Liza of LambethMaugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset)
General
Liza of Lambeth
Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset)
Working class -- England -- Fiction
'I say, Tom,' she said, 'don't tike on so; I didn't mean it.'
He was bursting to apologize for his behaviour.
'Yer know, Tom,' she went on, 'I'm rather 'asty, an' I'm sorry I said
wot I did.'
'Oh, Liza, you are good! You ain't cross with me?'
'Me? Na; it's you thet oughter be cross.'
'You are a good sort, Liza!'
'You ain't vexed with me?'
'Give me Liza every time; that's wot I say,' he answered, as his face
lit up. 'Come along an' 'ave tea, an' then we'll go for a
donkey-ride.'
The donkey-ride was a great success. Liza was a little afraid at
first, so Tom walked by her side to take care of her, she screamed the
moment the beast began to trot, and clutched hold of Tom to save
herself from falling, and as he felt her hand on his shoulder, and
heard her appealing cry: 'Oh, do 'old me! I'm fallin'!' he felt that
he had never in his life been so deliciously happy. The whole party
joined in, and it was proposed that they should have races; but in the
first heat, when the donkeys broke into a canter, Liza fell off into
Tom's arms and the donkeys scampered on without her.
'I know wot I'll do,' she said, when the runaway had been recovered.
'I'll ride 'im straddlewyse.'
'Garn!' said Sally, 'yer can't with petticoats.'
'Yus, I can, an' I will too!'
So another donkey was procured, this time with a man's saddle, and
putting her foot in the stirrup, she cocked her leg over and took her
seat triumphantly. Neither modesty nor bashfulness was to be reckoned
among Liza's faults, and in this position she felt quite at ease.
'I'll git along arright now, Tom,' she said; 'you garn and
git yerself a moke, and come an' jine in.'
The next race was perfectly uproarious. Liza kicked and beat her
donkey with all her might, shrieking and laughing the white, and
finally came in winner by a length. After that they felt rather warm
and dry, and repaired to the public-house to restore themselves and
talk over the excitements of the racecourse.
When they had drunk several pints of beer Liza and Sally, with their
respective adorers and the Blakestons, walked round to find other
means of amusing themselves; they were arrested by a coconut-shy.
'Oh, let's 'ave a shy!' said Liza, excitedly, at which the unlucky men
had to pull out their coppers, while Sally and Liza made ludicrously
bad shots at the coconuts.
'It looks so bloomin' easy,' said Liza, brushing up her hair, 'but I
can't 'it the blasted thing. You 'ave a shot, Tom.'
He and Harry were equally unskilful, but Jim got three coconuts
running, and the proprietors of the show began to look on him with
some concern.
'You are a dab at it,' said Liza, in admiration.
They tried to induce Mrs. Blakeston to try her luck, but she stoutly
refused.
'I don't old with such foolishness. It's wiste of money ter me,' she
said.
'Na then, don't crack on, old tart,' remarked her husband, 'let's go
an' eat the coconuts.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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