Then, moving in and out among the greenery as he put finishing
touches to the table here and there, he glided into the wonders of his
Christmas menu: "Soo-oup! Chuckie! Ha-am! Roooast Veal-er!" he chanted.
"Cauli-flower! Pee-es! Bee-ens! Toe-ma-toes!" (with a regretful "tinned"
in parenthesis)--"Shweet Poo-tay-toes! Bread Sau-ce!" On and on through
mince pies, sweets, cakes, and fruits, went the monotonous chant, the
Maluka and the missus standing gravely at attention, until a triumphant
paeon of "Plum-m-m Poo-dinn!" soared upwards as Cheon waddled off through
the decorated verandah extension for his soup tureen.
But a sudden, unaccountable shyness had come over the Quarters, and as
Cheon trundled away, a hurried argument reached our ears of "Go on! You
go first!" "No, you. Here! none of that"; and then, after a short
subdued scuffle, the Dandy, looking slightly dishevelled, came through
the doorway with just the suspicion of assistance from within; and the
ice being thus broken the rest of the company came forward in a body and
slipped into whichever seat came handiest.
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