"
"What is--" David began, and his companion replied glibly:
"Layovers for meddlers and crutches for lame ducks."
And David subsided into giggles, for it was understood that this
remark was extremely humorous.
After that they went to dinner with a gentleman who wore a long black
coat and no shirt; at least, David could not see any shirt. Dr.
Lavendar called him Bishop, and they talked a great deal about
uninteresting things. David only spoke twice: His host took occasion
to remark that he did not finish all his mashed potato--"Some poor
child would be glad of what you waste," said the Bishop. To which
David replied, "If I ate it, what then, for the poor child?" And the
gentleman with no shirt said in a grave aside to Dr. Lavendar that the
present generation was inclined to pertness. His second remark was
made when the clergymen pushed their chairs back from the table. But
David sat still. "We haven't had the ice-cream yet," he objected,
gently. "Hush! Hush!" said Dr. Lavendar. And the gentleman laughed
very hard, and said that he had to send all his ice-cream to the
heathen. David, reddening, looked at him in stolid silence. In the
afternoon there was a pause; they went to church, and listened to
another gentleman, who talked a long, long time. Sometimes David
sighed, but he kept pretty quiet, considering. After the talk was
over, Dr. Lavendar did not seem anxious to get away.
Pages:
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325