Another sister, Chlorine, in later years became well known as a medium.
She communicated with the hereafter, or at the very least professed to
do so, by telephonic wireless. It used to be rather weird to hear her
ring up "Gehenna, 1 double 7, 6." I have not the least doubt that she
would have convinced a famous physicist who, curiously enough, is weak
on facts, or a writer of detective stories who, equally curiously, is
weak on imagination. I am sorry to say that she would never give me the
winner of the next Derby, nor do I remember that she ever used this
special and exclusive information for her own benefit. But, like other
mediums, she could always give a plausible reason for avoiding any test
that was really a test; and now that she has doubled her fees owing to
the increased cost of labour and materials, she ought to do very well,
particularly after the friendly boost that I have just given her.
Then there was Methyll--this is the old Anglo-Saxon form of Ethel. She
was a charming child and made a profound study of natural history. I
remember her saying to me at a reception where the refreshments had been
somewhat restricted: "One cocktail doesn't make a swallow." Modern
biology has, I believe, confirmed this observation. She spent much of
her time at the Zoo, and it was thought that it would be an advantage if
she could be permanently resident there. But although she was not unlike
a flamingo in the face, and I had some interest with the man who
supplies the fish for the sea-lions, no vacant cage could be found. An
offer to let her share one with the cassowary--_missionara
timbuctana_--was refused.
I must now speak of another sister, Caramel, though I do so with grief.
However, there is a skeleton in every fold--I mean to say, a black sheep
in every cupboard. She was undeniably beautiful, and had a romantic
postcard face. Her figure was perfect. Her intelligence was C 3. In a
weak moment she accepted a thinking part in a revue at the "Frivolity,"
and her career ended, as might have been expected, in a shocking
_mésalliance_. She married the Marquis of Beanstrite, and has more than
once appeared on the back page of the "Daily Mail," but that is not
everything. She never sees anything of me now, and it brings the tears
to my eyes when I think what she is missing.
My brothers were all of them sportsmen, but they were seldom at home.
They seemed to feel that they were wanted elsewhere, and they generally
were. You ask any policeman in the Kentish Town district, mentioning my
name, and he will tell you.
There were seventy-three of us all together, of whom eighty-four
survive, including myself. And yet dear papa sometimes seems a little
irritable--I wonder why.
My mamma was quite different from my papa. They were not even of the
same sex. But that so often happens, don't you think?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account