Maisie said nothing, but
encouraged Dick with her eyes, and he behaved abominably all that
evening.
encouraged Dick with her eyes, and he behaved abominably all that
evening.
Kipling - Poems
I wish, though, that I had somebody that belonged to me,--just a
father or a mother. "
"You belong to me," said Dick, "for ever and ever. "
"Yes, we belong--for ever. It's very nice. " She squeezed his arm. The
kindly darkness hid them both, and, emboldened because he could only
just see the profile of Maisie's cheek with the long lashes veiling the
gray eyes, Dick at the front door delivered himself of the words he had
been boggling over for the last two hours.
"And I--love you, Maisie," he said, in a whisper that seemed to him to
ring across the world,--the world that he would tomorrow or the next day
set out to conquer.
There was a scene, not, for the sake of discipline, to be reported,
when Mrs. Jennett would have fallen upon him, first for disgraceful
unpunctuality, and secondly for nearly killing himself with a forbidden
weapon.
"I was playing with it, and it went off by itself," said Dick, when the
powder-pocked cheek could no longer be hidden, "but if you think you're
going to lick me you're wrong. You are never going to touch me again.
Sit down and give me my tea. You can't cheat us out of that, anyhow. "
Mrs. Jennett gasped and became livid.
Maisie said nothing, but
encouraged Dick with her eyes, and he behaved abominably all that
evening. Mrs. Jennett prophesied an immediate judgment of Providence and
a descent into Tophet later, but Dick walked in Paradise and would not
hear. Only when he was going to bed Mrs. Jennett recovered and asserted
herself. He had bidden Maisie good night with down-dropped eyes and from
a distance.
"If you aren't a gentleman you might try to behave like one," said Mrs.
Jennett, spitefully. "You've been quarrelling with Maisie again. "
This meant that the usual good-night kiss had been omitted. Maisie,
white to the lips, thrust her cheek forward with a fine air of
indifference, and was duly pecked by Dick, who tramped out of the room
red as fire. That night he dreamed a wild dream. He had won all the
world and brought it to Maisie in a cartridge-box, but she turned it
over with her foot, and, instead of saying "Thank you," cried--"Where is
the grass collar you promised for Amomma? Oh, how selfish you are! "
CHAPTER II
Then we brought the lances down, then the bugles blew,
When we went to Kandahar, ridin' two an" two,
Ridin', ridin', ridin', two an" two,
Ta-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra,
All the way to Kandahar, ridin' two an" two.
--Barrack-Room Ballad.
father or a mother. "
"You belong to me," said Dick, "for ever and ever. "
"Yes, we belong--for ever. It's very nice. " She squeezed his arm. The
kindly darkness hid them both, and, emboldened because he could only
just see the profile of Maisie's cheek with the long lashes veiling the
gray eyes, Dick at the front door delivered himself of the words he had
been boggling over for the last two hours.
"And I--love you, Maisie," he said, in a whisper that seemed to him to
ring across the world,--the world that he would tomorrow or the next day
set out to conquer.
There was a scene, not, for the sake of discipline, to be reported,
when Mrs. Jennett would have fallen upon him, first for disgraceful
unpunctuality, and secondly for nearly killing himself with a forbidden
weapon.
"I was playing with it, and it went off by itself," said Dick, when the
powder-pocked cheek could no longer be hidden, "but if you think you're
going to lick me you're wrong. You are never going to touch me again.
Sit down and give me my tea. You can't cheat us out of that, anyhow. "
Mrs. Jennett gasped and became livid.
Maisie said nothing, but
encouraged Dick with her eyes, and he behaved abominably all that
evening. Mrs. Jennett prophesied an immediate judgment of Providence and
a descent into Tophet later, but Dick walked in Paradise and would not
hear. Only when he was going to bed Mrs. Jennett recovered and asserted
herself. He had bidden Maisie good night with down-dropped eyes and from
a distance.
"If you aren't a gentleman you might try to behave like one," said Mrs.
Jennett, spitefully. "You've been quarrelling with Maisie again. "
This meant that the usual good-night kiss had been omitted. Maisie,
white to the lips, thrust her cheek forward with a fine air of
indifference, and was duly pecked by Dick, who tramped out of the room
red as fire. That night he dreamed a wild dream. He had won all the
world and brought it to Maisie in a cartridge-box, but she turned it
over with her foot, and, instead of saying "Thank you," cried--"Where is
the grass collar you promised for Amomma? Oh, how selfish you are! "
CHAPTER II
Then we brought the lances down, then the bugles blew,
When we went to Kandahar, ridin' two an" two,
Ridin', ridin', ridin', two an" two,
Ta-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra,
All the way to Kandahar, ridin' two an" two.
--Barrack-Room Ballad.
