Dorothy Edwards - My Naughty Little Sister.

"Here it is," she said. "You may take it. You can show it to the people who come to you."

She was a funny little girl, wasn't she?

Once when my little sister was four, our mother took us to the theatre.

The theatre was very beautiful. My sister and I liked it very much.

When we were in the theatre, my little sister did not talk. She looked at the curtain and at the beautiful walls and the big lamps over our heads.

She looked at the boys and girls and at their mothers and fathers. But when the curtain went up 43 43 the curtain went up - занавес поднялся and a little funny man came out, she looked only at this funny man. His name was Humpty-Dumpty 44 44 Humpty-Dumpty - Шалтай-Болтай (герой детских стишков; он очень неуклюж и постоянно падает) . He said:

"How do you do, little boys and girls?"

"How do you do?" we all said.

But my little sister cried:

"Hullo, Humpty-Dumpty!"

Everybody laughed, and Humpty-Dumpty said:

"Hullo, little girl!"

Then beautiful dolls came out and danced. They had very beautiful dresses on, all white and blue.

Humpty-Dumpty began to dance, too, but he fell on the floor.

And then Humpty-Dumpty said:

"Who wants to dance with me?"

You know that my little sister was very naughty, don't you? 45 45 don't you?-не так ли?

Do you know what she did?

She ran to Humpty-Dumpty and said:

"I want to dance with you."

Everybody laughed. Humpty-Dumpty laughed, too. The other children ran to him, too, and they all began to dance.

"Now, children," he said, "go to you seats."

All the children went to their seats, but my little sister did not go to her seat.

Do you know why she did not go to her seat?

She ran away. Yes, she ran away. She wanted to see the dolls behind the curtain. She found the dolls. The beautiful dolls talked to my sister, and they gave her an ice.

Humpty-Dumpty found my little sister and took her to our mother. Everybody laughed, but my mother was very angry.

Do you know what my naughty little sister did then?

She jumped up on her seat and cried:

"I saw them. I saw the dolls. They are not dolls. They eat ices. They are little girls!"

My little sister was a very naughty girl, wasn't she?

When I was a little girl, my mother said to my little sister:

"One of my friends will come to see us today, and her little daughter will come with her. The little girl's name is Winnie. She is a very good girl. You must be a good girl, too. You will take your toys and play with her in the garden."

My little sister put on her new blue dress and blue socks and white shoes. She took all her toys into the garden. She took her big doll out of the box. She wanted to play with Winnie and to show all her toys.

"I want to play with Winnie. I want to play with Winnie. When will she come?" said Nancy. At last Winnie and her mother came. Nancy ran to the door and opened it. Winnie had a blue dress and blue socks on. My little sister did not say How do you do? like a good girl, but she said:

"Blue socks, too."

Winnie's mother laughed. But Winnie did not laugh, she said:

"How do you do?"

She was a very good girl, wasn't she?

My mother and Winnie's mother sat down on a bench in the garden and talked, and Winnie and my little sister went to play. My little sister showed her all the toys and the big doll, too.

"Do you like my doll?" asked my little sister. But Winnie did not answer. She did not say a word.

"Can you talk?" asked my little sister.

"Yes, I can," answered Winnie.

"Do you want to play with my toys?" asked my sister.

"No, thank you," said Winnie.

"Do you want to run?" asked my sister.

"No, thank you. It is too hot," said Winnie.

"Do you want to play hide-and-seek?" asked my sister.

"No, thank you. I don't like hide-and-seek," said Winnie.

"Do you want to pick apples?" asked my little sister.

"No, I don't like to pick apples," said Winnie.

"What do you want to do?" asked my little sister.

"I want to read a book," said Winnie.

Winnie was six. She went to school. So she could read. The children went into the house.

Winnie-took one of my books and began to read it. But my little sister did not go to school. She could not read. So she ran into the garden, picked apples and flowers, and when tea-time came, her hands were dirty and her face was dirty, and her dress was dirty, too.

My mother put a big cake on the table. She said to Winnie:

"Have some cake, Winnie."

"Thank you," said Winnie, and she took a little piece of cake.

But my naughty little sister took a very big piece of cake. She liked cake very much.

After tea Winnie and her mother went home. Winnie said:

"Thank you. Good-bye."

When they went away, my naughty little sister said to my mother:

"I don't want to be a good girl."

"Why don't you want to be a good girl?" asked my mother.

"I like cake very much."

She was a funny little girl, wasn't she?

When my little sister was five, she went to school 46 46 Дети в Англии начинают ходить в школу с пяти лет . She went to school every day.

The lessons began at nine o'clock. At eleven o'clock the children had a short break. Then they had two more lessons. At one o'clock in the afternoon the children had dinner at school. Some children went home for dinner, but my little sister did not go home for dinner, because our house was not near the school.

After dinner we played in the yard and had two more lessons. The lessons were over at four o'clock, and Mother came to take my sister home.

Nancy learned many things at school. She learned to read, to write and to count. She could spell her name very well now.

She learned many things about animal. She learned about animals that give us milk and about animals that give us wool.

One evening when she put her school-books and her pens and pencils into her bag, she put her doll into her bag, too. Yes, she took her doll to school. When the first lesson began, she put her doll on her desk.

"You must not bring your doll to school," said the teacher. "You are a big girl now. You must learn to read, to write and to count. You can play with your doll at home."

The teacher told her again and again that she must not take her doll to school. But my little sister was very naughty.

"I do not play with my doll in school," she said. "My doll is five, too, and she must go to school, too."

My sister learned not only to read and to write. She also learned how to answer the telephone 47 47 to answer the telephone - отвечать по телефону . She said, "Hullo!" and then she said, "I'll call Mother." When Mother was not at home, she said, "May I take your message? 48 48 May I take your message -Что передать? "

One day our mother was not at home when the telephone bell rang.

"Mrs. Brown is not at home," said my little sister. "May I take your message?"

"I am Nancy's teacher. Please tell Mrs. Brown that Nancy must not take her doll to school."