And Mr. Carne, Frank's friend, encourages it."
"The less you have to say about that young man, the better. And the less
he has to say to any child of mine, the better, both for him and her, I
say. I know that the age is turned upside down. But I'll not have that
sort of thing at my table."
When a kind and indulgent father breaks forth thus, the result is
consternation, followed by anxiety about his health. Faith glanced at
Dolly, who was looking quite bewildered, and the two girls withdrew
without a word. Johnny was already gone to visit Captain Stubbard, with
whose eldest daughter Maggie and the cannons of the battery he was by
this time desperately in love; and poor Frank was left to have it out
with the angry father.
"I very seldom speak harshly, my boy," said the Admiral, drawing near
his son gradually, for his wrath (like good vegetables) was very short
of staple; "and when I do so you may feel quite certain that there is
sound reason at the bottom of it"--here he looked as if his depth was
unfathomable. "It is not only that I am not myself, because of the many
hours spent upon hard leather, and vile chalks of flint that go by me
half asleep, when I ought to be snoring in the feathers; neither has it
anything to do with my consuming the hide of some quadruped for dinner,
instead of meat. And the bread is made of rye, if of any grain at all;
I rather think of spent tan, kneaded up with tallow ends, such as I have
seen cast by in bushels, when the times were good.
Pages:
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362