Chapter 71
weight on the other foot; the straw seat of the stool gave way, and
the flying Mercury came down with a crash, amid shrieks of laughter
from the girls. Being accustomed to ground and lofty tumbling, he
quickly recovered himself, and hopped gaily about, with one leg
through the stool as he improvised a classic jig.
'Thanks for four nice little pictures. You have given me an idea, and
I think some time we will get up regular tableaux of this sort and
march our company round a set of dissolving views. New and striking;
I'll propose it to our manager and give you all the glory,' said Mrs
Jo, as they strolled towards the room whence came the clash of glass
and china, and glimpses of agitated black coats.
Let us follow the example of our old friends and stroll about among
the young people, eavesdropping, so gathering up various little
threads to help in the weaving of the story. George and Dolly were at
supper, and having served the ladies in their care stood in a corner
absorbing nourishment of all kinds with a vain attempt to conceal
hearty appetites under an air of elegant indifference.
'Good spread, this; Laurence does things in style. First-rate coffee,
but no wine, and that's a mistake,' said Stuffy, who still deserved
his name, and was a stout youth with a heavy eye and bilious
complexion.
'Bad for boys, he says. Jove! wish he could see us at some of our
wines. Don't we just "splice the main brace" as Emil says,' answered
Dolly, the dandy, carefully spreading a napkin over the glossy
expanse of shirt-front whereon a diamond stud shone like a lone star.
His stutter was nearly outgrown; but he, as well as George, spoke in
the tone of condescension, which, with the blase airs they assumed,
made a very funny contrast to their youthful faces and foolish
remarks. Good-hearted little fellows both, but top-heavy with the
pride of being Sophs and the freedom that college life gave them.
'Little Jo is getting to be a deuced pretty girl, isn't she?' said
George, with a long sigh of satisfaction as his first mouthful of ice