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<v Speaker 1>Chapter twelve of They and I by Jerome K. Jerome.

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<v Speaker 1>This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Debrelyn.

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<v Speaker 1>They and I by Jerome K. Jerome, Chapter twelve. I

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<v Speaker 1>am sorry the house is finished. There is a proverb

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<v Speaker 1>fools build houses for wise men to live in. It

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<v Speaker 1>depends upon what you are after. The fool gets the fun,

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<v Speaker 1>and the wise men the bricks and mortar. I remember

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<v Speaker 1>a whimsical story I picked up at the bookstall of

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<v Speaker 1>the Guerdlillon. I read it between Paris and Fontainebleu many

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<v Speaker 1>years ago. Three friends, youthful bohemians, smoking their pipes after

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<v Speaker 1>the meager dinner of a cheap restaurant in the Latin Quarter,

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<v Speaker 1>fell to thinking of their poverty, of the long and

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<v Speaker 1>bitter struggle that lay before them. My themes are so original,

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<v Speaker 1>sighed the musician. It will take me a year of

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<v Speaker 1>fate days to teach the public to understand them, even

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<v Speaker 1>if ever I do succeed, And meanwhile I shall live unknown, neglected,

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<v Speaker 1>watching the men without ideals passing me by in the race,

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<v Speaker 1>splashed with the mud from their carriage wheels. As I

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<v Speaker 1>beat the pavements with worn shoes. It is really a

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<v Speaker 1>most unjust world, an abominable world, agreed the poet. Think

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<v Speaker 1>of me, My case is far harder than yours. Your

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<v Speaker 1>gift lies within you. Mine is to translate what lies

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<v Speaker 1>around me, and that, for so far ahead as I

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<v Speaker 1>can see, will always be the shadow side of life.

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<v Speaker 1>To develop my genius to its fullest, I need the

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<v Speaker 1>sunshine of existence. My soul is being starved for lack

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<v Speaker 1>of the beautiful things of life. A little of the

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<v Speaker 1>wealth that vulgar people waste would make a great poet

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<v Speaker 1>for France. It is not only of myself that I

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<v Speaker 1>am thinking, the painter laughed. I cannot sor to your heights,

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<v Speaker 1>he said, frankly speaking, it is myself that chiefly appeals

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<v Speaker 1>to me. Why not I give the world beauty, and

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<v Speaker 1>in return, what does it give me? This dingy restaurant

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<v Speaker 1>where I eat ill flavored food off hideous platters, a

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<v Speaker 1>foul gear giving on to chimney pots. After long years

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<v Speaker 1>of ill requited labor, I may, as others have before me,

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<v Speaker 1>come into my kingdom, possessed my studio in the chancelise,

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<v Speaker 1>my fine house at Nuilli. But the prospect of the

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<v Speaker 1>intervening period I confess appalls me. Absorbed in themselves, they

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<v Speaker 1>had not noticed that a stranger seated at a neighboring

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<v Speaker 1>table had been listening with attention. He rose, and, apologizing

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<v Speaker 1>with easy grace for intrusion into a conversation he could

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<v Speaker 1>hardly have avoided. Overhearing, requested permission to be of service.

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<v Speaker 1>The restaurant was dimly lighted. The three friends, on entering,

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<v Speaker 1>had chosen its obscurest corner. The stranger appeared to be

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<v Speaker 1>well dressed. His voice and bearing suggested the man of affairs.

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<v Speaker 1>His face, what feeble light there was being behind him,

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<v Speaker 1>remained in shadow. The three friends eyed him furtively. Possibly

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<v Speaker 1>some rich but eccentric patron of the arts, not beyond

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<v Speaker 1>the bounds of speculation that he was acquainted with their work,

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<v Speaker 1>had read the poet's verses in one of the minor magazines,

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<v Speaker 1>had stumbled upon some sketch of the painters. While bargain

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<v Speaker 1>hunting among the dealers of the Quartier Saint Antoine, been

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<v Speaker 1>struck by the beauty of the composers, not turning half

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<v Speaker 1>heard at some student's concert, having made enquiries concerning their haunts,

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<v Speaker 1>had chosen this method of introducing himself. The young men

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<v Speaker 1>made room for him. With feelings of hope mingled with curiosity.

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<v Speaker 1>The affable stranger called for liqueurs and handed round his

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<v Speaker 1>cigar case, and almost his first words brought them joy.

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<v Speaker 1>Before we go further, said the smiling stranger, it is

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<v Speaker 1>my pleasure to inform you that all three of you

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<v Speaker 1>are destined to become great. The liqueurs, to their unaccustomed palates,

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<v Speaker 1>were proving potent. The stranger's cigars were singularly aromatic. It

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<v Speaker 1>seemed the most reasonable thing in the world that the

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<v Speaker 1>strangers should be thus able to foretell to them their future. Fame,

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<v Speaker 1>fortune will be yours, continued the agreeable stranger. All things

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<v Speaker 1>delightful will be to your hand, the adoration of women,

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<v Speaker 1>the honor of men, the incense of society, joy's spiritual

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<v Speaker 1>and material, beauteous surroundings, choice foods, all luxury and ease.

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<v Speaker 1>The world your pleasure ground. The stained walls of the

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<v Speaker 1>dingy restaurant were fading into space before the young men's eyes.

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<v Speaker 1>They saw themselves as gods walking in the garden of

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<v Speaker 1>their heart's desires. But alas went on the stranger, and

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<v Speaker 1>with the first note of his changed voice, the visions vanished,

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<v Speaker 1>the dingy walls came back. These things take time. You

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<v Speaker 1>will all three be well past middle aged before you

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<v Speaker 1>will reap the just reward of your toil and talents. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>the sympathetic stranger shrugged his shoulders. It is the old

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<v Speaker 1>story genius spending its youth battling for recognition against indifference, ridicule, envy,

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<v Speaker 1>the spirit crushed by its sordid environment, the drab monotony

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<v Speaker 1>of narrow days. There will be winter nights when you

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<v Speaker 1>will tramp the streets, cold hungry, forlorn summer days when

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<v Speaker 1>you will hide in your attics, the sh ashamed of

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<v Speaker 1>the sunlight on your ragged garments, chill dawns when you

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<v Speaker 1>will watch wild eye the suffering of those you love,

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<v Speaker 1>helpless by reason of your poverty to alleviate their pain.

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<v Speaker 1>The stranger paused, while the ancient waiter replenished the empty glasses.

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<v Speaker 1>The three friends drank in silence. I propose, said the stranger,

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<v Speaker 1>with a pleasant laugh, that we pass over this customary

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<v Speaker 1>period of probation, that we skip the intervening years, arrive

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<v Speaker 1>at once at our true destination. The stranger, leaning back

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<v Speaker 1>in his chair, regarded the three friends with a smile

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<v Speaker 1>they felt, rather than saw, and something about the stranger

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<v Speaker 1>they could not have told themselves. What made all things possible?

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<v Speaker 1>A quite simple matter. The stranger assured them A little

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<v Speaker 1>sleep and a forgetting, and the years lie behind us. Come, gentlemen,

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<v Speaker 1>have I your consent? It seemed to question, hardly needing answer.

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<v Speaker 1>To escape. At one stride the long, weary struggle to

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<v Speaker 1>enter without fighting into victory. The young men looked at

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<v Speaker 1>one another, and each one, thinking of his gain, bartered

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<v Speaker 1>the battle for the spoil. It seemed to them that

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly the lights went out in a darkness, like a

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<v Speaker 1>rushing wind swept past them, filled with many sounds, and

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<v Speaker 1>then forgetfulness, and then the coming back of light. They

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<v Speaker 1>were seated at a table glittering with silver and dainty chinaware,

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<v Speaker 1>to which the red wine in Venetian goblets, the varied

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<v Speaker 1>fruit and flowers gave color. The room furnished too gorgeously

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<v Speaker 1>for taste. They judged to be a private cabinet in

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<v Speaker 1>one of the great restaurants. Of such interiors they had

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<v Speaker 1>occasionally caught glimpses through open windows on summer nights. It

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<v Speaker 1>was softly illuminated by shaded lamps. The stranger's face was

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<v Speaker 1>still in shadow. But what surprised each of the three

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<v Speaker 1>most was to observe opposite him too, more or less

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<v Speaker 1>bald headed gentlemen of somewhat flabby appearance, whose features, however,

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<v Speaker 1>in some mysterious way, appeared familiar. The stranger had his

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<v Speaker 1>wine glass raised in his hand. Our dear Paul, the

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<v Speaker 1>stranger was saying, has declined, with his customary modesty, any

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<v Speaker 1>public recognition of his triumph. He will not refuse three

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<v Speaker 1>old friends the privilege of offering him their heartiest congratulations. Gentlemen,

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<v Speaker 1>I drink not only to our dear Paul, but to

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<v Speaker 1>the French academy, which, in honoring him, has honored France.

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<v Speaker 1>The stranger, rising from his chair, turned his piercing eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>the only part of him that could be clearly seen,

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<v Speaker 1>upon the astonished poet. The two elderly gentlemen opposite, evidently

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<v Speaker 1>as bewildered as Paul himself, taking their cue from the stranger,

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<v Speaker 1>drained their glasses, Still following the stranger's lead, leant each

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<v Speaker 1>across the table and shook him warmly by the hand.

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<v Speaker 1>I beg pardon, said the poet, But really I am

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<v Speaker 1>afraid I must have been asleep. Would it sounded rude

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<v Speaker 1>to you? He addressed himself to the stranger. The faces

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<v Speaker 1>of the elderly gentleman opposite did not suggest there being

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<v Speaker 1>of much assistance to him. If I asked you where

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<v Speaker 1>I was again, there flickered across the stranger's face, the

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<v Speaker 1>smile that was felt rather than seen. You are in

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<v Speaker 1>a private room of the Cafe Prittali, he answered. We

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<v Speaker 1>are met this evening to celebrate your recent elevation into

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<v Speaker 1>the company of the immortals. Oh, said the poet, Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>The academy continued. The stranger is always a little late

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<v Speaker 1>in these affairs. Myself. I could have wished your election

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<v Speaker 1>had taken place ten years ago, when all France, all

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<v Speaker 1>France that counts, that is, was talking of you. At

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<v Speaker 1>fifty three. The stranger touched lightly with his fingers the

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<v Speaker 1>poet's fat hand. One does not write as when the

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<v Speaker 1>sap was running up instead of down slowly. Memory of

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<v Speaker 1>the dingy cafe in the Rue Saint Louis, of the

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<v Speaker 1>strange happening that took place there that night when he

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<v Speaker 1>was young, crept back into the poet's brain. Would you mind,

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<v Speaker 1>said the poet. Would it be troubling you too much

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<v Speaker 1>to tell me something of what has occurred to me?

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<v Speaker 1>Not in the least, responded the agreeable stranger. Your career

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<v Speaker 1>has been most interesting for the first few years, chiefly

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<v Speaker 1>to yourself. You married Marguerite. You remember Marguerite, the poet

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<v Speaker 1>remembered her. A mad thing to do so most people

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<v Speaker 1>would have said, continued the stranger. It had not a

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<v Speaker 1>soue between you but myself. I think you were justified.

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<v Speaker 1>Youth comes to us but once, and at twenty five.

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<v Speaker 1>Our business is to live. Undoubtedly the marriage helped you.

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<v Speaker 1>You lived in idyllic existence for a time in a

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<v Speaker 1>tumble down cottage at Sheerchnee, with a garden that went

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<v Speaker 1>down to the river. Poor. Of course, you were poor

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<v Speaker 1>as church mice. But who fears poverty when hope and

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<v Speaker 1>love are singing on the bow? I really think quite

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<v Speaker 1>your best work was done during those years at Cherchnee. Ah,

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<v Speaker 1>the sweetness, the tenderness of it, there has been nothing

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<v Speaker 1>like it in French poetry. It made no mark at

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<v Speaker 1>the time, but ten years later the public went mad

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<v Speaker 1>about it. She was dead then, poor child. It had

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<v Speaker 1>been a hard struggle, and as you may remember, she

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<v Speaker 1>was always fragile. Yet even in her death I think

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<v Speaker 1>she helped you. There entered a new note into your poetry,

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<v Speaker 1>a depth that had hitherto been wanting. It was the

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<v Speaker 1>best thing it ever came to you, your love for Marguerite.

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<v Speaker 1>The stranger refilled his glass and passed the decanter, but

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<v Speaker 1>the poet left the wine unheeded. And then ah yes,

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<v Speaker 1>Then followed that excursion into politics, those scathing articles you

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<v Speaker 1>wrote for La le Bertay. It is hardly an exaggeration

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<v Speaker 1>to say that they altered the whole aspect of French

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<v Speaker 1>political thought. Those wonderful speeches you made during your election

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<v Speaker 1>campaign at Aannger, How the people worshiped you. You might

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<v Speaker 1>have carried your portfolio had you persisted. But your poets

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<v Speaker 1>are such restless fellows. And after all, I dare say

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<v Speaker 1>you have really accomplished more by your plays you remember, no,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, how could you the first night of La Coquette.

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<v Speaker 1>Shall I ever forget it? I have always reckoned that

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<v Speaker 1>the crown of your career your marriage with Madame de Chanel.

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<v Speaker 1>I do not think it was for the public good.

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<v Speaker 1>Poor Deschanel's millions is it not so poetry and millions

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<v Speaker 1>interfere with one another, but a thousand pardons, My dear Paul,

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<v Speaker 1>you have done so much. It is only right you

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<v Speaker 1>should now be taking your ease. Your work is finished.

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<v Speaker 1>The poet does not answer, since, staring before him with

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<v Speaker 1>eyes turned inward, the painter the musician. What do the

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<v Speaker 1>years bring to them? The stranger tells them also of

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<v Speaker 1>all that they have lost, of the griefs and sorrows,

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<v Speaker 1>of the hopes and fears they have never tasted, of

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<v Speaker 1>their tears that ended in laughter, of the pain that

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<v Speaker 1>gave sweetness to joy, of the triumphs that came to them,

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<v Speaker 1>and the days before triumph had lost its savor, of

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<v Speaker 1>the loves and the longings and fervors they would never know.

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<v Speaker 1>All was ended. The Stranger had given them what he

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<v Speaker 1>had promised, what they had desired, the gain without the getting.

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<v Speaker 1>Then they break out, What is it to me? Cries

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<v Speaker 1>the painter, that I wake to find myself wearing the

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<v Speaker 1>gold medal of the Salon, robbed of the memory of

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<v Speaker 1>all by which it was earned. The stranger points out

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<v Speaker 1>to him that he is illogical. Such memories would have

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<v Speaker 1>included long vistas of meager dinners and dingy restaurants, of

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<v Speaker 1>attic studios, of a life, the chief part of which

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<v Speaker 1>had been passed amid ugly surroundings. It was to escape

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<v Speaker 1>from all such that he had clamored. The poet is silent.

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<v Speaker 1>I asked but for recognition, cries the musician, that men

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<v Speaker 1>might listen to me, Not for my music to be

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<v Speaker 1>taken from me in exchange for the recompense of a

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<v Speaker 1>successful tradesman. My inspiration is burnt out. I feel it.

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<v Speaker 1>The music that once filled my soul is mute. It

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<v Speaker 1>was born of the strife and anguish. The stranger tells

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<v Speaker 1>him of the loves that died, of the hopes that faded,

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<v Speaker 1>of the beating of youth's wings against the bars of sorrow,

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<v Speaker 1>of the glory and madness and torment called life, of

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<v Speaker 1>the struggle you shrank from facing. The poet takes up

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<v Speaker 1>the tale. You have robbed us of life. He cries,

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<v Speaker 1>you tell us of dead lips whose kiss as we

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<v Speaker 1>have never felt, of songs of victory sung to our

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<v Speaker 1>deaf ears. You have taken our fires. You have left

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<v Speaker 1>us but the ashes, the fires that scorch and sear.

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<v Speaker 1>The stranger adds the lips that cried in their pain,

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<v Speaker 1>the victory bought of wounds. It is not yet too late,

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<v Speaker 1>the stranger tells them all this can be but a

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<v Speaker 1>troubled dream, growing fainter with each waking moment. Will you

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<v Speaker 1>buy back your youth at the cost of ease? Will

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<v Speaker 1>you buy back life at the price of tears? They

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<v Speaker 1>cry with one voice, Give us back our youth, with

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<v Speaker 1>its burdens and a heart to bear them, Give us

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00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:32.360
<v Speaker 1>back life, with its mingled bitter and sweet. Then suddenly

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<v Speaker 1>the stranger stands, revealed before them. They see that he

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<v Speaker 1>is life, Life born of battle, life made strong by endeavor,

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<v Speaker 1>life learning song from suffering. There follows more talk, which

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<v Speaker 1>struck me when I read the story as a mistake.

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<v Speaker 1>For all that he tells them, they have now learnt

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<v Speaker 1>that life to be enjoyed must be lived, that victory

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<v Speaker 1>to be sweet must be won. They awaken the dingy

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<v Speaker 1>cafe and the rude Saint Louis. The ancient waiter is

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<v Speaker 1>piling up the chairs, preparatory closing the shutters. The poet

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<v Speaker 1>draws forth a small handful of coins, asks what is

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<v Speaker 1>to pay nothing. The waiter answers a stranger who sat

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<v Speaker 1>with them and talked awhile before they fell asleep. As

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<v Speaker 1>paid the bill, they look at one another, but no

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<v Speaker 1>one speaks. The streets are empty, a thin rain is falling.

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<v Speaker 1>They turn up the collars of their coats, strike out

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<v Speaker 1>into the night, and as their footsteps echo on the

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<v Speaker 1>glistening pavement, it comes to each of them that they

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<v Speaker 1>are walking with a new, brave step. I feel so

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<v Speaker 1>sorry for Dick, for the tens of thousands of happy, healthy,

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<v Speaker 1>cared for lads of whom Dick is the type. There

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<v Speaker 1>must be millions of youngsters in the world who have

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<v Speaker 1>never known hunger except as an appetizer to their dinner,

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<v Speaker 1>who have never felt what it was to be tired,

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<v Speaker 1>without the knowledge that a comfortable bed was awaiting them.

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<v Speaker 1>To the well to do man or woman. Life is

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<v Speaker 1>one perpetual nursery. They are wakened in the morning, not

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<v Speaker 1>too early, not till the nursery has been swept out

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<v Speaker 1>in made ready, and the fire lighted. Awakened gently with

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<v Speaker 1>a cup of tea to give them strength and courage

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<v Speaker 1>for this great business of getting up. Awakened with whispered words,

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<v Speaker 1>lest any sudden start should make their little heads ache.

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<v Speaker 1>The blinds carefully arranged to exclude the naughty sun, which

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<v Speaker 1>otherwise might shine into their little eyes and make them fretful.

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<v Speaker 1>The water, with a nasty chill off is put ready

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<v Speaker 1>for them. They wash their little hands and faces all

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<v Speaker 1>by themselves. Then they are shaved and have their hair done.

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<v Speaker 1>Their little hands are manicured, their little corns cut for them.

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<v Speaker 1>When they are neat and clean, they toddle into breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>They are shown into their little chairs, their little napkins

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<v Speaker 1>handed to them. The nice food that is so good

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<v Speaker 1>for them is put upon their little plates. The drink

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<v Speaker 1>is poured out for them into their cups. If they

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<v Speaker 1>want to play, there is the day nursery. They have

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<v Speaker 1>only to tell kind nurse what game it is they fancy.

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<v Speaker 1>The toys are at once brought out. The little gun

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<v Speaker 1>is put into their hand. The little horse is dragged

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<v Speaker 1>forth from its corner. Their little feet carefully place to

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<v Speaker 1>the stirrups. The little ball and bad is taken from

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<v Speaker 1>its box, or they will take the air. As the

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<v Speaker 1>wise doctor has ordered, the little carriage will be ready

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<v Speaker 1>in five minutes. The nice warm cloak is buttoned round them,

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<v Speaker 1>the footstool placed beneath their feet, the cushion at their back.

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<v Speaker 1>The day is done. The games have been played, the

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<v Speaker 1>toys have been taken from their tired hands put back

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<v Speaker 1>into the cupboard. The food that is so good for them,

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<v Speaker 1>that makes them strong little men and women, has all

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<v Speaker 1>been eaten. They have been dressed for going out into

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<v Speaker 1>the pretty park, undressed and dressed again, for going out

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<v Speaker 1>to tea with the little boys and girls next door.

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<v Speaker 1>Undressed and dressed again for the party. They have read

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<v Speaker 1>their little book, have seen a little play, have looked

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<v Speaker 1>at pretty pictures. The kind gentleman with the long hair

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<v Speaker 1>has played the piano for them. They have danced. Their

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<v Speaker 1>little feet are really quite tired. The footmen brings them home.

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<v Speaker 1>They are put into their little nighties. The candle is

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<v Speaker 1>blown out. The nursery door is softly closed. Now and again,

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00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:03.759
<v Speaker 1>some restless little man, wearying of the smug nursery, will

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<v Speaker 1>run out past the garden gate and down the long

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<v Speaker 1>white road, will find the North Pole, or failing that,

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<v Speaker 1>the South pole, or where the nile rises, or how

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<v Speaker 1>it feels to fly, will climb the mountains of the moon.

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<v Speaker 1>Do anything, go anywhere to escape from nurse civilizations? Everlasting

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<v Speaker 1>apron streams. Or some queer little woman wondering where the

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<v Speaker 1>people come from, will run and run till she comes

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<v Speaker 1>to the great town, watch and wonder the strange folk

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<v Speaker 1>that's sweat and groan, the peaceful nursery with the toys,

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<v Speaker 1>the pretty frocks never quite the same again to her,

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<v Speaker 1>but to the nineteen twentieths of the well to do

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<v Speaker 1>the world beyond the nursery is an unknown land. Terrible

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<v Speaker 1>things occur out there to little men and women who

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<v Speaker 1>have no pretty nursery to live in. People push and

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<v Speaker 1>shove you about, will even tread on your toes if

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<v Speaker 1>you are not careful. Out there is no kind strong

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<v Speaker 1>nurse bank balance to hold one's little hand and see

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<v Speaker 1>that no harm comes to one. Out there, one has

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<v Speaker 1>to fight one's own battles. Often when is cold and

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<v Speaker 1>hungry out there, one has to fend for one's self

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<v Speaker 1>out there, earn one's dinner before one eats it, never

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<v Speaker 1>quite sure of the week after next. Terrible things take

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<v Speaker 1>place out there, strain and contest and fierce endeavor. The

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<v Speaker 1>ways are full of dangers and surprises. Folk go up,

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<v Speaker 1>folk go down. You have to set your teeth and

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<v Speaker 1>fight well to do little men and women shudder, draw

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<v Speaker 1>down the nursery, blinds Robin, and had a little dog.

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<v Speaker 1>It led the usual dog's life, slept in a basket

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<v Speaker 1>on an eider down cushion, sheltered from any chance draft

331
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<v Speaker 1>by silk curtains, Its milk warmed and sweetened, its cozy

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<v Speaker 1>chair reserved for it in winter near the fire. In

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<v Speaker 1>summer where the sun might reach it. It's three meals

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<v Speaker 1>a day that a gourmet might have eaten gladly, its

335
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<v Speaker 1>very fleas taken off its hands, And twice a year

336
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<v Speaker 1>still extra care was needed, lest it should wantonly fling

337
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<v Speaker 1>aside its days and nights of luxurious ease, claim its

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<v Speaker 1>small share of the ashen and pain that go to

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00:19:01.319 --> 00:19:04.359
<v Speaker 1>the making of dogs and men. For twice a year

340
00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:07.079
<v Speaker 1>there came a wind salt with the brine of Earth's

341
00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:10.599
<v Speaker 1>ceaseless tides, whispering to it of a wondrous land whose

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<v Speaker 1>sharpest stones are sweeter than the silken cushions of all

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<v Speaker 1>the world. Without one winter's night, there was great commotion.

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<v Speaker 1>Babet was nowhere to be found. We were living in

345
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<v Speaker 1>the country, miles away from everywhere. Babet. Babet cried poor

346
00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:28.119
<v Speaker 1>frenzied Robina, and for answer came only the laughter of

347
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<v Speaker 1>the wind, pausing in his game of rops with the snowflakes.

348
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<v Speaker 1>Next morning, an old woman from the town four miles

349
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<v Speaker 1>away brought back Babet at the end of a string. Oh,

350
00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.839
<v Speaker 1>such a soak to be draggled Babet. The old woman

351
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<v Speaker 1>had found her crouching in a doorway, a bewildered little

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<v Speaker 1>heap of palpitating femininity, and reading the address upon her collar,

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe scenting a not impossible reward, and thought she

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<v Speaker 1>might as well earn it for herself. Robina was shocked,

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<v Speaker 1>disgusted to think that Babet, date petted, spoilt, the bet

356
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<v Speaker 1>should have chosen of her own accord to go down

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<v Speaker 1>into the mud and darkness of the vulgar town, to

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<v Speaker 1>leave her curtain, to eyed her down, to tramp the

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<v Speaker 1>streets like any drab. Robina, to whom Babet had hitherto

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<v Speaker 1>been the ideal dog, moved away to hide her tears

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<v Speaker 1>of vexation. The old dame smiled. She had borne her

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<v Speaker 1>good man eleven so she told us. It had been

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<v Speaker 1>a hard struggle, and some had gone down, and some

364
00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:29.319
<v Speaker 1>were dead, but some, thank God, we're doing well. The

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<v Speaker 1>old Dame wished us good day. But as she turned

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<v Speaker 1>to go, and impulse seized her. She crossed to where Babet,

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<v Speaker 1>ashamed yet half defiant, sat a wet, woeful little image

368
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<v Speaker 1>on the hearth rug. Stooped and lifted the little creature

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<v Speaker 1>in her thin, warm arms. It's trouble you've brought yourself,

370
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<v Speaker 1>said the old dame. You couldn't help it, could you.

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<v Speaker 1>Babbet's little pink tongue stole out. We understand, we know,

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<v Speaker 1>we mothers, they seemed to be saying to one another,

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<v Speaker 1>and so the two kissed. I think the Perris will

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<v Speaker 1>be my favorite spot. Ethel Bertha thinks too that on

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<v Speaker 1>sunny days she will like to sit there from it.

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<v Speaker 1>Through an opening I have made in the trees, I

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00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:11.400
<v Speaker 1>can see the cottage just a mile away, at the

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<v Speaker 1>edge of the wood. Young Butte tells me it is

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<v Speaker 1>the very place he has been looking for most of

380
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<v Speaker 1>his time. Of course, he has to pass in town,

381
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<v Speaker 1>but his Fridays to Mondays he likes to spend in

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<v Speaker 1>the country. Maybe I shall hand it over to him.

383
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<v Speaker 1>Saint Leonard's chimneys. We can also see above the trees

384
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<v Speaker 1>Dick tells me he has quite made up his mind

385
00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:33.039
<v Speaker 1>to become a farmer. He thinks it would be a

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00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:35.960
<v Speaker 1>good plan for a beginning to go into partnership with

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00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:39.359
<v Speaker 1>Saint Leonard. It is not unlikely that Saint Leonard's restless

388
00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:43.000
<v Speaker 1>temperament may prompt him eventually to tire of farming. He

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00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:45.880
<v Speaker 1>has a brother in Canada doing well in the lumber business,

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00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:48.880
<v Speaker 1>and Saint Leonard often talks of the advantages of the

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<v Speaker 1>colonies to a man who is bringing up a large family.

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<v Speaker 1>I shall be sorry to lose him as a neighbor,

393
00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:58.480
<v Speaker 1>though I see the advantages under certain possibilities of missus

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00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:03.400
<v Speaker 1>Saint Leonard's address being managed. Veronica also thinks the terrorists

395
00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:07.039
<v Speaker 1>may come to be her favorite resting place. I suppose,

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<v Speaker 1>said Veronica, that if anything was to happen to Robina,

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<v Speaker 1>everything would fall on me. It would be a change, Veronica,

398
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<v Speaker 1>I suggested, hitherto it is you who have done most

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<v Speaker 1>of the falling. Suppose I've got to see about growing up,

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<v Speaker 1>said Veronica. End of chapter twelve. End of They and

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<v Speaker 1>I by Jerome k Jerome, recorded by Debrelyn