The Ffolliots of RedmarleyHarker, L. Allen (Lizzie Allen)
General
The Ffolliots of Redmarley
Harker, L. Allen (Lizzie Allen)
Mate selection -- Fiction; Social classes -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
"I don't believe he'll tell," Buz said; "he's not a bad little chap, he
wasn't a bit shirty, helped me out of those beastly clothes and never
said a word; took them with him too, so's they shouldn't be found here.
I say, by the way, tell Adèle to get the jacket mended and I'll pay it
whenever I can get any money. I'm frightfully sorry about that--he cut
the sleeve right up to get my arm out. Who got the togs?"
"I don't know, he hadn't 'em when he came in----"
"Gave 'em to Fusby, I expect; he'll see they're properly
distributed----"
"What happened, did you have a lark?"
"He rose like anything," Buz chuckled delightedly. "Chuck us your
handkerchief, old chap, mine's in that coat--I'm only sorry for one
thing."
"What's that?"
"I told him if he wouldn't declare for Votes for Women he'd better put
up his shutters, and I know he thought I meant to rub it in about his
father's shop--I didn't, it would have been beastly; but I'm certain he
thought so by the way he flushed up. He's a game little beggar, he
wouldn't give in, or palaver or promise. . . . Hullo, here's two more
of the family----"
The two more were Reggie Peel and Grantly. The Ffolliots were not
demonstrative, but they always shared good-luck or ill, therefore
Reggie and Grantly made a bee-line for Miss Gallup's cottage whenever
they understood what had happened. They knew nothing of Miss
Buttermish, and neither of the younger boys enlightened them.
Miss Gallup returned to find her parlour full of Ffolliots; and just
after her came her nephew, accompanied by General Grantly and Mrs
Ffolliot, who bore Buz away in the motor to Marlehouse wrapped in a
blanket and with the broken arm in a sling.
When they had all gone--the motor towards Marlehouse, the three others
to the Manor--Eloquent stood at the open gate for a minute or two and
then went out, shutting it after him very softly, so that neither the
three walking up the road, nor his aunt waiting at her open door,
should hear. Then he, too, set off in the direction of Marlehouse. He
had no intention whatever of walking there, but he could not face his
aunt just then, nor bear the torrent of questions and comments that he
knew would submerge him.
The last hour had been for him an epoch-making, a profound experience,
and he wanted, as his aunt would have said, "to squeege his orange dry."
A course of action intensely irritating to Miss Gallup, who awaited his
return, after seeing the Ffolliots off, with the utmost impatience.
"Wherever could he have got to?"
Em'ly-Alice, however, was longing to be questioned, and Miss Gallup
indulged her.
"How did the poor young gentleman break his arm?"
"Fell off 'is bike, 'e did, and it must 'ave bin but a minute or two
after the young lady'd gone----
"Young lady! What young lady?" Miss Gallup demanded sternly.
"A young lady as come to see Mr Gallup. Miss Buttermish was 'er name;
I remember it most pertikler, because I thought what a funny name."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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