I said again that I was very well; and he looked at me thoughtfully, put
one end of a bit of matting between his teeth, and drew it out tightly
with his left hand. Then he began to twang it thoughtfully, and made it
give out a dull musical note.
"Seen my new pansies?" he said--"no, of course not," he added quickly;
"and I asked you before. Come and look at them."
He led me to a bed which was full of beautifully rounded,
velvety-petalled flowers.
"What do you think of them?" he said--"eh? There's a fine one,
Mulberry Superb; rich colour--eh?"
"They are lovely," I said warmly.
"Hah! yes!" he said, looking at me thoughtfully; "she liked white roses,
though--yes, white roses--and they are all over."
My lip began to quiver, but I mastered the emotion and he went on: "Thought I should have seen you before, my lad. Didn't think I should
see you for some time. Thought perhaps I should never see you again.
Thought you'd be sure to come and say `Good-bye!' before you went.
Contradictions--eh?"
"I always meant to come over and see you, Mr Brownsmith," I said.
"Of course you did, my lad. Been damp and cold. Want more sun badly."
I said I hoped the weather would soon change, and I began to feel
uncomfortable and was just thinking I would go, when he thrust the piece
of matting in his pocket, and took up and began stroking one of the
cats.
"Ah! it's a bad job, my lad!" he said softly--"a terrible job!"
I nodded.
"A sad job, my lad!--a very sad job!"
I nodded again, and waited till a choking sensation had gone off.
"Boys don't think enough about their mothers--some boys don't," he went
on. "I didn't, till she was took away. You did--stopped with her a
deal."
"I'm afraid,"--I began.
"I'm not," he said, interrupting me hastily. "I notice a deal--weather,
and people, and children, and boys, and things growing. Want sun
badly--don't we?"
"Yes, sir," I said; and I looked up in his florid face, with its bushy
white whiskers; and then I looked at his great bulging pockets, and next
down lower at his black legs, which the cats were turning into
rubbing-posts; and as they served me the same in the most friendly
manner I began wondering whether he ever brushed his black trousers, and
thought of what a job I should have to get all the cats' hairs off mine.
For there they all were, quite a little troop, arching their backs and
purring, sticking their tails straight up, and every now and then giving
their ends a flick.
They were so friendly in their rubbings against me that I did not like
to refuse to accept their salutes; but it seemed to me as if only the
light-coloured hairs came off, and in a short time I was furry from the
knees of my black trousers down to my boots.