In a Steamer Chair, and Other Stories. Barr Robert

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СКАЧАТЬ your business."

      "You think I am a sort of commercial traveller, then?"

      "Well, practically, yes. The older members of the firm, I should imagine, are too comfortably situated, and care too little for the pleasures of foreign travel, to devote much of their time to it. So what foreign travel there is to be done falls on the shoulders of the younger partner. Am I correct?"

      "Well, I don't quite class myself as a commercial traveller, you know, but in the main you are—in fact, you are remarkably near right. I think you must be something of a mind-reader, as I said before, Miss Earle, or is it possible that I carry my business so plainly in my demeanour as all that?"

      Miss Earle laughed. It was a very bright, pleasant, cheerful laugh.

      "Still, I must correct you where you are wrong, for fear you become too conceited altogether about your powers of observation. I have not crossed the ocean as often as you seem to think. In the future I shall perhaps do so frequently. I am the junior partner, as you say, but have not been a partner long. In fact I am now on my first voyage in connection with the new partnership. Now, Miss Earle, let me try a guess at your occupation."

      "You are quite at liberty to guess at it."

      "But will you tell me if I guess correctly?"

      "Yes. I have no desire to conceal it."

      "Then, I should say off-hand that you are a teacher, and are now taking a vacation in Europe. Am I right?"

      "Tell me first why you think so?"

      "I am afraid to tell you. I do not want to drift towards the line of enmity."

      "You need have no fear. I have every respect for a man who tells the truth when he has to."

      "Well, I think a school teacher is very apt to get into a certain dictatorial habit of speech. School teachers are something like military men. They are accustomed to implicit obedience without question, and this, I think, affects their manner with other people."

      "You think I am dictatorial, then?"

      "Well, I shouldn't say that you were dictatorial exactly. But there is a certain confidence—I don't know just how to express it, but it seems to me, you know—well, I am going deeper and deeper into trouble by what I am saying, so really I shall not say any more. I do not know just how to express it."

      "I think you express it very nicely. Go on, please."

      "Oh, you are laughing at me now."

      "Not at all, I assure you. You were trying to say that I was very dictatorial."

      "No, I was trying to say nothing of the kind. I was merely trying to say that you have a certain confidence in yourself and a certain belief that everything you say is perfectly correct, and is not to be questioned. Now, do as you promised, and tell me how near right I am."

      "You are entirely wrong. I never taught school."

      "Well, Miss Earle, I confessed to my occupation without citing any mitigating circumstances. So now, would you think me impertinent if I asked you to be equally frank?"

      "Oh, not at all! But I may say at once that I wouldn't answer you."

      "But you will tell me if I guess?"

      "Yes, I promise that."

      "Well, I am certainly right in saying that you are crossing the ocean for pleasure."

      "No, you are entirely wrong. I am crossing for business."

      "Then, perhaps you cross very often, too?"

      "No; I crossed only once before, and that was coming the other way."

      "Really, this is very mysterious. When are you coming back?"

      "I am not coming back."

      "Oh, well," said Morris, "I give it up. I think I have scored the unusual triumph of managing to be wrong in everything that I have said. Have I not?"

      "I think you have."

      "And you refuse to put me right?"

      "Certainly."

      "I don't think you are quite fair, Miss Earle."

      "I don't think I ever claimed to be, Mr. Morris. But I am tired of walking now. You see, I have been walking the deck for considerably longer than you have. I think I shall sit down for a while."

      "Let me take you to your chair."

      Miss Earle smiled. "It would be very little use," she said.

      The deck steward was not to be seen, and Morris, diving into a dark and cluttered-up apartment, in which the chairs were piled, speedily picked out his own, brought it to where the young lady was standing, spread it out in its proper position, and said—

      "Now let me get you a rug or two."

      "You have made a mistake. That is not my chair."

      "Oh yes, it is. I looked at the tag. This is your name, is it not?"

      "Yes, that is my name; but this is not my chair."

      "Well, I beg that you will use it until the owner calls for it."

      "But who is the owner? Is this your chair?"

      "It was mine until after I smashed up yours."

      "Oh, but I cannot accept your chair, Mr. Morris."

      "You surely wouldn't refuse to do what you desired, in fact, commanded, another to do. You know you practically ordered me to take your chair. Well, I have accepted it. It is going to be put right to-day. So, you see, you cannot refuse mine."

      Miss Earle looked at him for a moment.

      "This is hardly what I would call a fair exchange," she said. "My chair was really a very cheap and flimsy one. This chair is much more expensive. You see, I know the price of them. I think you are trying to arrange your revenge, Mr. Morris. I think you want to bring things about so that I shall have to apologise to you in relation to that chair-breaking incident. However, I see that this chair is very comfortable, so I will take it. Wait a moment till I get my rugs."

      "No, no," cried Morris, "tell me where you left them. I will get them for you."

      "Thank you. I left them on the seat at the head of the companion-way. One is red, the other is more variegated; I cannot describe it, but they are the only two rugs there, I think."

      A moment afterwards the young man appeared with the rugs on his arm, and arranged them around the young lady after the manner of deck stewards and gallant young men who are in the habit of crossing the ocean.

      "Would you like to have a cup of coffee?"

      "I would, if it can be had."

      "Well, I will let you into a shipboard secret. Every morning on this vessel the smoking-room steward brings up a pot of very delicious coffee, which he leaves on the table of the smoking-room. He also brings a few biscuits—not the biscuit of American fame, but the biscuit of English manufacture, the cracker, as we call it—and those who frequent the smoking-room are СКАЧАТЬ