The barbarous babes

A collection of comic childhood memoirs narrated by ten-year-old Molly, who recounts mischievous episodes of rough play with her brother Humphrey and younger siblings, encounters with a strict governess, church outings, and small domestic dramas. Each vignette pairs imaginative tortures, pranks, and accidental bravado with moments of discomfort and contrition, while domestic detail and sibling rivalry create recurring themes. The voice blends wry observation and naïve earnestness, alternating lively scene-making with gentle reflections on conscience, duty, and the awkward lessons of growing up.