Lady Betty Across the WaterWilliamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)
General
Lady Betty Across the Water
Williamson, C. N. (Charles Norris)
British -- United States -- Fiction; Voyages and travels -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
My face did feel red! Vivace was making such a fuss over him, that
Sally could hardly help guessing whose the dog had been before he was
mine. But I made the best of it. "Of course I recognise him, and of
course I shall bow," said I. "He was _very_ kind to me on the dock,
when I was at letter B."
Sally didn't make any remark about Vivace's capers, though by this time
he was wagging all over with joy at his master's feet, and jumping up
to his knees. I was grateful to her.
In another moment we three had met, in the shady path, far away from
everybody else, and Vivace began running back and forth between his
master and me, as if he wanted to make us good friends, and not hurt
either of our feelings.
"How do you do?" said I, holding out my hand. "What a coincidence,
meeting you here. And my dear little dog that _somebody_ sent me, does
seem to take an extraordinary fancy to you, doesn't he?"
Mr. Jim Brett laughed, and kept his hat off, which made him look very
nice with the dappling green and gold light waving over his thick,
short black hair, and his forehead, which is whiter than the rest of
his face.
He had on better clothes than he had worn on shipboard, but they were
blue serge, with the air of having been bought ready made at a cheap
shop. In spite of them, however, he looked very handsome, and every
inch of him a gentleman. I don't think many men, even in Stan's set,
could wear those badly-cut things and look as he did in them, though he
does have to travel in the steerage.
I asked Sally if I might introduce Mr. Brett to her, and she said yes,
and smiled up so sweetly that I was delighted, because, for all her
talk about Nature's noblemen, I felt I didn't know her well enough to
be quite sure how she would take it. But she talked to him charmingly,
and complimented him upon his bravery on shipboard. "Every one of us
admired you for it," she said, "and I'm very glad to meet you this
morning."
Mr. Brett thanked her, and of course said how pleased he was, too. "I
am taking a holiday," he added, looking at me. I was glad to hear that,
because, seeing him out at this time, the thought had occurred to me
that he might have lost his employment at the club. But I only answered
that it was a lovely day for a holiday, and that I didn't believe he
could find a better place to spend part of it than in Central Park.
"Have you fed the squirrels yet?" he asked.
"Oh, no, can one do that?" I exclaimed. "I should love it."
"May I go and get some peanuts?" he said to Sally.
"Do," she said, in her pleasant, friendly way, which was just as nice
for him as it had been for Stan, or nicer. "We will go on to the
wistaria arbour and wait for you. There are always lots of squirrels
there."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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