_Well_!" she kissed Imogen's nose
again, from sheer enjoyment, and threw her head back with a laugh
of delight. "I'm coming to it now, Imogen!" she cried. "At last the
minister took down a big book--OH! you precious old thing, how I love
you!" (this apostrophe was addressed to the quarto volume which she
was now hugging rapturously), "and said, 'Well, Captain January,
here's the best book in the world, _next_ to the Good Book!' he says.
'You'll take this,' he says, 'as my gift to you and the child; and
with these two books to guide you, the child's edication won't go
far wrong!' he says; and then he gave Daddy the dictionary, too,
Imogen; but I sha'n't tell you about that, because it's a brute, and
I hate and 'spise it. But--well! _so_, you see, _that_ was the way
I got my Willum Shakespeare, my joy and my pride, my--"
At this moment a shadow fell upon the grass, and a deep, gruff voice
was heard, saying, "Star, ahoy!" The child started up, and turned
to meet the newcomer with a joyous smile. "Why, Bob!" she cried,
seizing one of his hands in both of hers, and dancing round and round
him. "Where did you come from? Why aren't you on the boat?"
"Boat's aground!" replied the person addressed as Bob.
Pages:
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46