Chapter I: Front Matter

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Produced by Annie McGuire. This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Internet Archive.

HALF-PAST BEDTIME

_By the Same Author_

THE CORNER OF HARLEY STREET
PITY THE POOR BLIND
VAGABONDS IN PERIGORD
SONGS OUT OF SCHOOL
THE PLAIN GIRL'S TALE

HALF-PAST BEDTIME

_BY_ H. H. BASHFORD

AUTHOR OF "THE CORNER OF HARLEY STREET" ETC.

_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR_

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY BOSTON, NEW YORK AND CHICAGO

TO JOE & ADA MAGGS AND THE CHILDREN THAT LOVE THEM

When Farmer Sun with rosy wink
Says good-bye all, and drives away,
When safe in fold the sheep-bells clink,
And hard-worked horses munch their hay,

When brown and blue eyes sleepy grow,
And Nurse downstairs clears up the crumbs,
When God pulls down His blind, and so
What people call the twilight comes,

Then lazy Moon lifts up her arm,
Shakes back her hair and smooths her beams,
And softly over field and farm
Scatters the milk-white seed of dreams.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. MR JUGG 13
II. GWENDOLEN 29
III. THE LITTLE ICE-MEN 45
IV. UNCLE JOE'S STORY 61
V. BEARDY NED 75
VI. THE MAGIC SONG 89
VII. THE IMAGINARY BOY 105
VIII. THE HILL THAT REMEMBERED 121
IX. ST UNCUS 137
X. OLD MOTHER HUBBARD 151
XI. MARIAN'S PARTY 167
XII. THE SORROWFUL PICTURE 183
XIII. THE MOON-BOY'S FRIEND 199
XIV. THE CHRISTMAS TREE 215

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
HALF-PAST BEDTIME _Frontispiece_
MARIAN AND MR JUGG 12
MONKEY ISLAND 28
CUTHBERT AND DORIS 44
BELLA AT EDEN 60
BEARDY NED'S FIRE 74
THE MAGIC SONG 88
THE HAUNTED WOOD 104
CAESAR'S CAMP 120
DORIS AND ST UNCUS 136
MOTHER HUBBARD'S 150
THE LITTLE TEMPLE 166
PORTO BLANCO 182
THE LAGOON 198
STILL TALKING 214

MR JUGG