登陆注册
15444200000024

第24章 CHAPTER X--THE TWINS JOIN THE CELESTIALS(3)

In the midst of festivities like these the twins would have gone on from bliss to bliss without consciousness of time or place, had not hunger suddenly descended upon them and sleep begun to tug at their eyelids, changing in a trice their joy into sorrow and their mirth into mourning. Not that they were troubled with any doubts, fears, or perplexities. True, they had wandered away from Eden Place, and had not the slightest idea of their whereabouts. If they had been a couple of babes in a wood, or any two respectable lost children of romance, memories of lullabies and prayers at mother's knee would have precipitated them at this juncture into floods of tears; but home to them was simply supper and bed. The situation did not seem complex to their minds; the only plan was, of course, to howl, and to do it thoroughly,--stand in a corner of the market-place, and howl in such a manner that there could be no mistake as to the significance of the proceeding; when the crowd collected,--for naturally a crowd would collect,--simply demand supper and bed, no matter what supper nor which bed; eat the first, lie down in the second, and there you are! If the twins had been older and more experienced, they would have known that people occasionally do demand the necessities of life without receiving them; but in that case they would also have known that such a misfortune would never fall upon a couple of lost children who confide their woes to the public. There was no preconcerted plan between them, no system. They acted without invention, premonition, or reflection. It was their habit to scream, while holding the breath as long as possible, whenever the universe was unfriendly, and particularly when Nature asserted herself in any way; it was a curious fact that they resented the intervention of Nature and Providence with just as much energy as they did the discipline of their caretakers. They screamed now, the moment that the entertainment palled and they could not keep their eyes open without effort; and never had they been more successful in holding their breath and growing black in the face; indeed, Pacific, in the midst of her performance, said to Atlantic, 'Yours is purple, how is mine?'

A crowd did gather, inevitably, for the twins' lungs were capable of a body of tone more piercing than that of a Chinese orchestra, and the wonder is that poor Lisa did not hear them as she sat shivering on the curbstone, miles away; for it was her name with which they conjured.

The populace amused itself for a short space of time, watching the fine but misdirected zeal of the performance, and supposing that the parents of the chanting cherubs were within easy reach. It became unpleasant after a while, however, and a policeman, inquiring into the matter, marched the two dirty, weary little protestants off to a station near by,--a march nearly as difficult and bloody as Sherman's memorable 'march to the sea'; for the children associated nothing so pleasant as supper and bed with a blue-coated, brass-buttoned person, and resisted his well-meant advances with might and main, and tooth and nail.

The policeman was at last obliged to confine himself to Atlantic, and called a brother-in-arms to take charge of Pacific. He was a man who had achieved distinction in putting down railroad riots, so he was well calculated for the task, although he was somewhat embarrassed by the laughter of the bystanders when his comrade called out to him, 'Take your club, Mike, but don't use firearms unless your life's in danger!'

The station reached, the usual examination took place. Atlantic never could tell the name of the street in which he lived, nor the number of the house. Pacific could, perhaps, but would not; and it must be said, in apology for her abnormal defiance, that her mental operations were somewhat confused, owing to copious indulgence in strong tea, ginger, sugar-cane, and dried fish. She had not been wisely approached in the first place, and she was in her sulkiest and most combative humour; in fact, when too urgently pressed for information as to her age, ancestry, and abiding-place, she told the worthy police-officer to go to a locality for which he felt utterly unsuited, after a life spent in the exaltation of virtue and the suppression of vice. (The vocabulary of the twins was somewhat poverty-stricken in respect to the polite phrases of society, but in profanity it would have been rich for a parrot or a pirate.) The waifs were presently given to the care of the police matron, and her advice, sought later, was to the effect that the children had better be fed and put to bed, and as little trouble expended upon them as was consistent with a Christian city government.

'It is possible their parents may call for them in the morning,' she said acidly, 'but I think it is more than likely that they have been deserted. I know if they belonged to me they'd be lost for ever before I tried to find them!' and she rubbed a black-and-blue spot on her person, which, if exposed, would have betrayed the shape, size, and general ground-plan of Pacific's boot.

同类推荐
  • 书记

    书记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 慎疾刍言

    慎疾刍言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 灵宝九幽长夜起尸度亡玄章

    灵宝九幽长夜起尸度亡玄章

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 性善恶论

    性善恶论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 法法

    法法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 妖娆公子:温柔神医太腹黑

    妖娆公子:温柔神医太腹黑

    自从宁陌离捡到了一只小韶殇后,一切都乱了套。她是身世离奇的亡国公主,一袭男装,红衣如火,妖艳张扬。他是圣医谷最有天赋的少主,衣袂翩然,纯白如谪仙。他把无家可归的她带回了家,然后某只倔强的小丫头开始了在他面前装白兔,在他背后惹是生非的日子。然后有一天,她突然发现:自己的伪装居然早就被表面谪仙,内心腹黑的他看破了?于是小家伙看着淡笑的他终于炸毛了——啊啊啊扑倒扑倒再扑倒!
  • 超级嚣张狂少

    超级嚣张狂少

    继承了修真老者传承,开启一段辉煌传奇的征程!PS:(新时代神作,热血爽文,诸位看官放心入坑)
  • 瓦罗兰英雄传之盖伦传

    瓦罗兰英雄传之盖伦传

    真实的瓦罗兰大陆,真实的英雄,真实的故事
  • 校花狂徒

    校花狂徒

    【最火爆新书】男人两行泪,一行为红颜,一行为苍生!李凌风痴情三年,换来却是女友的无情劈腿,心灰意冷之际,偶得天眼神珠,从此走上不凡之路。君子如风,为谁跋扈为谁雄!美人如玉,任我纵横任我狂!
  • 临天鬼事

    临天鬼事

    我家世代单传鬼事,所谓鬼事,就是为鬼办事,神秘的阴阳局,爷爷留下的临天道法,一把临天剑,和那间鬼店。我好像被卷入一个阴谋之中。
  • 三生录:许你长安

    三生录:许你长安

    一阙星云谱,三生往来渡。许我情丝茧,不负众生路。世间纷纷扰扰,有多少遗憾在年深月长的沉淀里发酵,有多少爱恨痴怨在等候救赎。“你有未完成的心愿吗?”她问。自始至终,她都忘了,其实自己也是众生的一员。
  • 偶像恋爱规则

    偶像恋爱规则

    啦啦啦德玛西亚!!!自己去看吧!不然没有新奇感
  • 谢谢你曾来过我的世界

    谢谢你曾来过我的世界

    这是作者仲尼至今的遇见,是他生命中那些留下足迹的身影。他们的故事微小却独特,悲欢离合间如暗夜的一束光照亮了你我的曾经。37个人的世界。20个来自心底的故事。108段令你怦然心动的爱情旅程。他们在偶然相逢,启幕温暖的记忆:他们都是追梦人,有执着不弃的炽热,有一心不变的坚定,有辗转反侧的痴心……他们又蓦然失去,留下哀伤的回想:他们都是失魂者,有爱恨难舍的痛心,有念而不得的悲切,有因爱生恨的绝望……随着仲尼真诚而有趣的笔触,故事一一展开,如同一面面镜子,真切地照见了各自不同而又如此相似的你我。"
  • 修仙幻世

    修仙幻世

    柳默生一个终日遭人欺凌的学生,自杀被救,随师父学武多年,功成名就,再回人间,开始新一轮的修仙,由废物蜕变成绝世高手,飞升惨遭欺凌,在天界杀出一条血路。唯我独尊!!!