It is a fair thing upon a summer's hot afternoon within some shadybower to lie upon one's back and stare up through a network ofbranches into the limitless blue beyond, while the air is full of the stir of leaves, and the murmur of water among the reeds.Or propped on lazy elbow, to watch perspiring wretches, short of breath and purple of visage, urge boats upstream or down, each deludinghimself into the belief that he is enjoying it.Life under such conditions may seem very fair, as I say; yet I was not happy.The words of the Duchess seemed everywhere about me. "You are become the object of her bitterest scorn by now," sobbed thewind.
"You are become," etc., etc., moaned the river.It was therefore with no little trepidation that I looked forward to my meeting with Lisbeth.
It was this moment that the bushes parted and a boy appeared. He was a somewhat diminutive boy, clad in a velvet suit with a lace collar, both of which were plentifully bespattered with mud. He carried his shoes and stockings beneath one arm, and in the other hand swung a hazel branch. He stood with his little brown legs well apart, regarding me with a critical eye; but when at length he spoke his attitude was decidedly friendly.
"Hallo, man!"
"Hallo," I returned; "and whom may you be?""Well," my real name is Reginald Augustus, but they call me 'The Imp.'""I can well believe it," I said, eyeing his muddy person. "If you please, what is an imp?""An imp is a sort of an - angel."
"But," he demurred, after a moment's thought, "I haven't got wings an' things - or a trumpet.""Your kind never do have wings and trumpets.""Oh, I see," he said; and sitting down began to wipe the mud from his legs with his stockings.
"Rather muddy, aren't you?" I hinted.The boy cast a furtive glance at his draggled person.
"'Fraid I'm a teeny bit wet, too," he said hesitatingly."You see, I'vebeen playing at 'Romans" an' I had to wade, you know, because I was the standard bearer who jumped into the sea waving his sword an' crying, 'Follow me!' You remember him, don't you? - he's in the history book.""To be sure," I nodded; "a truly heroic character. But if you were the Romans, where were the ancient Britons?""Oh, they were the reeds, you know; you ought to have seen me slay them. It was fine; they went down like - like - ""Corn before a sickle," I suggested.
"Yes, just!" he cried; "the battle raged for hours." "You must be rather tired.""'Course not," he answered, with an indignant look."I'm not a girl- and I'm nearly nine, too."
"I gather from your tone that you are not partial to the *** - you don't like girls, eh, Imp?""Should think not," he returned; silly things, girls are. There's Dorothy, you know; we were playing at executions the other day - she was Mary Queen of Scots an' I was the headsman. I made a lovely axe with wood and silver paper, you know; and when I cut her head off she cried awfully, and I only gave her the weeniest little tap - an' they sent me to bed at six o'clock for it. I believe she cried on purpose - awfully caddish, wasn't it?""My dear Imp," said I, "the older you grow, the more the depravity of the *** will become apparent to you.""Do you know, I like you," he said, regarding me thoughtfully, "I think you are fine.""Now that's very nice of you, Imp; in common with my kind I have a weakness for flattery-please go on.""I mean, I think you are jolly."
"As to that," I said, shaking my head and sighing, "appearances are often very deceptive; at the heart of many a fair blossom there is a canker worm.""I'm awfull' fond of worms, too," said the Imp. "Indeed?""Yes. I got a pocketful yesterday, only Aunty found out an' made me let them all go again.""Ah-yes," I said sympathetically; "that was the woman of it.""I've only got one left now," continued the Imp; and thrusting a hand into the pocket of his knickerbockers he drew forth six inches or so of slimy worm and held it out to me upon his small, grimy palm.
"He's nice and fat!" I said.
"Yes," nodded the Imp; "I caught him under the gooseberry bushes;" and dropping it back into his pocket he proceeded to don his shoes and stockings.
"Fraid I'm a bit muddy," he said suddenly.
"Oh, you might be worse," I answered reassuringly.
"Do you think they'll notice it?" he inquired, contorting himself horribly in order to view the small of his back.
"Well," I hesitated, "it all depends, you know.""I don't mind Dorothy, or Betty the cook, or the governess - it's Auntie Lisbeth I'm thinking about.""Auntie - who?" I exclaimed, regardless of grammar. " Auntie Lisbeth," repeated the Imp.
"What is she like?"
"Oh, she's grown up big, only she's nice. She came to take care of Dorothy an' me while mother goes away to get nice an strong - oh Auntie Lisbeth's jolly, you know.""With black hair and blue eyes?" The Imp nodded.
"And a dimple at the corner of her mouth?" I went on dreamily - " a dimple that would lead a man to the - Old Gentleman himself.""What old gentleman?"
"Oh, a rather disreputable old gentleman," I answered evasively. "An' do you know my Auntie Lisbeth?""I think it extremely probable - in fact, I'm sure of it.""Then you might end me your handkerchief, please; I tied mine to a bush for a flag, you know, an' it blew away.""You'd better come here and I'll give you a rub-down my Imp." He obeyed, with many profuse expressions of gratitude.
Hay you got any Aunties?" he inquired, as I laboured upon his miry person.
"No," I answered, shaking my head; "unfortunately mine are all Aunts and that is vastly different.""Oh," said the Imp, regarding me with a puzzled expression; "are they nice - I mean do they ever read to out of the history book, and help you to sail boats, an' paddle?""Paddle?" I repeated
"Yes. My Auntie Lisbeth does. The other day we got up awfull' early an' went for a walk an' we came to the river, so we took off our shoes an' stockings an' we paddled; it was ever so jolly, you know. An' when Auntie wasn't looking I found a frog an' put it in her stocking.""Highly strategic, my Imp!Well?"
