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dream days-第7部分
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word or two to say upon the subject。
〃I suppose you call that thing a ship;〃 she remarked
contemptuously。 〃Who ever heard of a pink ship? Hoo…hoo!〃
I stifled my wrath; knowing that in order to score properly it
was necessary to keep a cool head。
〃There is a pink ship;〃 I observed with forced calmness; 〃lying
in the toy…shop window now。 You can go and look at it if you
like。 D'you suppose you know more about ships than the fellows
who make 'em?〃
Selina; baffled for the moment; returned to the charge presently。
〃Those are funny things; too;〃 she observed。 〃S'pose they're
meant to be trees。 But they're BLUE。〃
〃They ARE trees;〃 I replied with severity; 〃and they ARE
blue。 They've got to be blue; 'cos you stole my gamboge last
week; so I can't mix up any green。〃
〃DIDN'T steal your gamboge;〃 declared Selina; haughtily;
edging away; however; in the direction of Harold。 〃And I
wouldn't tell lies; either; if I was you; about a dirty little
bit of gamboge。〃
I preserved a discreet silence。 After all; I knew SHE knew
she stole my gamboge。
The moment Harold became conscious of Selina's stealthy approach;
he dropped his pencil and flung himself flat upon the table;
protecting thus his literary efforts from chilling criticism by
the interposed thickness of his person。 From somewhere in
his interior proceeded a heart rending compound of squeal and
whistle; as of escaping steam;long…drawn; ear piercing;
unvarying in note。
〃I only just want to see;〃 protested Selina; struggling to uproot
his small body from the scrawl it guarded。 But Harold clung
limpet…like to the table edge; and his shrill protest continued
to deafen humanity and to threaten even the serenities of
Olympus。 The time seemed come for a demonstration in force。
Personally I cared little what soul…outpourings of Harold were
pirated by Selinashe was pretty sure to get hold of them sooner
or laterand indeed I rather welcomed the diversion as
favourable to the undisturbed pursuit of Art。 But the
clannishness of sex has its unwritten laws。 Boys; as such; are
sufficiently put upon; maltreated; trodden under; as it is。
Should they fail to hang together in perilous times; what
disasters; what ignominies; may not be looked for? Possibly even
an extinction of the tribe。 I dropped my paint brush and sailed
shouting into the fray。
The result for a short space hung dubious。 There is a period of
life when the difference of a year or two in age far outweighs
the minor advantage of sex。 Then the gathers of Selina's frock
came away with a sound like the rattle of distant musketry; and
this calamity it was; rather than mere brute compulsion; that
quelled her indomitable spirit。
The female tongue is mightier than the sword; as I soon had good
reason to know; when Selina; her riven garment held out at
length; avenged her discomfiture with the Greek…fire of
personalities and abuse。 Every black incident in my short; but
not stainless; careerevery error; every folly; every penalty
ignobly sufferedwere paraded before me as in a magic…
lantern show。 The information; however; was not particularly new
to me; and the effect was staled by previous rehearsals。
Besides; a victory remains a victory; whatever the moral
character of the triumphant general。
Harold chuckled and crowed as he dropped from the table;
revealing the document over which so many gathers had sighed
their short lives out。 〃YOU can read it if you like;〃 he said
to me gratefully。 〃It's only a Death…letter。〃
It had never been possible to say what Harold's particular
amusement of the hour might turn out to be。 One thing only was
certain; that it would be something improbable; unguessable; not
to be foretold。 Who; for instance; in search of relaxation;
would ever dream of choosing the drawing…up of a testamentary
disposition of property? Yet this was the form taken by
Harold's latest craze; and in justice this much had to be said
for him; that in the christening of his amusement he had gone
right to the heart of the matter。 The words 〃will〃 and
〃testament〃 have various meanings and uses; but about the
signification of 〃death…letter〃 there can be no manner of doubt。
I smoothed out the crumpled paper and read。 In actual form it
deviated considerably from that usually adopted by family
solicitors of standing; the only resemblance; indeed; lying in
the absence of punctuation。
〃my dear edward (it ran) when I die I leave all my muny to you my
walkin sticks wips my crop my sord and gun bricks forts and all
things i have goodbye my dear charlotte when i die I leave you my
wach and cumpus and pencel case my salors and camperdown my
picteres and evthing goodbye your loving brother armen my dear
Martha I love you very much i leave you my garden my mice and
rabets my plants in pots when I die please take care of them my
dear〃 Coetera desunt。
〃Why; you're not leaving me anything!〃 exclaimed Selina;
indignantly。 〃You're a regular mean little boy; and I'll take
back the last birthday present I gave you!〃
〃I don't care;〃 said Harold; repossessing himself of the
document。 〃I was going to leave you something; but I sha'n't
now; 'cos you tried to read my death…letter before I was dead!〃
〃Then I'll write a death…letter myself;〃 retorted Selina;
scenting an artistic vengeance: 〃and I sha'n't leave you a single
thing!〃 And she went off in search of a pencil。
The tempest within…doors had kept my attention off the condition
of things without。 But now a glance through the window told me
that the rain had entirely ceased; and that everything was
bathed instead in a radiant glow of sunlight; more golden than
any gamboge of mine could possibly depict。 Leaving Selina and
Harold to settle their feud by a mutual disinheritance; I slipped
from the room and escaped into the open air; eager to pick up the
loose end of my new friendship just where I had dropped it that
morning。 In the glorious reaction of the sunshine after the
downpour; with its moist warm smells; bespanglement of greenery;
and inspiriting touch of rain…washed air; the parks and palaces
of the imagination glowed with a livelier iris; and their blurred
beauties shone out again with fresh blush and palpitation。 As I
sped along to the tryst; again I accompanied my new comrade along
the corridors of my pet palace into which I had so hastily
introduced her; and on reflection I began to see that it wouldn't
work properly。 I had made a mistake; and those were not the
surroundings in which she was most fitted to shine。 However; it
really did not matter much; I had other palaces to place at her
disposalplenty of 'em; and on a further acquaintance with and
knowledge of her tastes; no doubt I could find something to suit
her。
There was a real Arabian one; for instance; which I visited but
rarelyonly just when I was in the fine Oriental mood for it; a
wonder of silk hangings; fountains of rosewater; pavilions; and
minarets。 Hundreds of silent; well…trained slaves thronged the
stairs and alleys of this establishment; ready to fetch and carry
for her all day; if she wished it; and my brave soldiers would be
spared the indignity。 Also there were processions through the
bazaar at odd momentsprocessions with camels; elephants; and
palanquins。 Yes; she was more suited for the East; this
imperious young person; and I determined that thither she should
be personally conducted as soon as ever might be。
I reached the fence and climbed up two bars of it; and leaning
over I looked this way and that for my twin…souled partner of the
morning。 It was not long before I caught sight of her; only a
short distance away。 Her back was towards me andwell; one can
never foresee exactly how one will find thingsshe was talking
to a Boy。
Of course there are boys and boys; and Lord knows I was never
narrow。 But this was the parson's son from an adjoining village;
a red…headed boy and as common a little beast as ever stepped。
He cultivated ferretshis only good point; and it was evidently
through the medium of this art that he was basely supplanting me;
for her head was bent absorbedly over something he carried in his
hands。 With some trepidation I called out; 〃Hi!〃 But answer
there was none。 Then again I called; 〃Hi!〃 but this time with a
sickening sense of failure and of doom。 She replied only by a
complex gesture; decisive in import if not easily described。 A
petulant toss of the head; a jerk of the left shoulder; and a
backward kick of the left foot; all delivered at oncethat was
all; and that was enough。 The red…headed boy never even
condescended to glance my way。 Why; indeed; should he? I
dropped from the fence without another effort; and took my way
homewards along the weary road。
Little inclination was left to me; at first; for any solitary
visit to my accust
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