Part 44 (1/2)
Robert turned his head slightly, inspected his father with a judicial detachment that hardly escaped the inimical, and then resumed his book
(”No one would think,” said Edward Henry to himself, ”that the person who has just entered this roohtened of West End theatrical ers”)
”'Ello, father!” shrilled Ralph ”Come and help me to stand on this wire-rope”
”It isn't a wire-rope,” said Robert fro, ”it's a brass-rail”
”Yes, it is a wire-rope, because I can”Anyhow, it's going to be a wire-rope”
Maisie siers into her mouth, shi+fted to one side, and smiled at her father in a style of heavenly and mischievous flirtatiousness
”Well, Robert, what are you reading?” Edward Henry inquired, in his best fatherly manner--half authoritative and half humorous--while he formed part of the staff of Ralph's circus
”I's,” replied Robert
Edward Henry, knowing that the discipline of filial politeness s'--what?”
”Learning s, father,” Robert consented to say, but with a savage air of giving way to the unreasonable demands of affected fools Why indeed should it be necessary in conversation always to end one's sentence with the name or title of the person addressed?
”Well, would you like to go to London with me?”
”When?” the boy demanded cautiously He still did not move, but his ears seemed to prick up
”To-morrow?”
”No thanksfather” His ears ceased their activity
”No? Why not?”
”Because there's a spellings exa to be top-boy”
It was a fact that the infant (whose prograed in advance, and were in his mind absolutely unalterable) could spell the most obstreperous words Quite conceivably he could spell better than his father, who still showed an occasional tendency to write ”separate” with three ”e's” and only one ”a”
”London's a fine place,” said Edward Henry
”I know,” said Robert, negligently
”What's the population of London?”
”I don't know,” said Robert, with curtness; though he added after a pause, ”But I can spell population--p,o,p,u,l,a,t,i,o,n”
”_I_'ll co good-naturedly
”Will you!” said his father
”Fahver,” asked Maisie, wriggling, ”have you brought me a doll?”
”I'm afraid I haven't”