Part 5 (1/2)
”I say, what's that you're darning?” he said quickly.
”It's a sock,” said Pollyooly.
”It looks more like a sack than a sock. Whose sock is it?” said Mr.
Reginald b.u.t.terwick; and there was a faint note of anxiety in his tone.
”It's Mr. Vance's sock,” said Pollyooly; and with gentle pride she held it up in a fas.h.i.+on to display its full proportions.
Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick took two or three nervous steps to the right, looking askance at the sock as he moved. It was not really as large as a sack.
”Big man, your guv'ner? Eh?” he said in a finely careless tone.
”I should think he was!” cried Pollyooly with enthusiasm.
Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick looked still more earnestly at the sock and said:
”One of those tall lanky chaps--eh?”
”He's tall, but he isn't lanky--not a bit,” said Pollyooly quickly.
”He's tremendously big--broad and thick as well as tall, you know.
He's more like a giant than a man.”
”Oh, I know those giants--flabby--flabby,” said Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick; and he laughed a short, scoffing laugh which rang uneasy.
”He's not flabby!” cried Pollyooly indignantly. ”He's tremendously strong. Why--why--when he heard you were coming he smashed that chair and kicked it into the corner just because he was annoyed.”
Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick looked at the smallish fragments of the chair in the corner; and his face became the face of a quiet, respectable clerk.
”He did, did he?” he said coldly.
”Yes, and he wanted to tear you limb from limb. He said so,” said Pollyooly.
”That's a game two can play at,” said Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick; but his tone lacked conviction.
”Oh, he'd do it--quite easily,” said Pollyooly confidently.
Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick stared at her and then at the sock. He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again. Then he whistled a short, defiant whistle which went out of tune toward the end. Then he walked the length of the studio and back. Then he stopped and said to Pollyooly very fiercely:
”Do you think I've got nothing else to do but wait here all the afternoon for your precious guv'ner to come home to tea?”
”I don't know,” said Pollyooly politely.
”Well, I have--plenty,” said Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick savagely.
Pollyooly said nothing.
”And what's more, I'm going to do it!” said Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick yet more savagely; and he strode firmly to the door. On the threshold he paused and added: ”But you tell your guv'ner from me--Mr. Reginald b.u.t.terwick--that he hasn't seen the last of me--not by a long chalk.