"Long, John Luther - Purple-Eyes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Long John Luther)

"What is thatЧopen you' head, an' blooming you' head?"
Garland informed her.
"Oh-h-h!" laughed the dark one. "Tha' 's way know yo' 'fore open you' bloom-ing
head!"
She suddenly reached into the bosom of the kimono of the blue-eyed one, and
brought forth a photograph of Garland; whereat Garland got red again, and again
the blue-eyed one drooped her head,
"Oh, I say," Garland began, without a very distinct idea of what he was going to
say, "Brownie sent you thatЧaha, ha, ha!"Чhe had happily drifted into the very
thingЧ"and wrote you that I would arrive with a letter from him; so that you
would know meЧyou know; and of course when I arrivedЧof course when I
arrivedЧwhy, of courseЧoh, hang it!"
They both waited breathlessly upon his words.
"Of course," echoed Black-Eyes, sympatheticallyЧ"of courseЧtha' 's correc', an'
tha' 's alsoЧnize. Of courseЧyou arrive when you arrive."
Garland wondered whether she was guying him.
"YesЧwhy, of course," said he once more, and a laugh en masse cleared the air.
Garland, in a panic, was searching his pockets.
"What lot pockets!" sighed Black-Eyes, insidiously desiring to compose his
nerves.
"Sixteen," admitted Garland. "I wish they were only one, just now. By Jove, I've
lost that letter!"
The graceful mother arrived with the tobacco bon (there appeared to be no
servant), and Garland, professing an ignorance which seems problematical after
three months in Japan, desired to be initiated into the art and mystery of the
Japanese pipe. The tender was made to Purple-Eyes, but Black-Eyes undertook it.
"So," she said, rolling a pellet of the tobacco, and putting it into the pipe;
"an' so," as she fearlessly put a live coal upon it with her fingers; "so," as
she put it to her own lips and sent out a tiny puff; "an'Чan'Чan' so!" as she
laughed and put it to his. And yet Garland found himself wishing that the other
one had done it, and believing that she could do it better! And this, you
perceive, was already perilous business.
It was afternoon when Garland arrived, and the mother's actions, though covered
by diplomatic entrances and exits, with a view to impressing him to the
contrary, indicated to him that she was cooking. And presently Purple-Eyes got
up and lighted the andon. Garland, who delighted in her grace of motion, had not
yet learned that each movement was the result of much study and the practice of
many stoical rules of decorum. However, he rose as far as his knees, and said he
must go. A glance of alarm passed between the girls, and both stiffened in
consternation.
"Sa-ayЧtha' 's not nize for us," accused the dark one, with valor. "Brownie he
write unto us that you so kine with him, you give him you' las' pair boots, an'
go naked on you' both feet. Tha' 's way we got do you. ButЧaccount you go'n' go
'way, we can not. Hence we got be always 'shamed 'fore BrownieЧan' aeverybody.
Tha' 's not nizeЧfor us." Garland had not risen above his knees, and she came
hopefully forward. "Please don' go 'way!" She turned to Purple-Eyes in the
peremptory way that Garland resented. "Sa-ayЧwhy you don' as' him stay among us?
Sa-ayЧdon' you wish?"
Garland's eyes followed. Unconsciously they besought her.
"We ligЧif you stayЧamong us," said Purple-Eyes, haltingly.