# Five Children and It

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FIVE CHILDREN
AND IT
BY
E. NESBIT
Author of “The Treasure-seekers," “The Would-be-goods," etc.
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 1905
Copyright, 1905, by Dodd, Mead and Company Published October, 1905
The Psammead
TO
JOHN BLAND
My Lamb, you are so very small, You have not learned to read at all; Yet never a printed book withstands The urgence of your dimpled hands. So, though this book is for yourself, Let mother keep it on the shelf Till you can read. O days that pass, That day will come too soon, alas!
NOTE
Parts of this story have appeared in the Strand Magazine under the title of "THE PSAMMEAD."
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | CHAPTER | PAGE |
| I | Beautiful as the Day | 1 |
| II | Golden Guineas | 36 |
| III | Being Wanted | 70 |
| IV | Wings | 108 |
| V | No Wings | 141 |
| VI | A Castle and No Dinner | 159 |
| VII | A Siege and Bed | 183 |
| VIII | Bigger than the Baker's Boy | 203 |
| IX | Grown Up | 236 |
| X | Scalps | 261 |
| XI | The Last Wish | 287 |
ILLUSTRATIONS
| The Psammead | Frontispiece | Frontispiece |
| That First Glorious Rush Round the Garden | Facing page | 2 |
| Cyril Had Nipped His Finger in the Door of a Hutch | "" | 4 |
| Anthea Suddenly Screamed, "It's Alive!" | "" | 12 |
| The Baby Did Not Know Them! | "" | 28 |
| Martha Emptied a Toilet-jug of Cold Water Over Him | "" | 32 |
| The Rain Fell in Slow Drops on to Anthea's Face | "" | 36 |
| He Staggered, and Had to Sit Down Again in a Hurry | "" | 50 |
| Mr. Beale Snatched the Coin, Bit It, and Put It in His Pocket | "" | 58 |
| They Had Run Into Martha and the Baby | "" | 63 ​ |
| He Said, "Now Then!" to the Policeman and Mr. Peasemarsh | "" | 66 |
| The Lucky Children Hurriedly Started for the Gravel Pit | "" | 78 |
| "Poof, poof, poofy," He Said, and Made a Grab | "" | 86 |
| At Double-quick Time Ran the Twinkling Legs of the Lamb's Brothers and Sisters | "" | 88 |
| The Next Minute the Two Were Fighting | "" | 90 |
| He Snatched the Baby from Anthea | "" | 94 |
| He Consented to Let the Two Gypsy Women Feed Him | "" | 98 |
| The Sand-fairy Blew Himself Out | "" | 122 |
| They Flew Over Rochester | "" | 126 |
| The Farmer Sat Down on the Grass, Suddenly and Heavily | "" | 128 |
| Everyone Now Turned Out His Pockets | "" | 132 |
| These Were the Necessaries of Life | "" | 134 |
| The Children Were Fast Asleep | "" | 138 ​ |
| The Keeper Spoke Deep-Chested Words through the Keyhole | "" | 150 |
| There the Castle Stood, Black and Stately | "" | 164 |
| Robert Was Dragged Forthwith—by the Reluctant Ear | "" | 166 |
| He Wiped Away a Manly Tear | "" | 168 |
| "Oh, Do, Do, Do, Do!" Said Robert | "" | 174 |
| The Man Fell with a Splash Into the Moat-water | "" | 196 |
| Anthea Tilted the Pot over the Nearest Leadhole | "" | 198 |
| He Pulled Robert's Hair | "" | 210 |
| "The Sammyadd's Done Us Again," Said Cyril | "" | 214 |
| He Lifted Up the Baker's Boy and Set Him on Top of the Haystack | "" | 216 |
| It Was a Strange Sensation Being Wheeled in a Pony-carriage by a Giant | "" | 220 |
| When the Girl Came Out She Was Pale and Trembling | "" | 228 ​ |
| "When Your Time's Up Come to Me" | "" | 230 |
| He Opened the Case and Used the Whole Thing as a Garden Spade | "" | 238 |
| She Did It Gently by Tickling His Nose with a Twig of Honeysuckle | "" | 244 |
| There, Sure Enough, Stood a Bicycle | "" | 248 |
| The Punctured State of It Was Soon Evident | "" | 250 |
| The Grown-up Lamb Struggled | "" | 258 |
| She Broke Open the Missionary Box with the Poker | "" | 266 |
| "Ye Seek a Pow-wow?" He Said | "" | 278 |
| Bright Knives Were Being Brandished All about Them | "" | 284 |
| She Was Clasped in Eight Loving Arms | "" | 294 |
| "We Found a Fairy," Said Jane, Obediently | "" | 298 |
| It Burrowed, and Disappeared, Scratching Fiercely to the Last | "" | 308 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1924, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 99 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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