Amazement bereft him of the
power of speech when, on succeeding in this effort, he found that his
feet came in contact with a perfect hillock of empty bottles,
oyster-shells, and broken crockery, heaped under the table. "Good
gracious me! I hope I'm doing no mischief!" exclaimed Valentine, as a
miniature avalanche of oyster-shells clattered down on his intruding
foot, and a plump bottle with a broken neck rolled lazily out from
under the table-cloth, and courted observation on the open floor.
"Kick about, dear old fellow, kick about as much as you please," cried
Zack, seating himself opposite Mr. Blyth, and bringing down a second
avalanche of oyster-shells to encourage him. "The fact is, we are
rather put to it for space here, so we keep the cloth always laid for
dinner, and make a temporary lumber-room of the place under the table.
Rather a new idea that, I think--not tidy perhaps, but original and
ingenious, which is much better."
"Amazingly ingenious!" said Valentine, who was now beginning to be
amused as well as surprised by his reception in Kirk Street. "Rather
untidy, perhaps, as you say, Zack; but new, and not disagreeable I
suppose when you're used to it. What I like about all this," continued
Mr.
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