[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Josephine, and E. W. B. Childers (rather deeply-lined in the jaws
226
by daylight), and The Little Wonder of Scholastic Equitation, and,
in a word, all the company.
Amazing creatures they were in Louisa s eyes, so white and pink of
complexion, so scant of dress, and so demonstrative of leg; but it
was very agreeable to see them crowding about Sissy, and very
natural in Sissy to be unable to refrain from tears.
There! Now Thethilia hath kithd all the children, and hugged all
the women, and thaken handth all round with all the men, clear,
every one of you, and ring in the band for the thecond part!
As soon as they were gone, he continued in a low tone. Now,
Thethilia, I don t athk to know any thecreth, but I thuppothe I may
conthider thith to be Mith Thquire. This is his sister. Yes. And
t other one th daughter. That h what I mean. Hope I thee you well,
mith. And I hope the Thquire th well? My father will be here
soon, said Louisa, anxious to bring him to the point.
Is my brother safe? Thafe and thound! he replied. I want you
jutht to take a peep at the Ring, mith, through here. Thethilia, you
know the dodgeth; find a thpy-hole for yourthelf. They each
looked through a chink in the boards.
That h Jack the Giant Killer- piethe of comic infant bithnith; said
Sleary.
There th a property-houthe, you thee, for Jack to hide in; thereth
my Clown with a thauthepan-lid and a thpit, for Jack th thervant;
there th little Jack himthelf in a thplendid thoot of armour; there th
two comic black thervanth twithe ath big ath the houthe, to thtand
by it and to bring it in and clear it; and the Giant (a very
ecthpenthive bathket one), he an t on yet. Now, do you thee em
all? Yes, they both said.
Look at em again, said Sleary, look at em well. You thee em all?
Very good. Now, mith; he put a form for them to sit on; I have my
opinionth, and the Thquire your father hath hith. I don t want to
know what your brother th been up to; ith better for me not to
know. All I thay ith, the Thquire hath thtood by Thethilia, and I ll
thtand by the Thquire. Your brother ith one o them black
thervanth. Louisa uttered an exclamation, partly of distress, partly
of satisfaction.
Ith a fact, said Sleary, and even knowin it, you couldn t put your
finger on him. Let the Thquire come. I thall keep your brother here
after the performanth. I thant undreth him, nor yet wath hith paint
off. Let the Thquire come here after the performanth, and you thall
find your brother, and have the whole plathe to talk to him in.
Never mind the lookth of him, ath long ath heth well hid. Louisa,
with many thanks and with a lightened load, detained Mr Sleary
227
no longer then. She left her love for her brother, with her eyes full
of tears; and she and Sissy went away until later in the afternoon.
Mr Gradgrind arrived within an hour afterwards. He too had
encountered no one whom he knew; and was now sanguine, with
Sleary s assistance, of getting his disgraced son to Liverpool in the
night. As neither of the three could be his companion without
almost identifying him under any disguise, he prepared a letter to
a correspondent whom he could trust, beseeching him to ship the
bearer off, at any cost, to North or South America, or any distant
part of the world to which he could be the most speedily and
privately dispatched. This done, they walked about, waiting for the
Circus to be quite vacated; not only by the audience, but by the
company and by the horses. After watching it a long time, they saw
Mr Sleary bring out a chair and sit down by the side-door,
smoking; as if that were his signal that they might approach.
Your thervant, Thquire, was his cautious salutation as they passed
in. If you want me you ll find me here. You muthn t mind your
thon having a comic livery on. They all three went in; and Mr
Gradgrind sat down, forlorn, on the Clown s performing chair in
the middle of the ring. On one of the back benches, remote in the
subdued light and the strangeness of the place, sat the villainous
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]