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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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