Mr Boxall had a large white face, but the most peculiar thing about him
was his eyes. The pupil of his left eye was about twice the size of the
pupil of the right eye. It had also a cold and steadfast stare, for it
was made of glass. This glass eye of Mr Boxall’s was what is called an
open secret; every one knew of it, but no one mentioned it openly. On
account of it, old ladies, when they spoke of him, called him “poor Mr
Boxall.”
The stone wall of the road was so low that the race between the
donkey-cart and the “tub” could be clearly seen by the people in the
waggonette.
“Why, God bless my soul!” said Uncle Molyneux, screwing his eye-glass
tight in his eye and half standing up so as to get a better view, “I
believe it is my nephew and niece.”
“They’ll be over!” cried Violet Lestrange, who was also half standing
up. “Look! look! the pony is running away.”
“Who’s that ruffian in the donkey-cart?” cried General Grampound. “They
are racing him—the pony has not run away; I see the boy beating it with
the whip. Hi, you, sir! you in the donkey-cart—I’ll give you in charge
of the police.”
“It’s little he cares about the police,” said the driver of the
waggonette, who was also following the race with interested eyes.
“That’s Bob Mahony, the chimbly sweep, and he’s been to the meet of the
houn’s, for his face is washed. Look! he’s gainin’ on the pony
carridge—Ten to one on the dunkey!—ten to one on the dunkey! Lather her,
Bob, lather her! They’re makin’ who’ll get through the gate first. He’ll
do it! He won’t! He will, be jabers—Hurroo!”
The donkey-cart having outstripped the “tub,” was passing through the
gate triumphant and victorious, when the right wheel caught the post and
over it went, sweep, cart, donkey and all.
The driver of the waggonette drew the vehicle up and got down, heedless
of General Grampound or anything else, and approached the wreckage on
the road.
“Are yiz kilt, Bob Mahony?” asked the driver, bending down with his
hands on his knees and staring at the prostrate figure in the road.
“Faith, I dunno yet,” said the figure, sitting up and putting one hand
to the top of its head. “Me head’s on, but I seems to have left me
intellicts in the field beyant.”
“Feel your legs to see if they’re bruck,” commanded the driver.
“Legs is all right,” replied Mr Mahony, feeling them contemplatively;
“back’s all right, and arums. I’ll be on me pins again in a minit when
the wheels has done spinnin’ in me head.”
“Right y’are,” replied the other. “I’ll be after getting the dunkey on
her feet.”
General Grampound, furious with anger at being stopped, had been aiming
himself like a gun now at Mr Mahony, now at the driver, now at the
donkey lying on its side on the road, but he had withheld his fire.
Patsy’s red head (he had lost his cap) as the “tub” made its appearance
in the gateway, served as a target, however, and he let fly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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