four stories
entitled " Holiday Romance" and was pub-
lished originally in a children's magazine
in America. It purports to be written by a
child aged seven. It was republished in
England in "All the Year Round" in
1868. For this and four other Christmas
pieces Dickens received ^1,000.
"Holiday Romance" was published in
book form by Messrs Chapman & Hall
in 1874, with " Edwin Drood " and other
stories.
For this reprint the text of the story as
it appeared in " All the Year Round" has
been followed.
SEVERAL OF THE CHILDREN WERE GROWING OUT OF THEIR CLOTHES
*HERE was once a King, and he had a
Queen; and he was the manliest of his sex,
and she was the loveliest of hers. The King
was, in his private profession, Under Government. The
Queen's father had been a medical man out of town.
They had nineteen children, and were always having
more. Seventeen of these children took care of the
> i > .'
baby ; and Alicia, the eldest, took care of them all.
Their ages varied from: seven -years to seven months.
8 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
Let us now resume our story.
One day the King was going to the office, when he
stopped at the fishmonger's to buy a pound and a
half of salmon not too near the tail, which the Queen
(who was a careful housekeeper) had requested him
to send home. Mr Pickles, the fishmonger, said,
"Certainly, sir, is there any other article, Good-
morning."
The King went on towards the office in a melan-
choly mood, for quarter day was such a long way off,
and several of the dear children were growing out
of their clothes. He had not proceeded far, when Mr
Pickles's errand-boy came running after him, and
said," Sir, you didn't notice the old lady in our shop."
" What old lady ? "enquired the King." I saw none."
Now, the King had not seen any old lady, because
this old lady had been invisible to him, though visible
to Mr Pickles's boy. Probably because he messed and
splashed the water\abjotir;.to-.that-flegree, and flopped
L * p * r *_*** *J ' XX
the pairs of soles dowja iri.tHat violent manner, that,
if she had not been .visible* to "ihim. he would have
. *: .\ .
spoilt her clothes. V .":/ -./KVff..:
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 9
Just then the old lady came trotting up. She was
dressed in shot-silk of the richest quality, smelling
of dried lavender.
"KingWatkins the First,! believe?"said the old lady.
" Watkins," replied the King, "is my name."
"Papa, if I am not mistaken, of the beautiful
Princess Alicia ? " said the old lady.
"And of eighteen other darlings," replied the King.
" Listen. You are going to the office," said the
old lady.
It instantly flashed upon the King that she must be
a Fairy, or how could she know that ?
" You are right," said the old lady, answering his
thoughts, " I am the Good Fairy Grandmarina.
Attend. When you return home to dinner, politely
invite the Princess Alicia to have some of the salmon
you bought just now."
"It may disagree with her," said the King.
The old lady became so very angry at this absurd
idea, that the King was quite alarmed, and humbly
begged her pardon.
" We hear a great deal too much about this thing
io THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
disagreeing, and that thing disagreeing," said the old
lady, with the greatest contempt it was possible to
express. "Don't be greedy. I think you want it all
yourself."
The King hung his head under this reproof, and said
he wouldn't talk about things disagreeing, any more.
" Be good, then," said the Fairy Grandmarina," and
don't! When the beautiful Princess Alicia consents to
partake of the salmon as I think she will you
will find she will leave a fish-bone on her plate. Tell
her to dry it, and to rub it, and to polish it till it
shines like mother-of-pearl, and to take care of it as
a present from me."
" Is that all ? " asked the King.
" Don't be impatient, sir," returned the Fairy
Grandmarina, scolding him severely. " Don't catch
people short, before they have done speaking. Just
the way with you grown-up persons. You are always
doing it."
The King again hung his head, and said he wouldn't
do so any more.
" Be good then," said the Fairy Grandmarina," and
HOITY TOITY ME !
1 2 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
don't ! Tell the Princess Alicia, with my love, that
the fish-bone is a magic present which can only be
used once ; but that it will bring her, that once,
whatever she wishes for, PROVIDED SHE WISHES FOR IT AT
THE RIGHT TIME. That is the message. Take care of it."
The King was beginning, "Might I ask the
reason ?" when the Fairy became absolutely furious.
"/?7//you be good, sir?" she exclaimed, stamping
her foot on the ground. "The reason for this, and
the reason for that, indeed ! You are always wanting
the reason. No reason. There! Hoity toity me! I am
sick of your grown-up reasons."
The King was extremely frightened by the old
lady's flying into such a passion, and said he was
very sorry to have offended her, and he wouldn't
ask for reasons any more.
"Be good then," said the old lady, "and don't!"
With those words, Grandmarina vanished, and the
King went on and on and on, till he came to the office.
There he wrote and wrote and wrote, till it was time
to go home again.Then he politely invited the Princess
Alicia, as the Fairy had directed him, to partake of the
f
&
He saw the Fish-bone on her Plate
' THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 1 3
salmon. And when she had enjoyed it very much,
he saw the fish-bone on her plate, as the Fairy had
told him he would, and he delivered the Fairy's
message, and the Princess Alicia took care to dry
the bone, and to rub it, and to polish it till it shone
like mother-of-pearl.
And so when the Queen was going to get up in
the morning, she said,"O, dear me, dear me; my
head, my head ! " and then she fainted away.
The Princess Alicia, who happened to be looking
in at the chamber-door, asking about breakfast,
was very much alarmed when she saw her Royal
Mamma in this state, and she rang the bell for
Peggy, which was the name of the Lord Chamberlain.
But remembering where the smelling-bottle was,
she climbed on a chair and got it, and after that
she climbed on another chair by the bedside and
held the smelling-bottle to the Queen's nose, and
after that she jumped down and got some water,
and after that she jumped up again and wetted the
Queen's forehead, and, in short, when the Lord
Chamberlain came in, that dear old woman said to
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 1 5
the little Princess, " What a Trot you are ! I couldn't
have done it better myself! '
But that was not the worst of the good Queen's
illness. O, no ! She was very ill indeed, for a long
time. The Princess Alicia kept the seventeen young
Princes and Princesses quiet, and dressed and
undressed and danced the baby, and made the kettle
boil, and heated the soup, and swept the hearth,
and poured out the medicine, and nursed the Queen,
and did all that ever she could, and was as busy
busy busy, as busy could be. For there were not many
servants at that Palace, for three reasons; because the
King was short of money, because a rise in his office
never seemed to come, and because quarter day was
so far off that it looked almost as far off and as little
as one of the stars.
But on the morning when the Queen fainted away,
where was the magic fish-bone ? Why, there it was
in the Princess Alicia's pocket. She had almost
taken it out to bring the Queen to life again, when
she put it back, and looked for the smelling-bottle.
After the Queen had come out of her swoon that
i6
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
morning, and was dozing, the Princess Alicia
hurried up-stairs to tell a most particular secret to a
most particularly confidential friend of hers, who
was a Duchess. People did suppose her to be a Doll;
but she was really a Duchess, though nobody knew
it except the Princess.
This most particular secret was a secret about
the magic fish-bone, the history of which was well
known to the Duchess, because the Princess told her
everything. The Princess kneeled down by the bed
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 1 7
on which the Duchess was lying, full-dressed and
wide awake, and whispered the secret to her. The
Duchess smiled and nodded. People might have
supposed that she never smiled and nodded, but she
often did, though nobody knew it except the Princess.
Then the Princess Alicia hurried downstairs again,
to keep watch in the Queen's room. She often kept
watch by herself in the Queen's room ; but every
evening,while the illness lasted, she sat there watching
with the King. And every evening the King sat
looking at her with a cross look, wondering why she
never brought out the magic fish-bone. As often as
she noticed this, she ran upstairs, whispered the
secret to the Duchess over again, and said to the
Duchess besides, "They think we children never
have a reason or a meaning ! ' And the Duchess,
though the most fashionable Duchess that ever was
heard of, winked her eye.
"Alicia," said the King, one evening when she
wished him Good Night.
" Yes, Papa."
" What is become of the magic fish-bone ? '
1 8 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
" In my pocket, Papa."
" I thought you had lost it ? '
"O, no, Papa."
" Or forgotten it ? "
" No, indeed, Papa."
And so another time the dreadful little snapping
pug-dog next door made a rush at one of the young
Princes as he stood on the steps coming home from
school, and terrified him out of his wits and he put
his hand through a pane of glass, and bled bled
bled. When the seventeen other young Princes and
Princesses saw him bleed bleed bleed, they were
terrified out of their wits too, and screamed themselves
black in their seventeen faces all at once. But the
Princess Alicia put her hands over all their seventeen
mouths, one after another, and persuaded them to
be quiet because of the sick Queen. And then she
put the wounded Prince's hand in a basin of fresh
cold water, while they stared with their twice
seventeen are thirty-four put down four and carry
three eyes, and then she looked in the hand for bits
of glass, and there were fortunately no bits of glass
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
there. And then she said to two chubby-legged
Princes who were sturdy though small, " Bring me
in the Royal rag-bag ; I must snip and stitch and cut
and contrive." So those two young Princes tugged at
the Royal rag-bag and lugged it in, and the Princess
Alicia sat down on the floor with a large pair of scissors
and a needle and thread, and snipped and stitched and
cut and contrived, and made a bandage and put it on,
and it fitted beautifully, and so when it was all done
she saw the King her Papa looking on by the door.
20 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
" Alicia."
" Yes, Papa."
" What have you been doing ?'
" Snipping stitching cutting and contriving, Papa."
" Where is the magic fish-bone ? '
" In my pocket, Papa."
<c I thought you had lost it ? '
"O, no, Papa."
"Or forgotten it?"
" No, indeed, Papa."
After that, she ran up-stairs to the Duchess and
told her what had passed, and told her the secret
over again, and the Duchess shook her flaxen curls
and laughed with her rosy lips.
Well ! and so another time the baby fell under the
grate. The seventeen young Princes and Princesses
were used to it, for they were almost always falling
under the grate or down the stairs, but the baby was
not used to it yet, and it gave him a swelled face
and a black eye. The way the poor little darling came
to tumble was, that he slid out of the Princess Alicia's
lap just as she was sitting in a great coarse apron
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
A
that quite smothered her, in front of the kitchen-fire,
beginning to peel the turnips for the broth for
dinner; and the way she came to be doing that was,
that the King's cook had run away that morning
with her own true love who was a very tall but very
tipsy soldier. Then, the seventeen young Princes and
Princesses, who cried at everything that happened,
cried and roared. But thePrincess Alicia (who couldn't
help crying a little herself) quietly called to them to
be still, on account of not throwing back the Queen
2 2 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
up-stairs,who was fast getting well, and said," Hold
your tongues, you wicked little monkeys, every one
of you, while I examine baby ! ' Then she examined
baby, and found that he hadn't broken anything,
and she held cold iron to his poor dear eye, and
smoothed his poor dear face, and he presently fell
asleep in her arms. Then, she said to the seventeen
Princes and Princesses," I am afraid to lay him down
yet, lest he should wake and feel pain, be good, and
you shall all be cooks." They jumped for joy when
they heard that, and began making themselves cooks'
caps out of old newspapers. So to one she gave the
salt-box, and to one she gave the barley, and to one
she gave the herbs, and to one she gave the turnips,
and to one she gave the carrots, and to one she gave
the onions, and to one she gave the spice-box, till
they were all cooks, and all running about at work,
she sitting in the middle smothered in the great
coarse apron, nursing baby. By and by the broth
was done, and the baby woke up smiling like an
angel, and was trusted to the sedatest Princess to
hold, while the other Princes and Princesses were
squeezed into a far-off corner to look at the Princess
f
The Dance of the Eighteen Cooks
trb
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 2 3
Alicia turning out the saucepan-full of broth, for fear
(as they were always getting into trouble) they
should get splashed and scalded. When the broth
came tumbling out, steaming beautifully , and smelling
like a nosegay good to eat, they clapped their hands.
That made the baby clap his hands ; and that, and
his looking as if he had a comic toothache, made
all the Princes and Princesses laugh. So the Princess
Alicia said, " Laugh and be good, and after dinner
we will make him a nest on the floor in a corner,
and he shall sit in his nest and see a dance of eighteen
cooks." That delighted the young Princes and
Princesses, and they ate up all the broth, and washed
up all the plates and dishes, and cleared away, and
pushed the table into a corner, and then they in
their cooks' caps, and the Princess Alicia in the
smothering coarse apron that belonged to the cook
that had run away with her own true love that
was the very tall but very tipsy soldier, danced
a dance of eighteen cooks before the angelic baby,
who forgot his swelled face and his black eye, and
crowed with joy.
And so then, once more the Princess Alicia saw
24 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
King Watkins the First, her father, standing in the
doorway looking on, and he said: " What have you
been doing, Alicia ? '
" Cooking and contriving, Papa."
" What else have you been doing, Alicia ? '
" Keeping the children light-hearted, Papa."
" Where is the magic fish-bone, Alicia ? '
u In my pocket, Papa."
" I thought you had lost it ? "
U O, no, Papa."
" Or forgotten it ?"
"No, indeed, Papa."
The King then sighed so heavily, and seemed so
low-spirited, and sat down so miserably, leaning his
head upon his hand, and his elbow upon the kitchen
table pushed away in the corner, that the seventeen
Princes and Princesses crept softly out of the kitchen,
and left him alone with the Princess Alicia and the
angelic baby.
u What is the matter, Papa ? "
" I am dreadfully poor, my child."
" Have you no money at all, Papa ? '
I III Hi lit ll I!' ill III
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cc
What is the matter, Papa ? "
n
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 25
"None my child."
" Is there no way left of getting any, Papa ? '
" No way," said the King. " I have tried very hard,
and I have tried all ways."
When she heard those last words, the Princess
Alicia began to put her hand into the pocket where
she kept the magic fish-bone.
"Papa," said she," when we have tried very hard,
and tried all ways, we must have done our very
very best ? '
" No doubt, Alicia."
" When we have done our very very best, Papa,
and that is not enough, then I think the right time
must have come for asking help of others." This was
the very secret connected with the magic fish-bone,
which she had found out for herself from the good
fairy Grandmarina's words, and which she had so
often whispered to her beautiful and fashionable
friend the Duchess.
So she took out of her pocket the magic fish-bone
that had been dried and rubbed and polished till it
shone like mother-of-pearl ; and she gave it one
26 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
little kiss and wished it was quarter day. And
immediately it 'was quarter day; and the King's
quarter's salary came rattling down the chimney,
and bounced into the middle of the floor.
But this was not half of what happened, no not
a quarter, for immediately afterwards the good fairy
Grandmarina came riding in, in a carriage and four
(Peacocks), with Mr Pickles's boy up behind, dressed
in silver and gold, with a cocked hat, powdered hair,
pink silk stockings, a jewelled cane, and a nosegay.
Down jumped Mr Pickles's boy with his cocked hat
in his hand and wonderfully polite (being entirely
changed by enchantment), and handed Grandmarina
out, and there she stood in her rich shot silk
smelling of dried lavender, fanning herself with a
sparkling fan.
"Alicia, my dear," said this charming old Fairy,
"how do you do, I hope I see you pretty well,
give me a kiss."
The Princess Alicia embraced her, and then
Grandmarina turned to the King, and said rather
sharply: "Are you good ? '
rr ~ n
"Alicia, my dear . . , how do you do?'
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 27
The King said he hoped so.
" I suppose you know the reason, now, why my
god-Daughter here," kissing the Princess again, <c did
not apply to the fish-bone sooner ? " said the Fairy.
The King made her a shy bow.
"Ah ! but you didn't then!" said the Fairy.
The King made her a shyer bow.
"Any more reasons to ask for ? " said the Fairy.
The King said no, and he was very sorry.
"Be good then," said the Fairy, "and live happy
ever afterwards."
Then, Grandmarina waved her fan, and the Queen
came in most splendidly dressed, and the seventeen
young Princes and Princesses, no longer grown out
of their clothes, came in newly fitted out from top
to toe, with tucks in everything to admit of its being
let out. After that, the Fairy tapped the Princess Alicia
with her fan, and the smothering coarse apron flew
away, and she appeared exquisitely dressed, like a
little Bride, with a wreath of orange-flowers and a
silver veil. After that, the kitchen dresser changed
of itself into a wardrobe, made of beautiful woods
2 8 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
and gold and looking glass, which was full of dresses
of all sorts, all for her and all exa&ly fitting her.
After that, the angelic baby came in, running
alone, with his face and eye not a bit the worse but
much the better. Then, Grandmarina begged to be
introduced to the Duchess, and, when the Duchess
was brought down many compliments passed
between them.
A little whispering took place between the Fairy
and the Duchess, and then the Fairy said out loud,
" Yes. I thought she would have told you." Grand-
marina then turned to the King and Queen, and said,
" We are going in search of Prince Certainpersonio.
The pleasure of your company is requested at church
in half an hour precisely." So she and the Princess
Alicia got into the carriage, and Mr Pickles's boy
handed in the Duchess who sat by herself on the
opposite seat, and then Mr Pickles's boy put up the
steps and got up behind, and the Peacocks flew
away with their tails spread.
Prince Certainpersonio was sitting by himself,
eating barley-sugar and waiting to be ninety. When
She appeared exquisitely dressed, like a little Bride
u
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 29
he saw the Peacocks followed by the carriage, coming
in at the window, it immediately occurred to him
that something uncommon was going to happen.
"Prince," said Grandmarina, " I bring you your
Bride."
The moment the Fairy said those words, Prince
Certainpersonio's face left off being stickey, and his
jacket and corduroys changed to peach-bloom velvet,
and his hair curled, and a cap and feather flew in like
a bird and settled on his head. He got into the
carriage by the Fairy's invitation, and there he
renewed his acquaintance with the Duchess, whom
he had seen before.
In the church were the Prince's relations and friends,
and the Princess Alicia's relations and friends, and the
seventeen Princes and Princesses, and the baby, and a
crowd of the neighbours. The marriage was beautiful
beyond expression. The Duchess was bridesmaid,
and beheld the ceremony from the pulpit where she
was supported by the cushion of the desk.
Grandmarina gave a magnificent wedding feast
afterwards, in which there was everything and more
30 THE MAGIC FISH-BONE
to eat, and everything and more to drink. The
wedding cake was delicately ornamented with white
satin ribbons, frosted silver and white lilies, and was
forty- two yards round.
When Grandmarinahad drunk her love to theyoung
couple, and Prince Certainpersonio had made a
speech, and everybody had cried Hip hip hip hurrah!
Grandmarina announced to the King and Queen that
in future there would be eight quarter days in every
year, except in leap year, when there would be ten.
She then turned to Certainpersonio and Alicia, and
said, " My dears, you will have thirty-five children,
and they will all be good and beautiful. Seventeen of
your children will be boys, and eighteen will be girls.
The hair of the whole of your children will curl
naturally. They will never have the measles, and will
have recovered from the whooping-cough before
being born."
On hearing such good news, everybody cried out
" Hip hip hip hurrah ! " again.
" It only remains," said Grandmarina in conclusion,
" to make an end of the fish-bone."
THE MAGIC FISH-BONE 3 1
So she took it from the hand of the Princess Alicia,
and it instantly flew down the throat of the dreadful
little snapping pug-dog next door and choked him,
and he expired in convulsions.
THE END
PRINTED AT THE ARDEN PRESS, LETCHWORTH, ENGLAND.
FIRST IMPRESSION, TWELVE THOUSAND COPIES, SEPT. MCMXII
SECOND IMPRESSION, TWELVE THOUSAND COPIES, DEC. MCMXI
