October 29, 2025 • 8 mins
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Don't forget to give Teresa the pound for Mamma, said
Mabel as she kissed her cousin Eleanor one afternoon, when
saying good bye, I must be quick, it's getting quite dark,
and I was to be home early. Come along, Fred.
You're sure you've got the pound, are you, Nelly asked
Fred mischievously. Mamma told Mabel about it ever so many times.
(00:24):
She's so famous at remembering things herself. I like hearing
her tell you not forget, Eleanor put her hand into
your pocket. I think I've got it, she said. I
remember it was wrapped in a piece of blue paper,
wasn't it. You gave it to me just before we
sat down to play Org. Yet, and I was to
(00:44):
say it was for aunt's subscription too, too, Oh dear,
I've forgotten. And she stood there in the hall where
she had come down to say the last of her visitors,
looking the picture of perplexity. Oh you silly girl, said
Mabel impatiently. It is Mama's subscription to Teresa's Christmas dinner's
card there, now, don't you remember? You are so dreadfully
(01:06):
absent Eleanor. I remember now, Oh, yes, of course, I
won't forget again, said the girl, little girl one could
scarcely call her, for though she was only thirteen, she
was as tall as her elder sister of eighteen. Good
Night again, Mabel. I must be quick, for I have
to write to Charley before dinner. You know i'd dine
(01:26):
late just now during the holidays, she said proudly. But
the pound, the pound itself, have you got it, repeated
Fred Again, went Eleanor's hand to your pocket. Oh, dear,
I forgot. I was feeling for the pound, she exclaimed. Yes,
here it is. I'll give it to Teresa quite rightly,
you'll see. Eleanor hurried away to write her letter to Charlie,
(01:47):
for tomorrow would be Indian meal day, and she had
put it off too late the week before. Now I
must give the pound to Teresa at once, she said, again,
depositing it in her pocket. When she changed her dress
for dinner, something or other put it out of her
head in the drawing room. Poor Eleanor's head was not
a very secure place to keep anything in, for wrong.
(02:10):
It was not till she and her mother and Teresa
and her seventeen years old brother Mark were at table
and halfway through dinner that the unlucky coin again returned
into her memory. No, thanks to her memory that it
did so. It was only when she pulled out her
handkerchief that the little paper packet came out with it
and fell onto the floor. Oh, said Eleanor, as she
(02:33):
stopped to pick it up. What a good thing, I've
remembered it. Here, Teresa, here's a pound for you from
Auntie for your for the Oh what is it your
subscription for Christmas cards? No? I mean your subscription card
for Christmas dinners. Yes, that's what it's for, all right,
said Teresa quietly. I understand, but I wish you had
(02:54):
given it me upstairs, Nelly, I haven't got a pocket
in this thin skirt. Never mind, and she unwrapped it
as she spoke and placed it on the table beside her.
There now, she said, I can't forget it. It is
too conspicuous on the white cloth. The sisters were sitting
next to each other. That is to say, Teresa was
(03:16):
at one end, with Mark opposite, and their mother and
Eleanor were at the side. The table was small, though
large enough for a party of four. Not long was
the gold coin allowed to rest peacefully where Teresa had
placed it. Eleanor's fingers soon picked it up. First, she
examined it curiously by the light of the candle beside her. Then,
(03:37):
when she had satisfied herself as to its state and
some other particulars, she took to spinning it on the table.
This was not very successful. To spin a coin well
requires a hard surface for it to twirl on. Eleanor
tried once or twice, then ended by spinning the sovereign
on to the floor. Diying, She ducked to pick it
(03:58):
up again, thereby attracting her mother's notice. Nellie, my dear,
what are you stepping down so awkwardly? For? She said, Oh,
said Teresa, it is all that pound. Do leave it alone, child,
or it will be getting lost altogether. And she took
it out of her sister's hand and put it under
her wineglass. There she said, don't touch it again, and
(04:21):
for a course or to the pound was safe. But
Teresa forgot that wineglasses are not a fixture. After a while,
the table was cleared of them and the crumbs brushed away.
For dessert, the shining sovereign was again exposed to full view.
Mother Teresa and Mark were talking busily about something interesting.
(04:41):
Eleanor's ears were half listening, but her restless fingers were unoccupied.
They seized on the coin again, and a new series
of experiments with it was the result, even though she
herself was but vaguely conscious what she was about. At last,
just as she found a new trick which ambushed the
(05:01):
babyish side of her brain greatly, came a remark which
thoroughly caught her attention. The day after tomorrow, Nelly, don't forget,
said Teresa. I'm going to have the Leonards at afternoon tea.
And the talk ran upon the Leonards till they rose
to go upstairs to the drawing room. Then came the
exclamation from Teresa, my pine, Nellie, have you touched it?
(05:23):
I put it under my wineglass, but of course I forgot.
The wine glasses were changed. Henry to the fopman, didn't
you see it when you moved the glasses? It was there?
Henry grew red and stared, Yes, ma'am, it was there.
I saw it. I left it on the cloth. Eleanor
stared too, though she did not grow red. Yes, she said,
(05:44):
it was there. I took it up again, but I'm
sure I did nothing with it. Nevertheless, a diving process
into our pocket ensued in vain. Then she got up
and shook herself. Then everybody began creeping and crawling about
on the floor in vain. Then Mark got down a
candle under the table, thereby, as it was in a
high silver candlestick, nearly setting everything on fire. Then then
(06:09):
I need not describe the well known and most disagreeable
experience of hunting for a lost object, which, of course,
ere it comes to light, we seek in every corner,
but the right on the whole. Per Henry had the
worst of it. He was told to examine my tray
and to overhaul my puntry from top to bottom, which
(06:31):
he did with no result. I think he would gladly
have gone down the drain pipe leading for my sink
if he could have got into it. It is an
uncomfortable affair, said Nellie's mother gravely. You see the young
man has so newly come. But mother, I am sure
I saw it. After the dessert was on the table
(06:52):
and the servants out of the rooms, said Eleanor eagerly. Then,
my dear word, is it. You can fancy what an
unsettled spoiled evening it was. The ladies went upstairs at last,
but Mark would not give in. He stayed in the
dining room by himself, searching like a detective. Suddenly there
came a shout of triumph. I have found it, he
called up stairs. It is all right, Nellie. So it was?
(07:15):
And where do you think it was? I will help
you to guess by telling you one circumstance that there
had been not such dessert? Well what of that? The
salt cellars had been left on the table and buried
in one of them, shining yellow and bright in the
white powder lay the coin. Was it not clever of
Mark to have thought of it? Oh? Yes, said Eleanor,
looking uncommonly ashamed of herself. I remember I pressed it
(07:38):
down on to the salt, and then I covered it up.
It looks so comfortable. Oh I am so sorry. See
what comes of letting your fingers get into the way
of tricks and letting your wits go wool gathering. But
poor Henry's character was saved and of a queer hiding
place by missus Mary Louisa Molesworth.
Don't forget to give Teresa the pound for Mamma, said
Mabel as she kissed her cousin Eleanor one afternoon, when
saying good bye, I must be quick, it's getting quite dark,
and I was to be home early. Come along, Fred.
You're sure you've got the pound, are you, Nelly asked
Fred mischievously. Mamma told Mabel about it ever so many times.
(00:24):
She's so famous at remembering things herself. I like hearing
her tell you not forget, Eleanor put her hand into
your pocket. I think I've got it, she said. I
remember it was wrapped in a piece of blue paper,
wasn't it. You gave it to me just before we
sat down to play Org. Yet, and I was to
(00:44):
say it was for aunt's subscription too, too, Oh dear,
I've forgotten. And she stood there in the hall where
she had come down to say the last of her visitors,
looking the picture of perplexity. Oh you silly girl, said
Mabel impatiently. It is Mama's subscription to Teresa's Christmas dinner's
card there, now, don't you remember? You are so dreadfully
(01:06):
absent Eleanor. I remember now, Oh, yes, of course, I
won't forget again, said the girl, little girl one could
scarcely call her, for though she was only thirteen, she
was as tall as her elder sister of eighteen. Good
Night again, Mabel. I must be quick, for I have
to write to Charley before dinner. You know i'd dine
(01:26):
late just now during the holidays, she said proudly. But
the pound, the pound itself, have you got it, repeated
Fred Again, went Eleanor's hand to your pocket. Oh, dear,
I forgot. I was feeling for the pound, she exclaimed. Yes,
here it is. I'll give it to Teresa quite rightly,
you'll see. Eleanor hurried away to write her letter to Charlie,
(01:47):
for tomorrow would be Indian meal day, and she had
put it off too late the week before. Now I
must give the pound to Teresa at once, she said, again,
depositing it in her pocket. When she changed her dress
for dinner, something or other put it out of her
head in the drawing room. Poor Eleanor's head was not
a very secure place to keep anything in, for wrong.
(02:10):
It was not till she and her mother and Teresa
and her seventeen years old brother Mark were at table
and halfway through dinner that the unlucky coin again returned
into her memory. No, thanks to her memory that it
did so. It was only when she pulled out her
handkerchief that the little paper packet came out with it
and fell onto the floor. Oh, said Eleanor, as she
(02:33):
stopped to pick it up. What a good thing, I've
remembered it. Here, Teresa, here's a pound for you from
Auntie for your for the Oh what is it your
subscription for Christmas cards? No? I mean your subscription card
for Christmas dinners. Yes, that's what it's for, all right,
said Teresa quietly. I understand, but I wish you had
(02:54):
given it me upstairs, Nelly, I haven't got a pocket
in this thin skirt. Never mind, and she unwrapped it
as she spoke and placed it on the table beside her.
There now, she said, I can't forget it. It is
too conspicuous on the white cloth. The sisters were sitting
next to each other. That is to say, Teresa was
(03:16):
at one end, with Mark opposite, and their mother and
Eleanor were at the side. The table was small, though
large enough for a party of four. Not long was
the gold coin allowed to rest peacefully where Teresa had
placed it. Eleanor's fingers soon picked it up. First, she
examined it curiously by the light of the candle beside her. Then,
(03:37):
when she had satisfied herself as to its state and
some other particulars, she took to spinning it on the table.
This was not very successful. To spin a coin well
requires a hard surface for it to twirl on. Eleanor
tried once or twice, then ended by spinning the sovereign
on to the floor. Diying, She ducked to pick it
(03:58):
up again, thereby attracting her mother's notice. Nellie, my dear,
what are you stepping down so awkwardly? For? She said, Oh,
said Teresa, it is all that pound. Do leave it alone, child,
or it will be getting lost altogether. And she took
it out of her sister's hand and put it under
her wineglass. There she said, don't touch it again, and
(04:21):
for a course or to the pound was safe. But
Teresa forgot that wineglasses are not a fixture. After a while,
the table was cleared of them and the crumbs brushed away.
For dessert, the shining sovereign was again exposed to full view.
Mother Teresa and Mark were talking busily about something interesting.
(04:41):
Eleanor's ears were half listening, but her restless fingers were unoccupied.
They seized on the coin again, and a new series
of experiments with it was the result, even though she
herself was but vaguely conscious what she was about. At last,
just as she found a new trick which ambushed the
(05:01):
babyish side of her brain greatly, came a remark which
thoroughly caught her attention. The day after tomorrow, Nelly, don't forget,
said Teresa. I'm going to have the Leonards at afternoon tea.
And the talk ran upon the Leonards till they rose
to go upstairs to the drawing room. Then came the
exclamation from Teresa, my pine, Nellie, have you touched it?
(05:23):
I put it under my wineglass, but of course I forgot.
The wine glasses were changed. Henry to the fopman, didn't
you see it when you moved the glasses? It was there?
Henry grew red and stared, Yes, ma'am, it was there.
I saw it. I left it on the cloth. Eleanor
stared too, though she did not grow red. Yes, she said,
(05:44):
it was there. I took it up again, but I'm
sure I did nothing with it. Nevertheless, a diving process
into our pocket ensued in vain. Then she got up
and shook herself. Then everybody began creeping and crawling about
on the floor in vain. Then Mark got down a
candle under the table, thereby, as it was in a
high silver candlestick, nearly setting everything on fire. Then then
(06:09):
I need not describe the well known and most disagreeable
experience of hunting for a lost object, which, of course,
ere it comes to light, we seek in every corner,
but the right on the whole. Per Henry had the
worst of it. He was told to examine my tray
and to overhaul my puntry from top to bottom, which
(06:31):
he did with no result. I think he would gladly
have gone down the drain pipe leading for my sink
if he could have got into it. It is an
uncomfortable affair, said Nellie's mother gravely. You see the young
man has so newly come. But mother, I am sure
I saw it. After the dessert was on the table
(06:52):
and the servants out of the rooms, said Eleanor eagerly. Then,
my dear word, is it. You can fancy what an
unsettled spoiled evening it was. The ladies went upstairs at last,
but Mark would not give in. He stayed in the
dining room by himself, searching like a detective. Suddenly there
came a shout of triumph. I have found it, he
called up stairs. It is all right, Nellie. So it was?
(07:15):
And where do you think it was? I will help
you to guess by telling you one circumstance that there
had been not such dessert? Well what of that? The
salt cellars had been left on the table and buried
in one of them, shining yellow and bright in the
white powder lay the coin. Was it not clever of
Mark to have thought of it? Oh? Yes, said Eleanor,
looking uncommonly ashamed of herself. I remember I pressed it
(07:38):
down on to the salt, and then I covered it up.
It looks so comfortable. Oh I am so sorry. See
what comes of letting your fingers get into the way
of tricks and letting your wits go wool gathering. But
poor Henry's character was saved and of a queer hiding
place by missus Mary Louisa Molesworth.
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