Nice and streaky,
ain't it?" Here the host of the evening stuck his fork into a slice of
bacon, and politely passed it over his shoulder for Mr. Blyth to
inspect, as he stood bewildered in the middle of the room.
"Oh, delicious, delicious!" cried Valentine, smelling as daintily at
the outstretched bacon as if it had been a nosegay. "Really, my dear
sir--." He said no more; for at that moment he tripped himself up upon
one of some ten or a dozen bottle-corks which lay about on the carpet
where he was standing. There is very little doubt, if Zack had not been
by to catch him, that Mr. Blyth would just then have concluded his
polite remarks on the bacon by measuring his full length on the floor.
"Why don't you put him into a chair?" growled Mat, looking round
reproachfully from the frying-pan, as Valentine recovered his erect
position again with young Thorpe's assistance.
"I was just going to swab up that part of the carpet when you came in,"
said Zack, apologetically, as he led Mr. Blyth to a chair.
"Oh don't mention it," answered Valentine, laughing. "It was all my
awkwardness."
He stopped abruptly again. Zack had placed him with his back to the
fire, against a table covered with a large and dirty cloth which flowed
to the floor, and under which, while he was speaking, he had been
gently endeavoring to insinuate his legs.
Pages:
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483