As they were passing out of church, the people from the pew behind
walked in front--a very tall and portly gentleman, whose coat tails
seemed to swing very much as he walked, and a boy a year or two older
than Comethup. In the porch the gentleman swung on his hat, almost
before he had passed through the door, with a flourish; glancing behind
him as he went out, he caught sight of the captain, and nodded and
spoke: "Aha! captain, delightful day; had no idea you belonged to the
good folk. Who's our young friend?" He indicated Comethup, who was
watching him with something of admiration.
The captain did not seem well pleased; he clipped his words very short,
in a fashion he had when angry, as he replied, "Don't you know?"
"Of course not; how should I?"
"Then let me present you," said the captain, keeping fast hold of
Comethup's hand, and making an ironically elaborate business of the
introduction. "Master Comethup Willis--Mr. Robert Carlaw.--Comethup,"
he added, his tone changing as he addressed the child, "this is your
Uncle Bob."
The portly gentleman seemed surprised, but passed the thing off easily.
"Most extraordinary," he exclaimed, "though why the devil Willis
ever called the unfortunate creature by that outlandish name passes
my comprehension.--How do you do, nephew? I suppose I ought to have
remembered your existence long since; but I'm such a careless rascal
that I leave undone those things which I ought to have done--if you're
a good churchman you'll know the rest, without my troubling to repeat
it. Here's your cousin Brian; if you're half as much trouble to your
poor old dad as he is to me, I pity that worthy fellow."
The captain was obviously anxious to get away, but Comethup had been
looking at the boy to whom he was now introduced, and had, in a
childish, worshipping fashion, been quite fascinated by him. He was
rather taller than Comethup, and very well dressed, and was, moreover,
an extremely handsome boy. He had a rather high forehead for a child,
and very thick, curling brown hair brushed loosely back from it. His
eyes were keen and bold and dark, and gave Comethup the odd impression
of being able to see a great deal more than the eyes of other people.
He held himself very upright, with his legs rather apart, and his hands
thrust in his pockets; and he swaggered a little as he walked, like his
father. He put out his hand to Comethup, and smiled so beautifully with
a smile which made his face glow and change, that Comethup was quite
glad to think that he was his cousin; he almost felt that he loved him
from that moment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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