Americans -- England -- Fiction; Children of the rich -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction; Sisters -- Fiction
Mount Dunstan, walking through the park next morning on his way to the
vicarage, just after post time, met Mr. Penzance himself coming to make
an equally early call at the Mount. Each of them had a letter in his
hand, and each met the other's glance with a smile.
“G. Selden,” Mount Dunstan said. “And yours?”
“G. Selden also,” answered the vicar. “Poor young fellow, what ill-luck.
And yet--is it ill-luck? He says not.”
“He tells me it is not,” said Mount Dunstan. “And I agree with him.”
Mr. Penzance read his letter aloud.
“DEAR SIR:
“This is to notify you that owing to my bike going back on me when going
down hill, I met with an accident in Stornham Park. Was cut about the
head and leg broken. Little Willie being far from home and mother, you
can see what sort of fix he'd been in if it hadn't been for the kindness
of Reuben S. Vanderpoel's daughters--Miss Bettina and her sister Lady
Anstruthers. The way they've had me taken care of has been great.
I've been under a nurse and doctor same as if I was Albert Edward with
appendycytus (I apologise if that's not spelt right). Dear Sir, this is
to say that I asked Miss Vanderpoel if I should be butting in too much
if I dropped a line to ask if you could spare the time to call and see
me. It would be considered a favour and appreciated by
“G. SELDEN,
“Delkoff Typewriter Co. Broadway.
“P. S. Have already sold three Delkoffs to Miss Vanderpoel.”
“Upon my word,” Mr. Penzance commented, and his amiable fervour quite
glowed, “I like that queer young fellow--I like him. He does not wish to
'butt in too much.' Now, there is rudimentary delicacy in that. And what
a humorous, forceful figure of speech! Some butting animal--a goat, I
seem to see, preferably--forcing its way into a group or closed circle
of persons.”
His gleeful analysis of the phrase had such evident charm for him that
Mount Dunstan broke into a shout of laughter, even as G. Selden had done
at the adroit mention of Weber & Fields.
“Shall we ride over together to see him this morning? An hour with G.
Selden, surrounded by the atmosphere of Reuben S. Vanderpoel, would be a
cheering thing,” he said.
“It would,” Mr. Penzance answered. “Let us go by all means. We
should not, I suppose,” with keen delight, “be 'butting in' upon Lady
Anstruthers too early?” He was quite enraptured with his own aptness.
“Like G. Selden, I should not like to 'butt in,'” he added.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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