The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wouldbegoods, by E. Nesbit

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Wouldbegoods

Author: E. Nesbit

Illustrator: Reginald B. Birch

Release Date: May 21, 2010 [EBook #32466]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WOULDBEGOODS ***

Produced by Suzanne Shell, Josephine Paolucci and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
(This file was produced from images generously made
available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

THE WOULDBEGOODS

[Illustration:

See p. 47

"'AND PATRIOTIC,' SAID HE"]

_THE WOULDBEGOODS_

BY E. NESBIT

ILLUSTRATED BY

REGINALD B. BIRCH

[Illustration]

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK AND LONDON

Copyright, 1900, 1901, by EDITH NESBIT BLAND.

_All rights reserved._

September, 1901.

TO

MY DEAR SON

FABIAN BLAND

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE JUNGLE 1

THE WOULDBEGOODS 20

BILL'S TOMBSTONE 43

THE TOWER OF MYSTERY 63

THE WATER-WORKS 86

THE CIRCUS 111

BEING BEAVERS; OR, THE YOUNG EXPLORERS (ARCTIC OR OTHERWISE) 135

THE HIGH-BORN BABE 159

HUNTING THE FOX 178

THE SALE OF ANTIQUITIES 201

THE BENEVOLENT BAR 224

THE CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 243

THE DRAGON'S TEETH; OR, ARMY-SEED 267

ALBERT'S UNCLE'S GRANDMOTHER; OR, THE LONG-LOST 292

ILLUSTRATIONS

"'AND PATRIOTIC,' SAID HE" _Frontispiece_

"WE LET THE HOSE PLAY PERSEVERINGLY" _Facing p._ 16

"'LITTLE BEASTS!' SAID DICK" " 30

"DENNY HE