But he was bidden irritably "go and play," and saw he would
have to find fresh means of appeasement.
He wandered into the study, with vague thoughts of tidying
the tidy bookshelves; but Pip vas there, surrounded with books
and whittling a stick for a catapult, so he went out again.
Then he climbed the stairs and explored his father's bedroom
and dressing-room. In the latter there was a wide field for his
operations. A full-dress uniform was lying across a chair, and it
struck Bunty the gold buttons were looking less bright than they
should, so he spent a harmless quarter of an hour in polishing
them up. Next, he burnished some spurs, which also was harmless.
Then he east about for fresh employment.
There was quite a colony of dusty boots in one corner of the
room, and there was a great bottle of black, treacly looking
varnish on the mantelpiece. Bunty conceived the brilliant idea of
cleaning the whole lot and standing them in a neat row to meet his
father's delighted eyes. He found a handkerchief on the floor, of
superfine cambric, though dirty, poured upon it a liberal allowance
of varnish, and attacked the first pair.
A bright polish rewarded him, for they were patent leather ones;
but the next and the next and the next would not shine, however
hard he rubbed.
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