And all night long , in the starlight pale , We sail away , with a pea-green sail , And whistle and warble a moony song To the echoing sound of a coppery gong . Far and few , far and few Are the lands where the Jumblies live ; Their heads are green , and their hands are blue , And they went to sea in a sieve . '' Chapter 8 -- And what came of it `` Uncle , could you lend me a ninepence ? I 'll return it as soon as I get my pocket-money , '' said Rose , coming into the library in a great hurry that evening . `` I think I could , and I wo n't charge any interest for it , so you need not be in any hurry to repay me . Come back here and help me settle these books if you have nothing pleasanter to do , '' answered Dr. Alec , handing out the money with that readiness which is so delightful when we ask small loans . `` I 'll come in a minute ; I 've been longing to fix my books , but did n't dare to touch them , because you always shake your head when I read . '' `` I shall shake my head when you write , if you do n't do it better than you did in making out this catalogue . '' `` I know it 's bad , but I was in a hurry when I did it , and I am in one now . '' And away went Rose , glad to escape a lecture . But she got it when she came back , for Uncle Alec was still knitting his brows over the list of books , and sternly demanded , pointing to a tipsy-looking title staggering down the page , `` Is that meant for ` Pulverized Bones , ' ma'am ? '' `` No , sir ; it 's ` Paradise Lost . ' '' `` Well , I 'm glad to know it , for I began to think you were planning to study surgery or farming . And what is this , if you please ? ` Babies ' Aprons ' is all I can make of it . '' Rose looked hard at the scrawl , and presently announced , with an air of superior wisdom , `` Oh , that 's ` Bacon 's Essays . ' '' `` Miss Power did not teach anything so old-fashioned as writing , I see . Now look at this memorandum Aunt Plenty gave me , and see what a handsome plain hand that is . She went to a dame-school and learnt a few useful things well ; that is better than a smattering of half a dozen so-called higher branches , I take the liberty of thinking . '' `` Well , I 'm sure I was considered a bright girl at school , and learned everything I was taught .
Luly and me were the first in all our classes , and ` specially praised for our French and music and those sort of things , '' said XXXXX , rather offended at Uncle Alec 's criticism .
Alec Jumblies Rose dame-school escape gong minute night ninepence smattering