Great Expectations

"Gracious me, Flopson!" said Mrs. Pocket, looking off her book for a

moment, "everybody's tumbling!"

"Gracious you, indeed, Mum!" returned Flopson, very red in the face;

"what have you got there?"

"I got here, Flopson?" asked Mrs. Pocket.

"Why, if it ain't your footstool!" cried Flopson. "And if you keep it

under your skirts like that, who's to help tumbling? Here! Take the

baby, Mum, and give me your book."

Mrs. Pocket acted on the advice, and inexpertly danced the infant a

little in her lap, while the other children played about it. This had

lasted but a very short time, when Mrs. Pocket issued summary orders

that they were all to be taken into the house for a nap. Thus I made the

second discovery on that first occasion, that the nurture of the little

Pockets consisted of alternately tumbling up and lying down.

Under these circumstances, when Flopson and Millers had got the children

into the house, like a little flock of sheep, and Mr. Pocket came out

of it to make my acquaintance, I was not much surprised to find that Mr.

Pocket was a gentleman with a rather perplexed expression of face, and

with his very gray hair disordered on his head, as if he didn't quite

see his way to putting anything straight.