United States or Czechia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Lessingham for a time," she began, "I feel very reluctant to ask for explanations of anything you do, but I must confess to a certain curiosity as to why I should find you lunching at the Canton with two very beautiful ladies, a few days ago, when you left here with Jimmy Dumble to fish for whiting; and also why you return here on a trawler which belongs to another part of the coast?"
He felt he simply had to throw something, or do something desperate. Betty's basket, still well supplied, was hanging on her arm close beside him. With one grab he seized the contents, and first an apple went flying through the air, then a paper packet. Tonkin, the fireman, caught the apple deftly; the packet hit Dumble on the chest, and dropped to the floor.
4 P.M.: I telephoned to the regimental sergeant-major and told him to come up with the mess cart and the G.S. waggon for remaining kit, and ordered the servants to pack up. Twenty minutes later Dumble returned, dusty and dispirited. "Well, Dumble, what news?" inquired the colonel quickly.
"Maybe it's as well for us, sir, as they don't," was the cautious reply. Sir Henry strolled to the further end of the room. "Perhaps you are right, Jimmy," he admitted. "That fellow Ben Oates seems to be the only one with ideas." "He don't keep sober long enough to give us any trouble," Dumble declared.
Oh, I was so angry I didn't know what to do, and I'm never going to speak to Dumble again. I hope I never see him." The corners of Kitty's mouth twitched, but she did not dare to laugh. "I expect he thought he was doing right," she said excusingly. "He couldn't have helped you to run away; he would have been sent to jail.
"No, but it looked at me as if it wanted to, and I ran until I came to the railway; and after a long time, when it was nearly dark, I saw some red lights coming and heard a noise, and that was the 'Rover. I I didn't like the woods at night, so I went up and shouted and signalled to Dumble, and asked him if he knew anybody who wanted a servant, 'cause I'd left home for good, and wanted a 'place. I didn't tell him who I was, and I thought he wouldn't know me.
I quickened my step, and walked forward to where A Battery moved along the same road. "Hullo, Dumble," I said. "You and C are running as separate batteries again, aren't you? How did you leave the cider-cellar?" "We came back from there at about 5 P.M." There was a big discussion as to whether we should come farther back.
By 11 A.M. Division issued instructions for all gun dumps to be made up that night to 500 rounds per gun. "Stiff fighting ahead," commented the colonel. At three o'clock Dumble, who was commanding A Battery, Major Bullivant having gone on leave, reported that the Americans were withdrawing from the knoll to trenches four hundred yards in rear, where they were reorganising their position.
The man staggered to his feet; the horse struggled where he fell, but did not rise. His shoulder was broken. "We have him!" yelled Dumble. "Yes; we have him," repeated my brother. "Suppose we take a look at him?" The thief had abandoned all idea of escape. He stood beside his horse, waiting for us; but at the distance we could not determine whether he intended to surrender quietly or to fight.
Ajax adjusted his glasses, and glanced through them. Then, with an exclamation, he handed them to me. "Kin ye make him out, boys?" asked our neighbour. "Yes," said I, giving back the glasses to Ajax. He handed them in silence to old man Dumble. Then, instinctively, both our right hands went to our belts. We were not quite sure what a father might do.
Word Of The Day