"
Let me now return to Professor Hanky, whom I fear that I have left too
long.
"And of course," he continued, "I shall say all sorts of pretty things
about the Mayoress--for I suppose we must not even think of her as Yram
now."
"The Mayoress," replied Panky, "is a very dangerous woman; see how she
stood out about the way in which the Sunchild had worn his clothes before
they gave him the then Erewhonian dress. Besides, she is a sceptic at
heart, and so is that precious son of hers."
"She was quite right," said Hanky, with something of a snort. "She
brought him his dinner while he was still wearing the clothes he came in,
and if men do not notice how a man wears his clothes, women do. Besides,
there are many living who saw him wear them."
"Perhaps," said Panky, "but we should never have talked the King over if
we had not humoured him on this point. Yram nearly wrecked us by her
obstinacy. If we had not frightened her, and if your study, Hanky, had
not happened to have been burned . . . "
"Come, come, Panky, no more of that."
"Of course I do not doubt that it was an accident; nevertheless if your
study had not been accidentally burned, on the very night the clothes
were entrusted to you for earnest, patient, careful, scientific
investigation--and Yram very nearly burned too--we should never have
carried it through.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59