Chapter four The next lesson the children were going to teach Elise was to say "Please" and "Thank you."
After several meals with her, they were beginning to notice that Elise said neither "please" nor "thank you"; it was "Give me this" or "I want that!" Lucy was reminded of a story their mother used to tell them about the little pleases and thank yous that lived in people's mouths; if you didn't let them out they'd shrivel up and die.
"I highly doubt a little please lives in peoples mouths," Susan said.
"Still," Peter said thoughtfully, "Elise could stand to learn a few manners."
They were going to start the lesson at lunch. The minute they sat down, and Ivy had brought in the food and had left Elise demanded in her cross little voice,"I want the peas!"
No one made any movement but continued eating; since the professor was busy in his study, they were eating alone.
Elise clenched her teeth.
"Did you hear me? I said I want the peas!" she said fiercely.
"There's no need to shout," Susan said quite calmly, "we heard you quite well."
Elise pursed her lips.
"I want the peas now! now! now!" she screamed.
"You might say please," Edmund suggested helpfully.
Elise stared at them.
"Why should I? I never say please!"
She crossed her arms and sat back, and the look on her face could curdle a glass of milk.
"You're all awful!" she cried passionately.
Lucy felt bad and reached for the bowl of peas, but Peter stopped her with a look.
"She needs to learn manners, Lu," he explained.
"I shall starve to death and none of you care! You don't ! You don't! " Elise wept bitterly.
"First of all, you won't starve to death," Edmund said dryly. "Second, if you'd say 'Please pass the peas' you'd have them."
Elise glared at them.
"You're awful beasts! All of you !"
They ignored her.
If Elise had been a different sort of girl, a polite child, they would have felt bad when she said this - but since she was only a rude, bad-tempered sort of little girl they couldn't care less.
Elise watched as the best parts of the lunch was eaten by the four children. Then because she was growing hungrier by the minute she said in a meek little voice, "P-please, pass the peas down here."
Surprised, they all looked up and Lucy passed not only the peas but the other bowls down toward Elise In the kitchen downstairs, Ivy, Betty, and Margaret were talking about the strange turn of events that were taking place.
"You will never believe it," Betty said rolling up her sleeves to wash the dishes she had just cleared off the children's lunch table, "But that little girl actually said please sure as rain, just as polite as you please, like she was an ordinary child instead of spoiled petted little puss."
Ivy took up a towel and began polishing the silver.
"It's them younguns who are teaching her, eh! They're a good lot - a bit odd, but still good. Them younguns would be at home in a palace with the king and queen."
Margaret nodded firmly.
"They tell her the truth, that's for certain. None of them cater to her whims. I never did abide with a spoiled child - what with a war on, children must grow up quicker."
They continued to clean and talk.
If the servants were surprised by Elise's steadily changing behaviour, then Mrs. Macready was in shock. She had laid down the rules of the house to all the children and though they had one incident with a broken window, at least the four children who had come earlier abided by the rules. Even the youngest child never shouted or yelled, but the little girl that had just come threw tantrums almost every hour.
Mrs. Macready could tell this was the sort of child who had been spoiled and she had gotten up to go in the parlour and scold the girl, but when she had gotten there she was met by a sight that surprised her.
Instead of coaxing or pleading with Elise to stop or giving her what she wanted, all four children were ignoring her. And when the youngest girl called the other girl spoiled, Mrs.Macready was glad because she had a feeling this was what the girl needed to hear.
She told her employer about it, and he nodded and smiled in a mysterious way.
"Out of the mouth of babes. That child should been have told the truth a long time ago. Perhaps it is good that she came here, for the Pevensie children might be able to teach Elise a few well-needed lessons."
A/N: There really is a story about a little "Please" and "Thank you" that live in people's mouths. I think it was written around the 1900s; it's in a book called "The Book of Virtues." Good story, too.