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The Golden Age-Part16_Kenneth Grahame(1859-1932)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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overlook it, without the liniment of an offering to soothe her

injured feelings.



"I know what she wants most," said Harold. "She wants that set

of tea-things in the toy-shop window, with the red and blue



flowers on 'em; she's wanted it for months, 'cos her dolls are

getting big enough to have real afternoon tea; and she wants it



so badly that she won't walk that side of the street when we go

into the town. But it costs five shillings!"



Then we set to work seriously, and devoted the afternoon to a

realisation of assets and the composition of a Budget that might



have been dated without shame from Whitehall. The result worked

out as follows:--



s. d.

By one uncle, unspent through having been



lost for nearly a week--turned up at last

in the straw of the dog-kennel . . . . 2 6



----

Carry forward, 2 6



s. d.

Brought forward, 2 6



By advance from me on security of next

uncle, and failing that, to be called in at



Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0

By shaken out of missionary-box with the



help of a knife-blade. (They were our

own pennies and a forced levy) . . . . . 0 4



By bet due from Edward, for walking across

the field where Farmer Larkin's bull was,



and Edward bet him twopence he wouldn't

--called in with difficulty . . . . . . 0 2



By advance from Martha, on no security at

all, only you mustn't tell your aunt . . . 1 0



----

Total 5 0



and at last we breathed again.

The rest promised to be easy. Selina had a tea-party at five on



the morrow, with the chipped old wooden tea-things that had

served her successive dolls from babyhood. Harold would slip off



directly after dinner, going alone, so as not to arouse

suspicion, as we were not allowed to go into the town by



ourselves. It was nearly two miles to our small metropolis, but

there would be plenty of time for him to go and return, even



laden with the olive-branch neatly packed in shavings; besides,

he might meet the butcher, who was his friend and would give



him a lift. Then, finally, at five, the rapture of the new tea-

service, descended from the skies; and, retribution made, making-



up at last, without loss of dignity. With the event before us,

we thought it a small thing that twenty-four hours more of



alienation and pretended sulks must be kept up on Harold's part;

but Selina, who naturally knew nothing of the treat in store for



her, moped for the rest of the evening, and took a very heavy

heart to bed.



When next day the hour for action arrived, Harold evaded Olympian

attention with an easy modesty born of long practice, and made



off for the front gate. Selina, who had been keeping her eye

upon him, thought he was going down to the pond to catch frogs, a



joy they had planned to share together, and made after him; but

Harold, though he heard her footsteps, continued sternly on his



high mission, without even looking back; and Selina was left to

wander disconsolately among flower-beds that had lost--for her--



all scent and colour. I saw it all, and although cold reason

approved our line of action, instinct told me we were brutes.



Harold reached the town--so he recounted afterwards--in

record time, having run most of the way for fear the tea-things,



which had reposed six months in the window, should be snapped up

by some other conscience-stricken lacerator of a sister's



feelings; and it seemed hardly credible to find them still there,

and their owner willing to part with them for the price marked on



the ticket. He paid his money down at once, that there should be

no drawing back from the bargain; and then, as the things had to



be taken out of the window and packed, and the afternoon was yet




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