"The fact is," I said, speaking slowly, so as to emphasise the
fact that I was a gentleman, "I am an American; to-day is our
national holiday; and we make it everywhere our practice to
celebrate it with fireworks. I would have done so in the road, but
the island seemed so crowded this morning I couldn't find an
undisturbed place outside the park."
Beauty was obviously mollified by my tone and respectful address.
"Please leave the park directly," she said.
I put the crackers in my pocket, took up my hat, placed the Haetna
Volcano under my arm, and stood there, ready to go.
"Accept my apologies," I said. "Whatever my fault, at least no
discourtesy was intended."
We looked at each other, and Beauty's face relaxed into something
like a smile.
"Just give me one more minute for my volcano," I pleaded.
"You seem very polite," she returned. "Yes, you can set it off, if
that will be any satisfaction to you."
"It'll be a whole lot," I said, "and since you're so kind perhaps
you'll let me include the crackers as well?"
Then she began to laugh, and the sweetest thing about it was that
she didn't want to laugh a bit and blushed the most lovely pink,
as she broke out again and again until the woods fairly rang. And
as I laughed too--for really it was most absurd--it was as good as
a scene in a play. And so, while she held Legree's dog, whom the
sound inflamed to frenzy, I popped off the crackers and dropped my
cigar into Vesuvius.
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