The queen's museum, and other fanciful tales
Book Description
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ...should like to say something to you, and I hope you will not be offended when I tell you that your clock is not quite right. Your stone man and your stone woman are both too slow. Th...
MoreThis historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ...should like to say something to you, and I hope you will not be offended when I tell you that your clock is not quite right. Your stone man and your stone woman are both too slow. They sometimes strike as much as seven minutes after they ought to strike." The grave, middle-aged man looked steadily at her through his spectacles. " I thought," continued Arla, " that if this should be made known to you, you would have the works of the stone man and the stone woman altered so that they might strike at the right time. They can be heard so far, you know, that it is very necessary they should not make mistakes." " Child," said the man, with his spectacles still steadily fixed on her, " for one hundred and fifty-seven years the open tower on this building has stood here. For one hundred and fifty-seven years the thunder and the lightning in time of storm have roared and flashed around it, and the sun in time of fair weather has shone upon it. In that century and a half and seven years, men and women have lived and have died, and their children and their grandchildren and their greatgrandchildren, and even the children of these, have lived and died after them. Kings and queens have passed away, one after another, and all things living have grown old and died, one generation after another, many times. Yet, through all these years, that stone man and that stone woman have stood up there, and in storm and in fair weather, by daylight or in the darkness of night, they have struck the hours and the half-hours. Of all things which, one hundred and fifty-seven years ago, were able to lift an arm to strike, they alone are left. And now you, a child of thirteen or perhaps fourteen years, come to me and ask me to change that which has not been changed for a century...
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