6 THE CHILDREN’S SHAKESPEARE.

In truth it was not easy to arrange the story simply. Even with
the recollection of Lamb’s tales to help me I found it hard to tell the
“Midsummer Night’s Dream” in words that these little ones could
understand. But presently I began the tale, and then the words came
fast enough. When the story was ended, Iris drew a long breath.

“Tt is a lovely story,” she said ; “but it doesn’t look at all like that
in the book.”

“Tt is only put differently,” I answered. “You will understand
when you grow up that the stories are the least part of Shakespeare.”

“ But it’s the stories we like,” said Rosamund.

“You see he did not write for children.”

“No, but you might,” cried Iris, flushed with a sudden idea.
“Why don’t you write the stories for'us so that we can understand
them, just as you told us that, and then, when we are grown up, we
shall understand the plays so much better. Do! do!”

‘Ah, do! You will, won’t you? You must!”

“Oh, well, if I must, I must,” I said.

And so they settled it for me, and for them these tales were written.