And the Captain seemed delightfully blind and unsuspicious. He
lay down on the grass and let the General swarm all over him; he
made jokes with Esther; he told several stories of his young days,
and never even seemed to remark that his audience seemed inattentive
and constrained.
"Haven't you made some tea?" Esther said at last. "We love
billy tea, and thought you would be sure to have some?"
"Bunty hasn't come, he was to have brought the billy," Pip said,
half sulkily. He had suspicions that there was something behind this
great affability of his father, and he objected to being played
with.
"Ah," the Captain said gravely, "that is unfortunate. When I came
away Bunty did not seem very well, and was thinking of spending
the rest of the day in his bedroom."
Pip made up the fire in a dogged way, and Meg flashed a frightened
glance at her father, who smiled affectionately back at her.
After an hour of this strained intercourse the Captain proposed a
return home.
"It is growing chill," he said. "I should be grieved for the
General's new-born tooth to start its life by aching--let's go home
and make shift with teapot tea."
So they gathered up the untouched baskets and made themselves into a
procession.
Pages:
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140