His eyes glared like two globes of
green fire, and he began to knock against the furniture. Few men can
wait helplessly and come out of it with credit. Every time Captain
John hit himself against the furniture Captain Jemmy cursed him.
Tie up in silk your careless hair;
Soft Peace is come again!
--Sang the little man, in a rasping voice. "Your careless hair," he
hiccoughed; "your careless hair, Meg!"
Then he sat down on the floor and laughed to himself softly, rocking
his distorted body to and fro.
"Bah!" said his friend, without looking round. "You're drunk."
And he poured out more burgundy. He was outrageously drunk himself,
but it only affected his temper, not his wits.
"Meg," he said, "will live. What's more, she'll live to marry me."
"She won't. She'll die. Hist! there's a star falling outside."
He picked himself up and crawled upon the window-seat, clutching at
the red curtains to keep his footing.
"Jemmy, she'll die! What was it that old fool said to-day?
The door's closing on us both. To think of our marching up, just
now, with those two letters; and the very sun in heaven cracking his
cheeks with laughter at us--us two poor scarecrows making love thirty
years after the time!"
His wry head dropped forward on his chest.
Pages:
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32