"What is it supposed to mean in
English?
Kipling - Poems
"
"Not in the least. Did you make up anything else? "
"Yes, but it's nonsense. " Charlie flushed a little.
"Never mind; let's hear about it. "
"Well, I was thinking over the story, and after awhile I got out of bed
and wrote down on a piece of paper the sort of stuff the men might be
supposed to scratch on their oars with the edges of their handcuffs. It
seemed to make the thing more lifelike. It is so real to me, y'know. "
"Have you the paper on you? "
"Ye-es, but what's the use of showing it? It's only a lot of scratches.
All the same, we might have 'em reproduced in the book on the front
page. "
"I'll attend to those details. Show me what your men wrote. "
He pulled out of his pocket a sheet of note-paper, with a single line of
scratches upon it, and I put this carefully away.
"What is it supposed to mean in English? " I said.
"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps it means 'I'm beastly tired. ' It's great
nonsense," he repeated, "but all those men in the ship seem as real
people to me. Do do something to the notion soon; I should like to see
it written and printed. "
"But all you've told me would make a long book. "
"Make it then. You've only to sit down and write it out. "
"Give me a little time. Have you any more notions? "
"Not just now. I'm reading all the books I've bought. They're splendid. "
When he had left I looked at the sheet of note-paper with the
inscription upon it. Then I took my head tenderly between both hands, to
make certain that it was not coming off or turning round.
"Not in the least. Did you make up anything else? "
"Yes, but it's nonsense. " Charlie flushed a little.
"Never mind; let's hear about it. "
"Well, I was thinking over the story, and after awhile I got out of bed
and wrote down on a piece of paper the sort of stuff the men might be
supposed to scratch on their oars with the edges of their handcuffs. It
seemed to make the thing more lifelike. It is so real to me, y'know. "
"Have you the paper on you? "
"Ye-es, but what's the use of showing it? It's only a lot of scratches.
All the same, we might have 'em reproduced in the book on the front
page. "
"I'll attend to those details. Show me what your men wrote. "
He pulled out of his pocket a sheet of note-paper, with a single line of
scratches upon it, and I put this carefully away.
"What is it supposed to mean in English? " I said.
"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps it means 'I'm beastly tired. ' It's great
nonsense," he repeated, "but all those men in the ship seem as real
people to me. Do do something to the notion soon; I should like to see
it written and printed. "
"But all you've told me would make a long book. "
"Make it then. You've only to sit down and write it out. "
"Give me a little time. Have you any more notions? "
"Not just now. I'm reading all the books I've bought. They're splendid. "
When he had left I looked at the sheet of note-paper with the
inscription upon it. Then I took my head tenderly between both hands, to
make certain that it was not coming off or turning round.
