A good bit happened first, however, and Arthur played up very clever
indeed. He'd come along and pass the time of day and I'd look in his
cottage to give an opinion on some trifle; and when he came to a tea on
which I'd spent a tidy lot of thought, he enjoyed it so much and welcomed
the strength of it and the quality of the cake so hearty that once or
twice us caught ourselves up.
"Dammy!" said Arthur, "we'm going it, Mary. Us had better draw in a
thought, or our little games will end in earnest."
"Not on my side," I said, and that vexed him I believe, for a man's a man.
However, I reminded him of his first, and that always daunted his spirit,
so he soon went off with his tail between his legs.
But all the same, I couldn't help contrasting Arthur with Gregory, and
though Greg might be called the more important and prosperous man, yet
there was always a barrier he wouldn't pass, while Arthur, though brooding
by nature, could get about himself now and again, and in them rare
moments, you felt there was a nice, affectionate side to him that only
wanted encouraging.
It was three days after that tea and his praises of my hand with a plum
cake, that I found myself left.
It came like a bolt from the blue sky, as they say, and I was messing
about in my little garden full of an offer I'd got to let my cottage, or
sell it, and wondering if I should tell Gregory, when the man himself came
in the gate and slammed it home after him.
Pages:
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131