Anstey

“ Bultitude, panting and desperate. 'I'm pressed for time.'
'Now you've gone and put me out, little boy,' said the old lady fussily. 'I shall have to begin all over again. Young man, will you take and count the other end and see if it adds up right? There's a halfpenny wrong somewhere; I know there is.'
'Now then,' shouted the guard from the platform. 'Any more going on?'
'I'm going on!' said Paul. 'Wait for me. First single to St. Pancras, quick!'
'Drat the boy!' said the old lady angrily. 'Do you think the world's to give way for you? Such impidence! Mind your manners, little boy, can't you? ”

“ Wherefore, then, should I scorn thee? and what are the differences and degrees of mortals to such as I! Be bold; distrust your merits no longer, since I, who amongst the goddesses obtained the prize of beauty, have chosen you for my own."
"I don't care what prizes you won," he said, sulkily; "I'm not yours, and I don't intend to be, either." He was watching the clock impatiently all the while, for it was growing very near nine.
"It is vain to struggle," she said, "since not the gods themselves can resist Fate. We must yield, and contend not."
"You begin it, then," he said. "Give me my ring." ”

“ Oh, Bultitude, this is well—vastly well indeed! So I have nourished one more viper in my bosom, have I? A crawling reptile which curries favour by denouncing the very crime it conceals in its playbox! Oh, this black duplicity! Bultitude, I was not prepared for this!'
'I—I swear I never put them in!' protested the unhappy Paul. 'I—I never touch such things: they would bring on my gout in half-an-hour. It's ridiculous to punish me. I never knew they were there!'
'Then why were you so anxious to avoid opening the box?' rejoined the Doctor. 'No, sir, you're too ingenious; your guilt is clear. ”

“ Mr. Bultitude was greatly staggered by the presumption of so small a boy venturing to address him in this way. He could only stare haughtily.
"You might find a word to say to a fellow!" said the boy in an aggrieved tone. "Look here; come and get your luggage labelled."
"I don't want it labelled," said Paul stiffly, feeling bound to say something. "I'm waiting for a cab to take me home again."
The other gave a loud whistle. "That'll make it rather a short term, won't it, if you're going home for the holidays already? You're a cool chap, Bultitude! ”

“ These were brave words—but, as they both felt, the situation had little enough to warrant them, and, after one last long embrace, they parted, and he was no sooner on the steps than he felt himself caught up as before and borne through the air with breathless speed, till he was set down, he could not have well said how, in a chair in his own sitting-room at Vincent Square.
"Well," he said, looking at the Jinnee, who was standing opposite with a smile of intolerable complacency, "I suppose you feel satisfied with yourself over this business?" ”

“ He was shown into the little boudoir looking out on the square, but she was not there to receive him—she even allowed him to wait a few minutes, which amused him. 'How like a woman!' he thought. 'She can't resist keeping me on the tenterhooks a little, even now.' There was a light step outside, she had come at last, and he started to his feet as the door opened. 'Mabel!' he cried—he had meant to add 'my darling'—but something in her face warned him not to appear too sure of her yet. ”

“ Well, Court Godmother?"
"Well," said the Fairy, bent on prolonging the test to the last moment, "this is a pretty thing you have done, upon my word! You to fall in love with a penniless student! If you had only had the patience to wait," she continued, as she led her towards the yew walk, "I'd have found a handsome young Prince for you. It's not too late, even now."
"I used to think I would only marry a Prince, I don't now," said Daphne. "I wouldn't change Giroflé for any Prince in the world. And what am I, after all? Just a Governess!" ”

“ Bultitude for the moment: "Nothing can be too bad for the little scoundrel!" he said, between his teeth.
"He shall have it, sir, I swear to you; he shall be made to repent this as long as he lives. This insult to me (and of course to you also) shall be amply atoned for. If you will have the goodness to deliver him over to my hands, I will carry him back at once to Market Rodwell, and to-morrow, sir, to-morrow, I will endeavour to awaken his conscience in a way he will remember!" ”

“ He led Paul on to the platform again and opened a sort of cupboard or closet. 'That's where we keeps the brooms and lamp-rags, and them,' he said; 'it ain't what you may call tidy, but if I lock you in no one won't trouble you.'
It was perfectly dark and the rags smelt unpleasantly, but Mr. Bultitude was very glad of this second ark of refuge, even though he did bruise his legs over the broom-handles; he was gladder still by-and-by, when he heard a rapid heavy footfall outside, and a voice he knew only too well, saying, 'I want to see the station-master. Ha, there he is. ”

“ But, at all events, you come back here an altogether different being. Am I right in saying so?'
'Perfectly,' said Paul, overjoyed at being so thoroughly understood, 'perfectly. You're a very intelligent young man, sir. Shake hands. Why, I shouldn't be surprised, after that, if you knew how it all happened?'
'That too,' said Mr. Blinkhorn smiling, 'I can guess. It arose, I doubt not, in a wish?'
'Yes,' cried Paul, 'you've hit it again. You're a conjurer, sir, by Gad you are!'
'Don't say "by Gad," Bultitude; it's inconsistent. ”

“ I brought an egg on purpose; it's so strengthening, you know.'
'Don't!' cried Paul, with a short howl of distress at this suggestion. 'Don't talk about the—the flogging, I can't bear it.'
'But it's not papa's new cane, you know, Dick,' said Dulcie consolingly. 'I've hidden that; it's only the old one, and you always said that didn't hurt so very much, after a little while. It isn't as if it was the horsewhip, either. Papa lost that out riding in the holidays.'
'Oh, the horsewhip's worse, is it?' said Paul, with a sickly smile.
'Tom says so,' said Dulcie. ”

“ It was time to go, and he rose with a shiver.
'You will not be very long away, will you, dear?' said Mabel, looking up from the orange she was peeling for the child. 'And you will do what you can for the poor woman, I know.'
'Yes, yes,' he said as he reached the door. 'Good-bye, Mabel!'
'Good-bye,' she said, nodding to him brightly. 'Max, say "Good-evening, Herr Mark; a pleasant walk,"' but Max backed away behind the stove, declining to commit himself to an unknown tongue. Mark took a last look at her laughing gaily there in the lamplight. Would he ever hear her laugh like that again? ”

“ There was a suspicious hubbub and hum of voices from within; but as they entered every boy was bent over his books with the rapt absorption of the devoted student—an absorption that was the direct effect of the sound the door-handle made in turning.
'Our workshop,' said the Doctor airily, looking round. 'My first form, Mr. Bultitude. Some good workers here, and some idle ones.'
Dick stood in the doorway, looking (if the truth must be told) uncommonly foolish. ”

“ Why should you stand between me and my rights in this currish way? I didn't know there were boys like you in the world, sir; you're a young monster!'
'I don't mean you to tell the Doctor anything at all,' said Chawner. 'I shall do what I said.'
'Then do your worst!' said Paul, stung to defiance.
'Very well, then,' returned Chawner meekly, 'I will—and we'll see who wins!'
And they went back to the schoolroom again, where Mr. Bultitude, boiling with rage and seriously alarmed as well, tried to sit down and appear as if nothing had happened. ”

“ And, pardon me, but you had no opportunity of testing your opinion.'
'Oh, pardon me,' retorted Paul grimly, 'I had indeed!'
'A cursory visit,' said the Doctor, 'a formal inspection—you cannot fairly judge boys by that. They will naturally be reserved and constrained in the presence of an elder. But you should observe them without their knowledge—you want to know them, my dear Mr. Bultitude, you want to go among them!'
It was the very last thing Paul did want—he knew them quite well enough, but it was of no use to say so, and he merely assented politely. ”

“ We're all behind. Right!'
'Good night, sir,' said the first passenger as he leant out of the window, to the baffled schoolmaster on the platform. 'You've put us to all this inconvenience for nothing, and in the most offensive way too. I hope you won't find your boy till you're in a better temper, for his sake.'
'If I had you out on this platform, sir,' shouted the angry Doctor, 'I'd horsewhip you for that insult. I believe the boy's there and you know it. I——'
But the train swept off and, to Paul's joy and thankfulness, soon left the Doctor, gesticulating and threatening, miles behind it. ”

“ Mark led the way up a steep little passage and into the well-known room, with its boxes darkened by age, its saw-dusted floor and quaint carved Jacobean mantelpiece. He chose a compartment well down at the bottom of the room.
'What's your partickler preference, eh?' said Uncle Solomon, rather as if he was treating a schoolboy. 'What's their speciality 'ere, now? Well, you can give me,' he added to the waiter, with the manner of a man conferring a particular favour, 'you can give me a chump chop, underdone, and a sausage. And bring this young gentleman the same. ”

“ What right had your governor to go and drown our rabbits, eh?' they cried wrathfully.
'What right?' said Paul. 'Mustn't a man do as he pleases in his own house, then? I—he was not obliged to see the house overrun with vermin, I suppose?'
But this only made them angrier, and they resented his defence with hoots, and groans, and hisses.
Mr. Blinkhorn meanwhile was pondering the affair conscientiously. At last he said, 'But you know the Doctor would never allow animals to be kept in the school, if Bultitude had brought them. ”

“ Oh, Dick, promise to give the other girl up. I'm sure she's not a nice girl. She's written you an unkind letter; now hasn't she?'
'Upon my word,' said Paul, 'this is very forward; at your age too. Why, my Barbara——'
'Your Barbara! you dare to call her that? Oh, I knew I was right; I will see that letter now. Give it me this instant!' said Dulcie imperiously; and Paul really felt almost afraid of her.
'No, no,' he said, retreating a step or two, 'it's all a mistake; there's nothing to get into such a passion about—there isn't indeed! And—don't cry—you're really a pretty little girl. ”

“ At this point the other boys began to straggle down and cluster round the fire, and Paul withdrew from the aggrieved Tipping, and looked drearily out of the window on the hard road and bare black trees outside.
'I must tell the Doctor how I'm situated!' he thought; 'and yet directly I open my mouth, he threatens to flog me. If I stay here, that little girl will be always trying to speak to me, and I shall be thrashed by the red-haired boy. ”

“ And now I never shall!"
"If you wish it, little Princess," said Count von Rubenfresser kindly, "you shall see mine."
"Yours!" cried Ruby, quite forgetting her dislike for him in her excitement. "Have you really got a dragon—a real live one?"
"A real live one—and almost full-grown," he replied. "My poor dear Father had a pair, but they were killed. Mine is the last of the breed. I discovered it myself when I was a child in a cave close to the castle. At that time it was only an egg."
"Hatch it yourself?" inquired Clarence.
"Only partially," said the young Count; "the sun did the rest." ”

“ Paul stood shaking by the mantelpiece in a very bad temper for some minutes. If the Doctor had come in then, he might have been spurred by indignation to utter his woes, and even claim and obtain his freedom. But that was not to be.
The door did open presently, however, and a little girl appeared; a very charming little maiden indeed, in a neat dark costume relieved by a fresh white pinafore. ”

“ Yes, it was surely wisest to assist necessity, and obtain the most favourable conditions for the inevitable experiment.
"I might put you in a corner of the operating-room, to be sure," he said thoughtfully. "No one would think but what you was part of the fittings, unless you went moving about." [Pg 82]
"Place me where I may behold you at your labour, and there I will remain," she said.
"Well," he conceded, "I'll risk it. The best way would be for you to walk down to the saloon, and leave yourself ready in a corner till you come to again. I can't carry a heavy marble image all that way!" ”

“ I ain't quite sech a cur as that comes to, particular when a young gent saves me from the 'orrors, and gives me a 'arf-suffering. I'll see you through, you make yourself easy about that.'
Half an hour went slowly by for Mr. Bultitude in his darkness and solitude. The platform gradually filled, as he could tell by the tread of feet, the voices, and the scent of cigars, and at last, welcome sound, he heard the station bell ringing for the up-train.
It ran in the next minute, shaking the cupboard in which Paul crouched, till the brushes rattled. ”

“ Bultitude sullenly. 'I never did such a thing in my life; it would be enough to kill me at my age!'
'This is untrue, sir. Do you mean to say you will not dance the hornpipe?'
'No,' said Paul, 'I'll be d——d if I do!'
There was unfortunately no possible doubt about the nature of the word used—he said it so very distinctly. The governess screamed and called her charges to her. Dulcie hid her face, and some of the boys tittered.
Mr. Burdekin turned pink. 'After that disgraceful language, sir, in the presence of the fairer sex, I have no more to do with you. ”