United States or Democratic Republic of the Congo ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Zanti's smile, he was the little boy back again in Tan's shop with the old suit of armour, the beads and silver and Eastern cloths, and out beyond the window, the sea was breaking upon the wooden jetty.... He put the picture away from him and rushed to greet the two of them. "Zanti!... Stephen!... Oh! how splendid! How perfectly, perfectly splendid!" Mr.
He puzzled his brain to recall the connection and then, as he passed Zachary Tan's shop, the figure turned in and showed, for a moment, his face. It was that strange man from London, Mr. Emilio Zanti....
It is black now, but in a moment the flames of the sun will leap upon it, and good omens will send them all singing down the hill. On Tuesday evening Peter slipped for a moment into Zachary Tan's shop and told Mr. Zanti that he would be on the station platform at half-past seven on the following morning. He could scarcely speak for excitement. He was also filled with a penetrating sadness.
The farm was exceedingly interesting, and then there was dinner, and it was not until the meal had been cleared away that Peter remembered that he wanted to ask some questions, and then Stephen interrupted him with: "Like to go to Zachary Tan's with me this afternoon, boy? I've got to be lookin' in." Peter jumped to his feet with excitement. "Oh! Steve! This afternoon this very afternoon?"
This seemed to Peter, at this moment of a whole welter of doubt and confusion and misunderstanding of people's motives and positions, to explain a great deal. Was that the reason why he'd been so happy in old Zachary Tan's shop years ago? Why he'd been happy through all that existence at the bookshop, those absurd unreal conspirators happy, yes, even when starving with Stephen in Bucket Lane.
Zachary Tan's shop became at last the word in Treliss for all that was strange and unusual the strongest link with London and other curious places. He had a little back room behind his shop, where he would welcome his friends, give them something to drink and talk about the world.
He went once or twice to Zachary Tan's shop, but he did not see Mr. Zanti again nor any one who spoke of London. He had not, however, forgotten Mr. Zanti's talk of looking-glasses. As he grew and his mind distinguished more clearly between fact and fancy, he saw that it was foolish to suppose that one saw anything in looking-glasses but the immediate view.
It was the most exciting thing possible. Zachary Tan's was the curiosity shop of Treliss and famous even twenty years ago throughout the south country. It is still there, I believe, although Zachary himself is dead and with him has departed most of the atmosphere of the place, and it is now smart and prosperous, although in those days it was dark and dingy enough.
She came behind his chair and, half afraid, let her hand rest upon his thin shoulder. Wonder of wonders! Billy did not shake off the unfamiliar caress. On the contrary he smiled into the work-worn face above him. "Ain't Billy terrible speckled when the tan's off?" Maggie broke in, "and his hair's as red as my flannel petticoat." Peggy cast a threatening glance at her daughter.
An instant and he would be free of all his troubles but after all that was the weakling's way; he had not altogether forgotten those words spoken so long ago by old Moses.... So much for the pause. Suddenly, one dark February afternoon the curtain was rung up outside Zachary Tan's shop and Peter was whirled into the centre of the stage. Peter had not seen Zachary Tan for a long time.
Word Of The Day