They had a hundred things to complain of concerning the way in which the
plates were whisked off before they had even got the savour of the dish
in their nostrils; but when it came to singing "God save the King" they
roared and cheered and shouted and cheered again, and cried till the
tears ran down their faces. And now, among their possessions, there is
nothing of which they are more proud than the gorgeous card telling how
the King and Queen of England requested the favour of their society to a
banquet. It is splendid to see these two old sea-dogs in their kitchen
fingering that card and smiling over it with a pride not to be matched
in all the world outside.
* * * * *
I have never heard them complain. They are old friends of mine. I have
smoked many a pipe in their kitchen; but never yet did I hear murmur or
complaint from their lips. Never once. They are most beautifully happy.
They are radiant in their happiness. I do not believe there is a room in
the world in which laughter is more constant and more spontaneous than
in the little low-roofed black kitchen where the paralytic old pirate
and the blind old seaman smoke their pipes and chuckle over the things
they have done, the sights they have seen, and the storms they have
weathered.
Pages:
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412