Or supposing both those men loved the girl, who loved one of them! Then would Carinthia be less reluctantly interested in their blows.
Her infant logic stumbled on for a reason while she repressed the torture the scene was becoming, as though a reason could be found by her submissive observation of it. And she was right in believing that a reason for the scene must or should exist. Only, like other bewildered instinctive believers, she could not summon the great universe or a life’s experience to unfold it. Her one consolation was in squeezing the hand of the girl from time to time.
Not stealthily done, it was not objected to by the husband whose eye was on all. But the persistence in doing it sank her from the benignity of her station to the girl’s level: it was conduct much too raw, and grated on the deed of the man who had given her his name.
Madge pleased him better. She had the right to be excited, and she was very little demonstrative. She had--well, in justice, the couple of them had, only she had it more--the tone of the women who can be screwed to witness a spill of blood, peculiarly catching to hear;--a tone of every string in them snapped except the silver string. Catching to hear? It is worth a stretching of them on the rack to hear that low buzz-hum of their inner breast... By heaven! we have them at their best when they sing that note.
His watch was near an hour of the contest, and Brailstone’s man had scored first knock-down blow, a particularly clean floorer. Thinking of that, he was cheered by hearing Chummy Potts, whose opinions he despised, cry out to Abrane:--
‘Yeast to him!’ For the face of Todds was visibly swelling to the ripest of plums from Kit’s deliveries.
Down he went. He had the sturdy legs which are no legs to a clean blow. Odds were offered against him.
‘Oh! pretty play with your right, Kit!’ exclaimed Mallard, as Kit fetched his man an ugly stroke on the round of the waist behind, and the crowd sent up the name of the great organs affected: a sickener of a stroke, if dealt soundly. It meant more than 4 showed. Kit was now for taking liberties. Light as ever on his pins, he now and then varied his attentions to the yeasty part, delivering a wakener in unexpected quarters: masterly as the skilled cook’s carving of a joint with hungry guests for admirers.