"
"Poor Maisie!"
"Poor Dick, I think. Do you believe while he's fighting for what"s dearer than
his life he wants to look at a picture? And even if he did, and if all the
world did, and a thousand million people rose up and shouted hymns to my honour
and glory, would that make up to me for the knowledge that you were out
shopping in the Edgware Road on a rainy day without an umbrella? Now we'll go
to the station."
"But you said on the beach----" persisted Maisie, with a certain fear.
Dick groaned aloud: "Yes, I know what I said. My work is everything I have, or
am, or hope to be, to me, and I believe I've learnt the law that governs it;
but I've some lingering sense of fun left,--though you've nearly knocked it out
of me. I can just see that it isn't everything to all the world. Do what I say,
and not what I do."
Maisie was careful not to reopen debatable matters, and they returned to London
joyously. The terminus stopped Dick in the midst of an eloquent harangue on the
beauties of exercise. He would buy Maisie a horse,--such a horse as never yet
bowed head to bit,--would stable it, with a companion, some twenty miles from
London, and Maisie, solely for her health's sake should ride with him twice or
thrice a week.
Pages:
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973