Part 31 (2/2)
Shanks said nothing and Ji Jake remarked: ”I allow you had to be firm, but I don't like it, Jim
Those fellows are e call bad ainst worse”
”That's so All the same, I wish you had been able to leave them alone”
”I can't leave them alone, because the dyke must cross that corner of the creek They're about the meanest whites I've met, and I certainly don't want them at Bank-end I'd sooner they took the hundred pounds and quit”
”How do they live?”
”By wildfowling and fishi+ng, though I'm told they snare rabbits and poach pheasants”
”Well, I suppose you're giving Shanks his chance of ood The trouble is, he's forced to take the chance, whether he wants or not
Sos than decent citizens”
”Do you think one ought to indulge their prejudice?”
”I don't,” Jake admitted ”It would be bad econoo and talked about Jirass where the silver-weed spread its carpet of yelloers They tra creeks where tall reeds shook their bent leaves in the searching wind Light and shadow sped across thewhite and black, circled above the sands Jake got a sense of space and loneliness he had not expected to feel in England, but he smiled as he noted Jim's brisk step and the sparkle in his eyes He knew his co to conquer and the struggle would absorb his energies
Next day Jim returned to thetools, and driving back in the afternoon, hesitated as he got near the cross road that led to Whitelees He wanted to see Evelyn, and Mrs Halliday had told hinificant that he wanted also to get on with his draining plans Seeing Evelyn was a satisfaction he unconsciously reserved for his leisure; she was not, like Carrie, to so partner and critic He took the road to Whitelees and sht her keen: it was possible that she was sometimes bored
Mrs Halliday received hiave him tea in beautiful china He was half-afraid to handle the fragile cup and plate and hesitated about eating his slice of dainty cake He had been exaht his clothes s and aard By and by Mrs Halliday asked what had occupied him in town, and he told her about his plans
Evelyn looked interested
”If you begin your dyke where you propose, won't Shanks' dabbin be in the way?”
”The dabbin must come down,” Jim replied
A question fro his intervieith Shanks, and Evelyn said, ”Could you not have left the old e? After all, it is picturesque”
”It isn't picturesque when you are near Does beauty go with dirt and neglect?”
”Perhaps it does not I suppose the old Greeks gave us our standard of beauty and they attained it by careful cultivation For all that, they rather conventionalized their type and one likes people with pluck enough to strike an independent note To some extent, one can sympathize with Shanks, because he won't be clean by rule”
Jihed ”Oh,” she said, ”we don't copy the Greeks! Theirline: but we are luxuriously raceful plan to leave Shanks alone”
”It wouldn't have been sound You can't neglect a job that ought to be put over, because you'd like to be graceful”
”You're not Greek,” said Evelyn ”You're Roman”