thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
floor, Martin carrying their giftHenry thought of it astheirs rather than his, since Martin had chosen itand Henryknocked at the nursery door.Theyre here!Nurse, theyre here! Cora called from within.Nurse opened thedoor, smiling, and ushered them inside. Hello, Sir. Hello, Martin.Little Miss is very excited youre here with her today.Cora was picking herway across the nursery floor, trying to avoid stepping on the toysthat were scattered everywhere. Henry! You brought me a present!Martin helped mepick it out, he told her. Its from both of us. Nurse, hethought, would not look askance at this assertion.Can I open it?She held her hands out for the package, fingers wiggling inanticipation.Henry looked atNurse, who frowned and shook her head.Lets waituntil weve had cake, Miss. Youve so been looking forward toyour cake.When are wehaving cake, then? Cora asked. Can we have it now, Nurse?How do we ask forthings, Miss?A flicker ofannoyance passed over Coras face, balking at rules. We sayplease. Please can we have cake now?Nurse smiled andstroked her hair. Ill call downstairs, Miss, and have thembring it up for you.While Nurse went touse the house phone, Cora took Henry by the hand and pulled himdeeper into the room and Martin followed, pausing en route to put thebirthday present down on the nursery table.There were dollseverywhere, and doll furniture, and plush toys. It appeared as thougheverything that had been heaped on Henrys old bed on their lastvisit had been spread across the floor. Cora led them to the spotnear the cabinet house where it seemed she did most of her playing.Baby Ann lay naked in the middle of a circle of dolls, also naked,that leaned into one another and sat with splayed legs on thelinoleum.All those othersare some toys I wasnt playing with any more, Cora explained.Nurse said I should give them to charity, but I had to play withthem all again just to be sure Im really done with them.What did youdecide, Miss? Martin asked, lowering himself to sit cross-leggedon the floor beside Baby Ann and the rest of the naked dolls. Areyou finished with those old toys now?It would be verynice of me to give them to charity, wouldnt it, Martin? Coraplopped down beside Martin and looked up earnestly into his face.Martin laughed, butnot unkindly. It would indeed, Miss. There are lots of littlegirls whod be happy to love your old toys.Henry wasnt sosure. Cora was very hard on her dolls, in his opinion, and even thoseshe favored looked somewhat grotesque and witchy, with snarled hair,torn dresses, and grubby fingerprints marking their bisque faces.They looked better suited to the refuse heap than some less-fortunategirls arms, in Henrys estimation. However, he did not thinkthis opinion would be well-received and so kept it to himself. Hepushed a stuffed lion with dusty fur aside with the toe of his bootand sat on the floor in the space hed made.Why are all yourdolls naked? Henry asked, gesturing toward Baby Ann and heraudience.Cora frowned. Youshouldnt be looking, Henry! She leaned sideways andsnagged a ratty blanket with her fingertips and threw it over thegrouping of dolls. With deep disapproval in her tone,
she said,Youre supposed to be a gentleman, Henry. You shouldnt havenoticed.Martin tried not tolaugh and Henry shot him a sidelong glare. It was hard not tonotice, Cora. Theyre sitting right out in the open.Martindidnt look, she pointed out.Technically, it wasonly that Martin hadnt said anything, not that he hadnt looked,but Henry would not argue the point with Cora. Well, Martins abetter gentleman than me, Henry told her. But, anyway, why areall your dolls lying around naked?They all gotlice, Cora explained, and their laundress is boiling theclothes. She pointed to a tableau in the corner, a floppy clothclown slumped next to an enameled basin full of doll dresses.Oh. Well.Henry didnt know how to respond to this. How did Cora even knowabout lice?Thats veryunfortunate, isnt it, Miss? Has Baby Ann been itching terriblymuch? Martin managed to seem so interested, so unruffled by whatHenry found to be very unnerving play on Coras part. Henry didntrecall that hed ever played at diseases, at infestations.Coras face lit upat Martins mention of Baby Ann, clearly delighted that heremembered her dolls. She has. Shes been so itchy,Martin! She scratched until she bled. Cora seemed delightedto relate this.Miss, really,Nurse said with a sigh and a shake of her head. Pauls coming updirectly with your cake, Miss. Shall we clear a path for the cart?With a put-uponsigh, Cora got to her feet and began to move dolls and toys aside,pushing things out of the way with her boots and moving a fewarmloads of detritus to Henrys old bed. Nurse did most of thework, of course, and cleared off the top of the table to make roomfor the cake, moving Coras present to her bed.Henry leaned closerto Martin and out of the side of his mouth asked, Isnt that alittle weird? That shes playing all the dolls have lice?Martin grinned.Its funny, isnt it, Sir? Shes very imaginative. Heseemed very unbothered, so Henry resolved to let it bother him less,then, if he could manage it.They all heard therattle of the elevator grille opening at the end of the hall andNurse went to open the door. Martin got to his feet and held his handout to help Henry up.Paul wheeled in apink-frosted cake with eight candles ready to be lit. Cora could notbe still, twirling and clapping her hands and throwing herself firstagainst Martin, then Henry, in her excitement, leaning against theirlegs and tugging at their hands. Paul withdrew with a polite bow, andNurse put the cake on the table and stood ready with a box ofmatches.Miss, if youwant, we can light your candles now.Yes, please!Cora went to the table and leaned over the cake, ready to blow.You have to standback a bit, Miss. I dont want you to catch your hair on fire!She turned to Henry. Sir, could you...?Henry didnt knowwhat she wanted, but Martin did. He went to stand behind Cora, hishands on her shoulders as a friendly reminder that she shouldntlunge into the path of open flame. Pink icing, Miss, Martinsaid in an admiring tone. Thats quite fancy, isnt it?Pink is mysecond-favorite color, Cora informed him.Whats yourfirst-favorite, Miss?Green, Corasaid. Whats yours?I
rather likepurple, Miss.Henry had not knownthis, and wished he had ever thought to ask Martin the question.All of the candleswere lit, making a penumbra of warm, wavering light around the cake.All right, Miss,Nurse said. Everything is ready. You must hold your hair back,though, to keep it out of the flames.Can I make a wishnow, Nurse? Cora asked eagerly.Of course. HappyBirthday, Miss. I love you very much.I love you, too,Nurse.Happy Birthday,Miss, Martin said, and at the same time Henry said, HappyBirthday, Cora.Cora gulped in adeep breath, closed her eyes, then let the air out with force,blowing out seven of eight candles. She took in another quick breathand blew out the last one and said, I got them all! Did you see?and they all pretended she had.Nurse cut the cake,making especially generous slices for the boys and more modest onesfor herself and Cora. Henry and Martin both took seats at the lowtable; the child-sized furniture was not a good fit for such lankypeople, and Henry thought they must look quite ridiculous.Its mybirthday. Cora frowned at her still-generous piece of cake. Whydoes Henry get more cake on my birthday?Your brother andMartin are much bigger than you, Miss, and they need more food. Ifyou want more cake after dinner, you can have more then.I willwant more, Cora said with confidence.The cake was sweetchocolate with a rose-flavored icing, which Henry thought rathersophisticated for an 8-year-olds palate, but Cora seemed to loveit.Oh, yes, Sir,Little Miss eats a great many flower-flavored treats, Nurse toldhim. Cook very kindly indulges her tastes. Shes also fond ofviolet shortbread.I want totry it, Henry said, feeling left out and even a little hurt. Ididnt even know anything like that was being made.Ill ask Cookto let me know next time, Sir, Martin said soothingly, givingHenrys forearm a little squeeze. Ill ask her to make enoughfor you to have some, too.Its very good,Henry, Cora told him. It really tastes like flowers.Henry and Cora bothfinished their cake; Nurse and Martin ate more slowly. Henry slidfrom his ill-fitting chair to sit on the floor and Cora came aroundthe table to join him. He sat with his legs stretched out in front ofhim, leaning back on his hands, and Cora sat close at his side. Theywere both in good position to watch Martin eat. Martin glanced up andsmiled at them, and Cora gave a happy little wriggle and beamed athim. It was embarrassing how much Henry related to Corasadulation.Martin? When isyour birthday?Its in June,Miss.Henry? Isntyour birthday in June, too?Yes, four daysafter Martins.So Martin isolder than you? Cora seemed shocked.Well, yesbyfour days, Cora. So not by much.Companions can beolder than masters?Lots of themare, Henry told her.She seemedflabbergasted.I dont seethat it makes any difference, Henry said. Masters andcompanions are always close in age. It doesnt matter whosolder.When I get my ownslave, Cora said in a low tone, giving Nurse a sidelong glance asif she thought Nurse would scold her for having the preference, Iwant her to be younger than me. Can I do that, Henry?If itsimportant to you, you can. But I dont think it will matter verymuch to you when
youre 16. Youll just want to have a slave youlike, someone youll get along with, and it wont matter when herbirthday is.Celeste is olderthan me, Cora said. My mean friend Celeste. She always gets herway because shes older.I think Celesteactually gets her way because shes a bully, not because of herbirthday, Henry remarked.Martin put down hisfork, and Nurse set hers on her plate and dabbed at her mouth with anapkin. Martin got down from his chair and sat cross-legged on thefloor, his bent knee touching Henrys ankle, but got up again rightaway when Nurse asked for his help in bringing the heavy present downfrom the bed. He set it on the floor before Cora with a soft thud.Happy Birthday,Miss, Martin said, giving her the sort of smile that was usuallyreserved for Henry.May I pleaseopen it now, Nurse? Cora asked hopefully.Yes, you may,Miss. Nurse knelt down next to Cora, tucking her skirts around herknees.Cora fell upon thepackage, her movements a little frantic. It was necessary for Nurseto get the sharp scissors from their special cupboard to cut theribbon, but after that Cora made short work of the wrapping paper.The large color label on the lid of the box showed a circus scenewith ringmaster, clown, elephant and tiger.Circus! Coraflapped her hands, giddy and overjoyed. I love circuses! But whatis it?Henry laughed. Openthe box and see.She opened the lidand shrieked with delight when she saw the little wooden people intheir colorful costumes, the brightly-painted animals, and all theaccessories that made it much like a real circusa circus ring,balls and barrels, pedestals for the elephants to stand on, a highwire for the acrobats, and a big top tent. It was every bit ascharming as Henry remembered and, with a pang of regret, he realizedthat the little circus would be subject to Coras harsh treatmentand would likely lose its luster in short order.Look, Miss,Martin said, leaning over the box and pointing. Did you see thedancing bear?Cora gave a shriekof glee and grabbed for the bear which, like all the other figures,was tied into the box. Nurse used her scissors again to cut the bearloose, and set to freeing all the members of the circus while Coraexclaimed over her bear.Do you like it?Henry asked, knowing that she did.Cora looked at him,eyes shining. I love it! Its the best present ever!They took the boxover to where Baby Ann and the rest of the dolls lay under theirmodesty blanket. Cora shoved them carelessly aside, making room forher circus. Nurse and Henry set up the tent while Cora and Martin setout the rest of the contents of the box in neat rows. Henry andMartin both helped Cora set up a scene with a lady acrobat standingon the back of a horse, a gentleman acrobat walking on the high wire,the elephant on its hind legs on a red-and-gold pedestal, and thedancing bear front and center with the animal tamer and ringmasterboth admiring its performance.What aboutclowns? Henry asked, surveying the scene. Shouldnt there beclowns?Everything wasrearranged to make room for a trio of cavorting clowns. It really wasa wonderful toy. The only thing missing
was an audience, and whenHenry pointed this out, Cora quickly salvaged her bedraggled dollsfrom beneath the blanket and set them in two rows in front of thetableau. It did not seem to bother Cora that they were all three orfour times the size of the circus performers, but Henry thought thesize disparity a little unsettling, especially in tandem with theirnudity and their general impression of having undergone somethingharrowing.Having admired thisarrangement for a few minutes, Cora needed to make adjustments, thensubstitutions, then took all of the figures out of the tent and beganfrom scratch. She enlisted Martins help, but did not seem to needanything from either Henry or Nurse.Its a lovelyset, Sir, Nurse murmured. I fear she wont be as careful asit deserves, though.I thought ofthat, too, Henry said. I guess if I want to keep it nice, Illhave to buy my own.Nurse chuckled. Youwere always quite careful with your toys, Sir. Little boys aresupposed to be rough, but you were always very gentle.Henry frowned. Hedalways been unusual, unmanly.Most of your toyswere given to charity to make way for Little Miss things, Sir, butI did save something of yours. Would you like to see it?Certainly.Henry watched as Martin helped Cora balance clowns on a seesaw untilNurse returned to his side.Do you rememberPinky, Sir?Henry had just beenthinking about Pinky, of course, but he had never imagined Pinkywould still be knocking around the nursery. Yes, of course I do. Iloved Pinky. Henry held out his hands for the toy. Pinky wassmaller than he remembered, perhaps seven or eight inches tall. Heremembered Pinky with such affection, so it was somewhat surprisingto see how shabby the little mouse was, how he had loved it nearly topieces. Pinky had been given his name because of his pink felt noseand paws, but these were a wan grey now, faded and worn. His greypelt was moth-eaten, and the pink silk lining of his ears wasshattered. Without thinking what he was doing, Henry brought Pinky tohis nose and breathed him in: stale, but smelling of sleep. He smiledto himself, pleased that Pinky still existed.Martin got up andstretched. Cora was still engrossed in play.What do you havethere, Sir?Come see. Itsmy old toy. He held the mouse out for Martin to take.Martin laughed. Oh,my, Sir. You certainly loved this little fellow, didnt you?Martin touched Pinkys glass eyes and dirty felt nose. Whatshis name?Pinky. He usedto have pink on him.To Henryssurprise, Martin brought the toy near his face and inhaled. When hesaw Henrys incredulous expression, he explained, I wanted tosee if he smells like you, Sir.Well, does he?Martin smiled. Yes,Sir. Like you, but dusty. It was a little embarrassing that Martinhad said this in front of Nurse, that Nurse would know how wellMartin knew Henrys scent, but it didnt necessarily meananything untoward. Any companion would know the smell of his mastersskin, wouldnt he?Hes been on ahigh shelf for six years, Sir, Nurse explained. Perhaps Ishould have put him in a box to keep the dust off.Henry waved off herconcern. Im just glad you kept him for me. And he feltsurprisingly grateful that hed had
the opportunity to show thelittle mouse to Martin. Youll continue to keep him safe, wontyou?Well, of course,Sir. I certainly wouldnt get rid of him for anything!The three of themstood watching Cora play, Martin idly stroking the mouses mangyfur until he realized what he was doing and gave Pinky back to Henry.Henry clutched the toy to his chest, full up with sentimentality andfeeling soft-hearted, before handing it back to Nurse.Thank you forshowing him to me, Henry told her. He bent and kissed her cheek.You know, Imissed you so much when you moved downstairs, Sir. More than anyother toy, Pinky reminded me of you. Nurse appeared quitechoked-up, and this made tears well in Henrys eyes, and he wasabout to be terribly embarrassed in front of Martin, but then a knockcame at the nursery door.Come in, please,Nurse called.Paul entered andmade a little bow. Hello, Sir. Hello, Miss. Martin, Esther. Ivejust come for the cart.Leave the cake,Nurse said. Here, Ill help you. She went to assist Paul,taking Pinky with her, and left Henry standing next to Martin.It must be closeto my dinnertime, Sir, Martin murmured. He took his watch out ofhis pocket and consulted it. Do you think we might go downstairssoon?Well go now,Henry told him. Well just say our goodbyes.Cora was so involvedwith her circus that she made no fuss about them leaving. She gavethem perfunctory hugs and kisses and returned to her circus, hummingbusily and tunelessly.Youre such agood brother, Sir, Nurse told him. She really loves it.Really, Martinpicked it, Henry told her. I was just going to get her anotherdoll.Nurse turned toMartin, smiling, and put a hand on his arm. Youre a good boy,Martin. Youre so kind to Little Miss.Of course I am,Martin said. Shes my masters beloved little sister.Were all gladyouve come to live here, you know, Nurse told him. Youvebeen so wonderful for both Young Sir and Little Miss.Henry was deeplyembarrassed by this assertion, though he certainly had no grounds toquestion its veracity.We should go,he blurted, giving Martins arm a tug.Oh, of course,Sir, Martin said agreeably.Nurse saw them tothe door and kissed them each on the cheek.They made their waydownstairs in a friendly silence. Henry took Martins hand for amoment, just a brief interlacing of their fingers, and Martin pulledaway immediately, as expected, but with an amused chuckle.Inside Henrysroom, Henry flopped on the bed, leaving his boots hanging over theside so that Martin could remove them for him. Well, I think thatpresent counts as a success, he said, feeling enormously pleased.Martin quicklyuntied Henrys boots and pulled them from his feet, and Henry swunghis legs up onto the bed.Id have toagree with you, Henry. She seems quite delighted.Shes so muchhappier than she would have been with another doll. You always knowwhat shell likebetter than I do, and certainly better thaneither of my parents.Maybe its justbecause I was around so many children before I came here. I dontthink I have any special talent with your sister. He took off hisown boots and got up on the bed beside Henry. I liked seeing yourmouse, Henry. Your Pinky.Henry flushed,bashful but pleased. Im glad Nurse saved him.
When I wasbrought downstairs, my father wanted me to leave all my toys up inthe nursery. I got different toys once I was down here, of course,but nothing soft. Manly toys. Nothing to keep me company while I wasfalling asleep. I guess my father thought things like that were forbabies.Oh, Henry.Martin put his hand on Henrys cheek. Poor little Henry. Is itbetter now? Now that you have me to keep you company?Henry laughed andput his arm around Martin, drawing him close. Youre certainlyan improvement on Pinky. He kissed Martins cheek, just in frontof his ear. What sorts of toys did you have at Ganymede when youwere little?Oh, well, wedidnt have toys of our own, or we werent supposed to,though we were all prone to making pets out of rocks, and thecleverer boys would make poppets out of grasses and straw. We hadtoys that we played with, but of course we had to share everything.Board games were always a disaster because we wouldnt have onemore than a day or two before pieces were lost and it would becomeunplayable. Chess and checkers were likewise disasters. Actually,playing games at Ganymede was a good exercise in coping withfrustration and disappointment.I know you hadbaseball, and bicycles, too. Were those any better?Again, we had toshare, of course. When I started riding a bicycle, I was quite short,but by the time I left I was one of the taller boys of any age. Irode a lot of different bicycles over the years, some in betterrepair than others.What aboutbaseball? Did you have to share gloves? This seemed less thanideal to Henry. A glove formed itself to the wearers hand, afterall.Martin grinned. Notreally. There werent that many other left-handed boys, so Iusually got to use the glove that I liked best. Everyone else,thoughthey were fighting over gloves every time we played.Did you have anykind of plush toys?Martin thought aboutit a moment. Hmm. Not really. There was an oilcloth clown thatsome of the others liked to play with when we were very small, butnot me. It was rather grubby, you see.So you didnthave any toys you could curl up with under the blankets? Nothing likePinky?Oh, no, nothinglike that. But we did have each other. We all shared beds our wholelives, of course, and the boys you shared with were your comfort.Who did you sharewith, then?Oh, differentboys at different times, Martin said dismissively. A lot ofdifferent boys over the years. Im very used to sharing a bed, andI prefer it to sleeping alone. Ive been so happy since youvelet me share your bed, Henry. I love being close to you. He leanedon Henry and pushed his face into Henrys neck. I love the smellof you. Im sorry I embarrassed you smelling your Pinky.Its allright, Henry assured him, though he blushed all over againthinking about it. Nurse would expect that youd know what Ismell like anyway.Dont you thinkthats why shes saved Pinky? Because he smells like you? Shedidnt want you to leave, after all. Youre precious to her.Henry had notthought of it in just this way, and was both touched and embarrassedby the notion.