\"Yes,beupearly,myboy,\"interruptedBonaparte,smiling。\"Iamtobemasterofthisfarmnow;andweshallbegoodfriends,Itrust,verygoodfriends,ifyoutrytodoyourduty,mydearboy。\"
Waldoturnedtogo,andBonaparte,lookingbenignlyatthecandle,stretchedoutoneunstockingedfoot,overwhichWaldo,lookingatnothinginparticular,fellwithaheavythuduponthefloor。
\"Dearme!Ihopeyouarenothurt,myboy,\"saidBonaparte。\"You’llhavemanyaharderthingthanthatthough,beforeyou’vegonethroughlife,\"headdedconsolingly,asWaldopickedhimselfup。
TheleanHottentotlaughedtilltheroomrangagain;andTantSannietitteredtillhersidesached。
WhenhehadgonethelittlemaidbegantowashBonaparte’sfeet。
\"Oh,Lord,belovedLord,howhedidfall!Ican’tthinkofit,\"criedTantSannie,andshelaughedagain。\"Ialwaysdidknowhewasnotright;butthiseveninganyonecouldseeit,\"sheadded,wipingthetearsofmirthfromherface。\"Hiseyesareaswildasifthedevilwasinthem。Heneverwaslikeotherchildren。ThedearLordknows,ifhedoesn’twalkaloneforhourstalkingtohimself。Ifyousitintheroomwithhimyoucanseehislipsmovingthewholetime;andifyoutalktohimtwentytimeshedoesn’thearyou。Daft—eyes;he’sasmadasmadcanbe。\"
ThisrepetitionofthewordmadconveyedmeaningtoBonaparte’smind。Heleftoffpaddlinghistoesinthewater。
\"Mad,mad?Iknowthatkindofmad,\"saidBonaparte,\"andIknowthethingtogiveforit。Thefrontendofalittlehorsewhip,thetip!Nicething;
takesitout,\"saidBonaparte。
TheHottentotlaughed,andtranslated。
\"Nomorewalkingaboutandtalkingtothemselvesonthisfarmnow,\"saidBonaparte;\"nomoremindingofsheepandreadingofbooksatthesametime。
Thepointofahorsewhipisalittlething,butIthinkhe’llhaveatasteofitbeforelong。\"Bonaparterubbedhishandsandlookedpleasantlyacrosshisnose;andthenthethreelaughedtogethergrimly。
AndWaldoinhiscabincrouchedinthedarkinacorner,withhiskneesdrawnuptohischin。
Chapter1。X。HeShowsHisTeeth。
Dosssatamongthekaroobushes,oneyelloweardrawnoverhiswickedlittleeye,readytoflapawayanyadventurousflythatmightsettleonhisnose。Aroundhiminthemorningsunlightfedthesheep;behindhimlayhismasterpolishinghismachine。Hefoundmuchcomfortinhandlingitthatmorning。Adozenphilosophicalessays,orangelicallyatunedsongsfortheconsolationofthebereaved,couldneverhavebeentohimwhatthatlittlesheep—shearingmachinewasthatday。
Afterstrugglingtoseetheunseeable,growingdrunkwiththeendeavourtospantheinfinite,andwrithingbeforetheinscrutablemystery,itisarenovatingrelieftoturntosomesimple,feelable,weighablesubstance;tosomethingwhichhasasmellandacolour,whichmaybehandledandturnedoverthiswayandthat。Whethertherebeorbenotahereafter,whethertherebeanyuseincallingaloudtotheUnseenpower,whethertherebeanUnseenpowertocallto,whateverbethetruenatureofthe\"I\"whocallandoftheobjectsaroundme,whateverbeourmeaning,ourinternalessence,ourcause(andinacertainorderofmindsdeathandtheagonyoflossinevitablyawakenthewilddesire,atothertimessmothered,tolookintothesethings),whateverbethenatureofthatwhichliesbeyondtheunbrokenwallwhichthelimitsofthehumanintellectbuilduponeveryhand,thisthingiscertain——aknifewillcutwood,andonecoggedwheelwillturnanother。Thisissure。
Waldofoundanimmeasurablesatisfactioninthehandlingofhismachine;
butDosswinkedandblinked,andthoughtitallfrightfullymonotonousoutthereontheflat,andpresentlydroppedasleep,sittingboltupright。
Suddenlyhiseyesopenedwide;somethingwascomingfromthedirectionofthehomestead。Winkinghiseyesandlookingintently,heperceiveditwasthegreymare。NowDosshadwonderedmuchoflatewhathadbecomeofhermaster。Seeingshecarriedsomeoneonherback,henowcametohisownconclusion,andbegantomovehistailviolentlyupanddown。Presentlyheprickeduponeearandlettheotherhang;histailbecamemotionless,andtheexpressionofhismouthwasoneofdecideddisapprovalborderingonscorn。Hewrinkledhislipsuponeachsideintolittlelines。
Thesandwassoft,andthegreymarecameonsonoiselesslythattheboyheardnothingtillBonapartedismounted。ThenDossgotupandmovedbackastep。HedidnotapproveofBonaparte’sappearance。Hiscostume,intruth,wasofauniquekind。Itwasacombinationofthetownandcountry。
Thetailsofhisblackclothcoatwerepinnedupbehindtokeepthemfromrubbing;hehadonapairofmoleskintrousersandleathergaiters,andinhishandhecarriedalittlewhipofrhinoceroshide。
Waldostartedandlookedup。Hadtherebeenamoment’stimehewouldhavedugaholeinthesandwithhishandsandburiedhistreasure。Itwasonlyatoyofwood,buthelovedit,asoneofnecessityloveswhathasbeenbornofhim,whetherofthefleshorspirit。Whencoldeyeshavelookedatit,thefeathersarerubbedoffourbutterfly’swingforever。
\"Whathaveyouhere,mylad?\"saidBonaparte,standingbyhim,andpointingwiththeendofhiswhiptothemedleyofwheelsandhinges。
Theboymutteredsomethinginaudible,andhalfspreadoverthething。
\"Butthisseemstobeaveryingeniouslittlemachine,\"saidBonaparte,seatinghimselfontheantheap,andbendingdownoveritwithdeepinterest。\"Whatisitfor,mylad?\"
\"Shearingsheep。\"
\"Itisaverynicelittlemachine,\"saidBonaparte。\"Howdoesitwork,now?Ihaveneverseenanythingsoingenious!\"
Therewasneveraparentwhohearddeceptioninthevoicethatpraisedhischild——hisfirst—born。Herewasonewholikedthethingthathadbeencreatedinhim。Heforgoteverything。Heshowedhowtheshearswouldworkwithalittleguidance,howthesheepwouldbeheld,andthewoolfallintothetrough。Aflushburstoverhisfaceashespoke。
\"Itellyouwhat,mylad,\"saidBonaparteemphatically,whentheexplanationwasfinished,\"wemustgetyouapatent。Yourfortuneismade。
Inthreeyears’timethere’llnotbeafarminthiscolonywhereitisn’tworking。You’reagenius,that’swhatyouare!\"saidBonaparte,rising。
\"Ifitweremadelarger,\"saidtheboy,raisinghiseyes,\"itwouldworkmoresmoothly。Doyouthinktherewouldbeanyoneinthiscolonywouldbeabletomakeit?\"
\"I’msuretheycould,\"saidBonaparte;\"andifnot,whyI’lldomybestforyou。I’llsendittoEngland。Itmustbedonesomehow。Howlonghaveyouworkedatit?\"
\"Ninemonths,\"saidtheboy。
\"Oh,itissuchanicelittlemachine,\"saidBonaparte,\"onecan’thelpfeelinganinterestinit。Thereisonlyonelittleimprovement,oneverylittleimprovement,Ishouldliketomake。\"
Bonaparteputhisfootonthemachineandcrusheditintothesand。Theboylookedupintohisface。
\"Looksbetternow,\"saidBonaparte,\"doesn’tit?Ifwecan’thaveitmadeinEnglandwe’llsendittoAmerica。Good—bye;ta—ta,\"headded。\"You’reagreatgenius,aborngenius,mydearboy,there’snodoubtaboutit。\"
Hemountedthegreymareandrodeoff。Thedogwatchedhisretreatwithcynicalsatisfaction;buthismasterlayonthegroundwithhisheadonhisarmsinthesand,andthelittlewheelsandchipsofwoodlayonthegroundaroundhim。Thedogjumpedontohisbackandsnappedattheblackcurls,till,findingthatnonoticewastaken,hewalkedofftoplaywithablackbeetle。Thebeetlewashardatworktryingtorollhomeagreatballofdungithadbeencollectingallthemorning:butDossbroketheball,andatethebeetle’shindlegs,andthenbitoffitshead。Anditwasallplay,andnoonecouldtellwhatithadlivedandworkedfor。Astriving,andastriving,andanendinginnothing。
Chapter1。XI。HeSnaps。
\"Ihavefoundsomethingintheloft,\"saidEmtoWaldo,whowaslistlesslypilingcakesoffuelonthekraalwall,aweekafter。\"Itisaboxofbooksthatbelongedtomyfather。WethoughtTantSanniehadburntthem。\"
Theboyputdownthecakehewasraisingandlookedather。
\"Idon’tthinktheyareverynice,notstories,\"sheadded,\"butyoucangoandtakeanyyoulike。\"
Sosaying,shetookuptheplateinwhichshehadbroughthisbreakfast,andwalkedofftothehouse。
Afterthattheboyworkedquickly。ThepileoffuelBonapartehadorderedhimtopackwasonthewallinhalfanhour。Hethenwenttothrowsaltontheskinslaidouttodry。Findingthepotempty,hewenttothelofttorefillit。
BonaparteBlenkins,whosedooropenedatthefootoftheladder,sawtheboygoup,andstoodinthedoorwaywaitingforhisreturn。Hewantedhisbootsblacked。Doss,findinghecouldnotfollowhismasteruptheroundbars,satpatientlyatthefootoftheladder。Presentlyhelookeduplongingly,butnooneappeared。ThenBonapartelookedupalso,andbegantocall;buttherewasnoanswer。Whatcouldtheboybedoing?TheloftwasanunknownlandtoBonaparte。Hehadoftenwonderedwhatwasupthere;
helikedtoknowwhatwasinalllocked—upplacesandout—of—the—waycorners,buthewasafraidtoclimbtheladder。SoBonapartelookedup,andinthenameofallthatwastantalizing,questionedwhattheboydidupthere。Theloftwasusedonlyasalumber—room。Whatcouldthefellowfinduptheretokeephimsolong?
CouldtheBoer—womanhavebeheldWaldoatthatinstant,anylingeringdoubtwhichmighthaveremainedinhermindastotheboy’sinsanitywouldinstantlyhavevanished。For,havingfilledthesalt—pot,heproceededtolookfortheboxofbooksamongtherubbishthatfilledtheloft。Underapileofsackshefoundit——aroughpacking—case,nailedup,butwithonelooseplank。Heliftedthat,andsawtheevenbacksofarowofbooks。Hekneltdownbeforethebox,andranhishandalongitsroughedges,asiftoassurehimselfofitsexistence。Hestuckhishandinamongthebooks,andpulledouttwo。Hefeltthem,thrusthisfingersinamongtheleaves,andcrumpledthemalittle,asaloverfeelsthehairofhismistress。Thefellowgloatedoverhistreasure。Hehadhadadozenbooksinthecourseofhislife;nowherewasamineofthemopenedathisfeet。Afterawhilehebegantoreadthetitles,andnowandagainopenedabookandreadasentence;buthewastooexcitedtocatchthemeaningsdistinctly。Atlasthecametoadull,brownvolume。Hereadthename,openeditinthecentre,andwhereheopenedbegantoread。Itwasachapteronpropertythathefellupon——Communism,Fourierism,St。Simonism,inaworkonPoliticalEconomy。Hereaddownonepageandturnedovertothenext;hereaddownthatwithoutchanginghisposturebyaninch;hereadthenext,andthenext,kneelingupallthewhilewiththebookinhishand,andhislipsparted。
Allhereadhedidnotfullyunderstand;thethoughtswerenewtohim;butthiswasthefellow’sstartledjoyinthebook——thethoughtswerehis,theybelongedtohim。Hehadneverthoughtthembefore,buttheywerehis。
Helaughedsilentlyandinternally,withthestillintensityoftriumphantjoy。
So,then,allthinkingcreaturesdidnotsenduptheonecry——\"Asthou,dearLord,hascreatedthingsinthebeginning,soaretheynow,sooughttheytobe,sowilltheybe,worldwithoutend;anditdoesn’tconcernuswhattheyare。Amen。\"Therewerementowhomnotonlykopjesandstoneswerecallingoutimperatively,\"Whatarewe,andhowcamewehere?
Understandus,andknowus;\"buttowhomeventheold,oldrelationsbetweenmanandman,andthecustomsoftheagescalled,andcouldnotbemadestillandforgotten。
Theboy’sheavybodyquiveredwithexcitement。Sohewasnotalone,notalone。Hecouldnotquitehavetoldanyonewhyhewassoglad,andthiswarmthhadcometohim。Hischeekswereburning。NowonderthatBonapartecalledinvain,andDossputhispawsontheladder,andwhinedtillthree—
quartersofanhourhadpassed。Atlasttheboyputthebookinhisbreastandbuttonedittightlytohim。Hetookupthesaltpot,andwenttothetopoftheladder。Bonaparte,withhishandsfoldedunderhiscoat—tails,lookedupwhenheappeared,andaccostedhim。
\"You’vebeenratheralongtimeupthere,mylad,\"hesaid,astheboydescendedwithatremuloushaste,mostunlikehisordinaryslowmovements。
\"Youdidn’thearmecalling,Isuppose?\"
Bonapartewhiskedthetailsofhiscoatupanddownashelookedathim。
He,BonaparteBlenkins,hadeyeswhichwereveryfar—seeing。Helookedatthepot。Itwasratherasmallpottohavetakenthree—quartersofanhourinthefilling。Helookedattheface。Itwasflushed。Andyet,TantSanniekeptnowine——hehadnotbeendrinking;hiseyeswerewideopenandbright——hehadnotbeensleeping;therewasnogirlupthere——hehadnotbeenmakinglove。Bonapartelookedathimsagaciously。Whatwouldaccountforthemarvellouschangeintheboycomingdowntheladderfromtheboygoinguptheladder?Onethingtherewas。DidnotTantSanniekeepintheloftbultongs,andnicesmokedsausages?Theremustbesomethingnicetoeatupthere!Aha!thatwasit!
Bonapartewassointerestedincarryingoutthischainofinductivereasoningthathequiteforgottohavehisbootsblacked。
Hewatchedtheboyshuffleoffwiththesalt—potunderhisarm;thenhestoodinhisdoorwayandraisedhiseyestothequietbluesky,andaudiblypropoundedthisriddletohimself:
\"Whatistheconnectionbetweenthenakedbackofacertainboywithagreatcoatonandasalt—potunderhisarm,andthetipofahorsewhip?
Answer:Noconnectionatpresent,buttherewillbesoon。\"
Bonapartewassopleasedwiththissallyofhiswitthathechuckledalittleandwenttoliedownonhisbed。
Therewasbread—bakingthatafternoon,andtherewasafirelightedinthebrickovenbehindthehouse,andTantSanniehadleftthegreatwooden—
elbowedchairinwhichshepassedherlife,andwaddledouttolookatit。
NotfaroffwasWaldo,who,havingthrownapailoffoodintothepigsty,nowleanedoverthesodwalllookingatthepigs。Halfofthestywasdry,butthelowerhalfwasapoolofmud,ontheedgeofwhichthemothersowlaywithclosedeyes,hertenlittleonessucking;thefatherpig,knee—
deepinthemud,stoodrunninghissnoutintoarottenpumpkinandwrigglinghiscurledtail。
Waldowondereddreamilyashestaredwhytheywerepleasanttolookat。
Takensinglytheywerenotbeautiful;takentogethertheywere。Wasitnotbecausetherewasacertainharmonyaboutthem?Theoldsowwassuitedtothelittlepigs,andthelittlepigstotheirmother,theoldboartotherottenpumpkin,andalltothemud。Theysuggestedthethoughtofnothingthatshouldbeadded,ofnothingthatshouldbetakenaway。And,hewonderedonvaguely,wasnotthatthesecretofallbeauty,thatyouwholookon——Sohestooddreaming,andleanedfurtherandfurtheroverthesodwall,andlookedatthepigs。
AllthistimeBonaparteBlenkinswasslopingdownfromthehouseinanaimlesssortofway;buthekeptoneeyefixedonthepigsty,andeachgyrationbroughthimnearertoit。WaldostoodlikeathingasleepwhenBonapartecamecloseuptohim。
Inolddays,whenasmallboy,playinginanIrishstreet—gutter,he,Bonaparte,hadbeenfamiliarlyknownamonghiscomradesunderthetitleofTrippingBen;this,fromtherareeaseanddexteritywithwhich,bymerelyprojectinghisfoot,hecouldprecipitateanyunfortunatecompanionontothecrownofhishead。Yearshadelapsed,andTrippingBenhadbecomeBonaparte;buttheoldgiftwasinhimstill。Hecameclosetothepigsty。
Allthedefunctmemoriesofhisboyhoodreturnedonhiminaflood,as,withanadroitmovement,heinsertedhislegbetweenWaldoandthewallandsenthimoverintothepigsty。
Thelittlepigswerestartledatthestrangeintruder,andranbehindtheirmother,whosniffedathim。TantSanniesmoteherhandstogetherandlaughed;butBonapartewasfarfromjoiningher。Lostinreverie,hegazedatthedistanthorizon。
ThesuddenreversalofheadandfeethadthrownoutthevolumethatWaldocarriedinhisbreast。Bonapartepickeditupandbegantoinspectit,astheboyclimbedslowlyoverthewall。Hewouldhavewalkedoffsullenly,buthewantedhisbook,andhewaiteduntilitshouldbegivenhim。
\"Ha!\"saidBonaparte,raisinghiseyesfromtheleavesofthebookwhichhewasexamining,\"Ihopeyourcoathasnotbeeninjured;itisofanelegantcut。Anheirloom,Ipresume,fromyourpaternalgrandfather?Itlooksnicenow。\"
\"Oh,Lord!oh!Lord!\"criedTantSannie,laughingandholdinghersides;
howthechildlooks——asthoughhethoughtthemudwouldneverwashoff。
Oh,Lord,Ishalldie!You,Bonaparte,arethefunniestmanIeversaw。\"
BonaparteBlenkinswasnowcarefullyinspectingthevolumehehadpickedup。Amongthesubjectsonwhichthedarknessofhisunderstandinghadbeenenlightenedduringhisyouth,PoliticalEconomyhadnotbeenone。Hewasnot,therefore,veryclearastowhatthenatureofthebookmightbe;andasthenameofthewriter,J。S。Mill,might,foranythingheknewtothecontrary,havebelongedtoavenerablememberoftheBritishandForeignBibleSociety,itbynomeansthrewlightuponthequestion。HewasnotinanywaysurethatPoliticalEconomyhadnothingtodowiththecheapestwayofprocuringclothingforthearmyandnavy,whichwouldbecertainlybothapoliticalandeconomicalsubject。
ButBonapartesooncametoaconclusionastothenatureofthebookanditscontents,bytheapplicationofasimplerulenowlargelyactedupon,butwhich,becominguniversal,wouldsavemuchthoughtandvaluabletime。
Itisofmarvelloussimplicity,ofinfiniteutility,ofuniversalapplicability。Itmayeasilybecommittedtomemoryandrunsthus:
Wheneveryoucomeintocontactwithanybook,person,oropinionofwhichyouabsolutelycomprehendnothing,declarethatbook,personoropiniontobeimmoral。Bespatterit,vituperateagainstit,stronglyinsistthatanymanorwomanharbouringitisafooloraknave,orboth。Carefullyabstainfromstudyingit。Doallthatinyouliestoannihilatethatbook,person,oropinion。
Actingonthisrule,sowideinitscomprehensiveness,sobeautifullysimpleinitsworking,BonaparteapproachedTantSanniewiththebookinhishand。Waldocameastepnearer,eyeingitlikeadogwhoseyounghasfallenintoevilhands。
\"Thisbook,\"saidBonaparte,\"isnotafitandproperstudyforayoungandimmaturemind。\"
TantSanniedidnotunderstandaword,andsaid:
\"What?\"
\"Thisbook,\"saidBonaparte,bringingdownhisfingerwithenergyonthecover,\"thisbookissleg,sleg,Davel,Davel!\"
TantSannieperceivedfromthegravityofhiscountenancethatitwasnolaughingmatter。Fromthewords\"sleg\"and\"Davel\"sheunderstoodthatthebookwasevil,andhadsomeconnectionwiththeprincewhopullsthewiresofeviloverthewholeearth。
\"Wheredidyougetthisbook?\"sheasked,turninghertwinklinglittleeyesonWaldo。\"IwishthatmylegsmaybeasthinasanEnglishman’sifitisn’toneofyourfather’s。HehadmoresinsthanalltheKaffersinKafferland,forallthathepretendedtobesogoodallthoseyears,andtolivewithoutawifebecausehewasthinkingoftheonethatwasdead!Asthoughtendeadwivescouldmakeupforonefatonewitharmsandlegs!\"
criedTantSannie,snorting。
\"Itwasnotmyfather’sbook,\"saidtheboysavagely。\"Igotitfromyourloft。\"
\"Myloft!mybook!Howdareyou?\"criedTantSannie。
\"ItwasEm’sfather’s。Shegaveitme,\"hemutteredmoresullenly。
\"Giveithere。Whatisthenameofit?Whatisitabout?\"sheasked,puttingherfingeruponthetitle。
Bonaparteunderstood。
\"PoliticalEconomy,\"hesaidslowly。
\"DearLord!\"saidTantSannie,\"cannotonehearfromtheverysoundwhatanungodlybookitis!Onecanhardlysaythename。Haven’twegotcursesenoughonthisfarm?\"criedTantSannie,eloquently;\"mybestimportedMerinoramdyingofnobodyknowswhat,andtheshort—horncowcastinghertwocalves,andthesheepeatenupwiththescabandthedrought?Andisthisatimetobringungodlythingsabouttheplace,tocalldownthevengeanceofAlmightyGodtopunishusmore?Didn’ttheministertellmewhenIwasconfirmednottoreadanybookexceptmyBibleandhymn—book,thatthedevilwasinalltherest?AndIneverhavereadanyotherbook,\"
saidTantSanniewithvirtuousenergy,\"andIneverwill!\"
Waldosawthatthefateofhisbookwassealed,andturnedsullenlyonhisheel。
\"SoyouwillnotstaytohearwhatIsay!\"criedTantSannie。\"There,takeyourPolity—gollity—gominy,yourdevil’sbook!\"shecried,flingingthebookathisheadwithmuchenergy。
Itmerelytouchedhisforeheadononesideandfelltotheground。
\"Goon,\"shecried;\"Iknowyouaregoingtotalktoyourself。Peoplewhotalktothemselvesalwaystalktothedevil。Goandtellhimallaboutit。
Go,go!run!\"criedTantSannie。
Buttheboyneitherquickenednorslackenedhispace,andpassedsullenlyroundthebackofthewagon—house。
Bookshavebeenthrownatotherheadsbeforeandsincethatsummerafternoon,byhandsmorewhiteanddelicatethanthoseoftheBoer—woman;
butwhethertheresultoftheprocesshasbeeninanycasewhollysatisfactory,maybequestioned。Welovethatwithapeculiartenderness,wetreasureitwithapeculiarcare,ithasforusquiteafictitiousvalue,forwhichwehavesuffered。Ifwemaynotcarryitanywhereelsewewillcarryitinourhearts,andalwaystotheend。
BonaparteBlenkinswenttopickupthevolume,nowloosenedfromitscover,whileTantSanniepushedthestumpsofwoodfurtherintotheoven。
Bonapartecameclosetoher,tappedthebookknowingly,nodded,andlookedatthefire。TantSanniecomprehended,and,takingthevolumefromhishand,threwitintothebackoftheoven。Itlayupontheheapofcoals,smoked,flared,andblazed,andthe\"PoliticalEconomy\"wasnomore——goneoutofexistence,likemanyanotherpoorhereticoffleshandblood。
Bonapartegrinned,andtowatchtheprocessbroughthisfacesoneartheovendoorthatthewhitehaironhiseyebrowsgotsinged。Hetheninquirediftherewereanymoreintheloft。
Learningthattherewere,hemadesignsindicativeoftakinguparmfulsandflingingthemintothefire。ButTantSanniewasdubious。ThedeceasedEnglishmanhadleftallhispersonaleffectsspeciallytohischild。ItwasallverywellforBonapartetotalkofburningthebooks。Hehadhadhishairspirituallypulled,andshehadnowishtorepeathisexperience。
Sheshookherhead。Bonapartewasdispleased。Butthenahappythoughtoccurredtohim。Hesuggestedthatthekeyoftheloftshouldhenceforthbeputintohisownsafecareandkeeping——noonegainingpossessionofitwithouthispermission。TothisTantSanniereadilyassented,andthetwowalkedlovinglytothehousetolookforit。
Chapter1。XII。HeBites。
BonaparteBlenkinswasridinghomeonthegreymare。Hehadriddenoutthatafternoon,partlyforthebenefitofhishealth,partlytomaintainhischaracterasoverseerofthefarm。Asherodeonslowly,hethoughtfullytouchedtheearsofthegreymarewithhiswhip。
\"No,Bon,myboy,\"headdressedhimself,\"don’tpropose!Youcan’tmarryforfouryears,onaccountofthewill;thenwhypropose?Wheedleher,tweedleher,teedleher,butdon’tlethermakesureofyou。Whenawoman,\"saidBonaparte,sagelyrestinghisfingeragainstthesideofhisnose,\"Whenawomanissureofyoushedoeswhatshelikeswithyou;butwhensheisn’t,youdowhatyoulikewithher。AndI——\"saidBonaparte。
Herehedrewthehorseupsuddenlyandlooked。Hewasnowclosetothehouse,andleaningoverthepigstywall,incompanywithEm,whowasshowingherthepigs,wasastrangefemalefigure。Itwasthefirstvisitorthathadappearedonthefarmsincehisarrival,andhelookedatherwithinterest。Shewasatall,pudgygirloffifteen,weighingahundredandfiftypounds,withbaggypendulouscheeksandup—turnednose。
ShestrikinglyresembledTantSannie,informandfeature,buthersleepygoodeyeslackedthattwinklethatdweltintheBoer—woman’ssmallorbs。
Shewasattiredinabrightgreenprint,worebrassringsinherearsandglassbeadsroundherneck,andwassuckingthetipofherlargefingerasshelookedatthepigs。