The originals of these objects,
so the dealer informs me, are sold for very considerable sums of
money; in addition to which," went on Mr. Basket, lucidly, "he
carries them in a tray on his head, which, in the case of marble,
would be out of the question; and, as it is, how he contrives to keep
'em balanced passes my understanding. But he is an intelligent
fellow, and becomes very communicative as soon as he finds out you
have leanings for Art. Here's a group, for instance--Cupid and
Fisky--in the nude."
"But, excuse me--" The Major stepped back and rubbed his chin
dubiously, for some careful hand had adorned the lovers with kilts of
pink wool in crochet work, and Psyche, in addition, wore a neat pink
turnover.
"The artist _designed_ 'em in the nude, but Maria worked the
petticoats, having very decided views, for which I don't blame her.
It keeps off the birds, too: not that the birds could do the same
damage here as in an ordinary garden."
"I can well believe that."
"But we were talking of oyster shells. They are, as I say, our
stand-by. To be sure, you can't procure 'em all the year round, like
marrow bones for instance; but, as I tell Maria, from a gardening
point of view that's almost a convenience. You can work at your beds
whenever there's an 'r' in the month, and then, during the summer,
take a spell, look about, and enjoy the results. Besides, it leaves
you free to plan out new improvements.
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