Funny old dears! Each at its own fireside, saying that
it's too old, bless them! And you and I will sing 'Voice that breathed
o'er Eden' and in the middle our angel-voices will crack, and we will
sob into our handkerchief, and Eden will be left breathing deeply all
by itself like the Guru. Why did you never tell me about the Guru? Mrs
Weston's a better friend to me than you are, and I must ring for my
cook--no I'll telephone first to Jacob and Jane--and see what there is
to eat afterwards. You will sit here quietly, and when I have finished
I will tell you what your part is."
During dinner, according to Olga's plan of campaign, the conversation
was to be general, because she hated to have two conversations going on
when only four people were present, since she found that she always
wanted to join in the other one. This was the main principle she
inculcated on Georgie, stamping it on his memory by a simile of
peculiar vividness. "Imagine there is an Elizabethan spittoon in the
middle of the table," she said, "and keep on firmly spitting into it. I
want you when there's any pause to spit about two things, one, how
dreadfully unhappy both Jacob and Jane will be without their paragons,
the other, how pleasant is conversation and companionship. I shall be
chaffing you, mind, all the time and saying _you_ must get
married. After dinner I shall probably stroll in the garden with Jacob.
Pages:
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234