The Little Warrior - Penn State University

“Mother is sure to like Jill when she sees her,” he
said.
“When she sees her! Ah! But the trouble is, young
feller-me-lad, that she hasn’t seen her! That’s the weak
spot in your case, old companion! A month ago she
didn’t know of Jill’s existence. Now, you know and I
know that Jill is one of the best and brightest. As far as
we are concerned, everything in the good old garden
is lovely. Why, dash it, Jill and I were children together.
Sported side by side on the green, and what not. I remember
Jill, when she was twelve, turning the gardenhose
on me and knocking about seventy-five per cent
off the market value of my best Sunday suit. That sort
of thing forms a bond, you know, and I’ve always felt
that she was a corker. But your mater’s got to discover
it for herself. It’s a dashed pity, by Jove, that Jill hasn’t
a father or a mother or something of that species to
rally round just now. They would form a gang. There’s
nothing like a gang! But she’s only got that old uncle of
hers. A rummy bird! Met him?”
“Several times. I like him.”
8
“Oh, he’s a genial old buck all right. A very
bonhomous lad. But you hear some pretty queer stories
about him if you get among people who knew him
in the old days. Even now I’m not so dashed sure I
should care to play cards with him. Young Threepwood
was telling me only the other day that the old boy took
thirty quid off him at picquet as clean as a whistle. And
Jimmy Monroe, who’s on the Stock Exchange, says
he’s frightfully busy these times buying margins or
whatever it is chappies do down in the City. Margins.
That’s the word. Jimmy made me buy some myself on
a thing called Amalgamated Dyes. I don’t understand
the procedure exactly, but Jimmy says it’s a sound egg
and will do me a bit of good. What was I talking about?
Oh, yes, old Selby. There’s no doubt he’s quite a sportsman.
But till you’ve got Jill well established, you know,
I shouldn’t enlarge on him too much with the mater.”
“On the contrary,” said Derek. “I shall mention him
at the first opportunity. He knew my father out in India.”
“Did he, by Jove! Oh, well, that makes a difference.”