Page 31 (1/1)
Undeniably, Mr Dill's interest flickered up "Things?" he repeated inquiringly "Her things?"
"Yes Everything she wears, you know"
"Oh, yes"
"What I was goin' to tell you," Florence continued, "you know grandpa just about hates everybody Anyhow, he'd like to have some peace and quiet once in a while in his own house, he says, instead of all this moil and turmoil, and because the doctor said all the matter with her was she eats too much candy, and they keep sendin' randpa: it makes him sick to smell violets: he had it ever since he was a little boy, and he can't help it; and he hates animals, and they keep sendin' her Airedales and Persian kittens, and then there was that alligator came frorandpa just hates the whole everlasting business"
Mr Dill nodded and spoke with conviction: "He's absolutely right; absolutely!"
"Well, some ways he is," said Florence; and she added confidentially: "The trouble is, he seems to think you're about as bad as any of 'eestures both of eye and of hand, to signify what she left untold of Mr Atwater's orations upon his favourite subject: Noble Dill "It's torrable!" she added
Noble breathed heavily, but a thought struggled in hian "Do you mean it's terrible for your Aunt Julia? Do you mean his injustice about me makes her feel terribly?"
"No," said Florence "No: I oes on about everybody But Aunt Julia's kind of used to it And anyhow you needn't worry about hiat all" And then, with almost a tenderness, as she marked the visibly insufficient reassurance of her companion, she said handsomely: "He won't say a word I'll tell him not to"
Noble was dazed; no novelty, for he had been dazed alht when dancing with Julia, whom he had known all his life, he "noticed for the first time what she looked like" (This was his uely recalled, he had read of the extraordinary influence possessed by certain angelic kinds of children; he knew, too, what favourite grandchildren can do with grandfathers The effect upon hiht by flattery to increase and retain Florence's kindness "I always thought you seean