Page:The Chimes.djvu/99

unworthy father toasts the bacon, we shall be ready, immediate. It’s a curious circumstance,” said Trotty, proceeding in his cookery, with the assistance of the toasting-fork, “curious, but well known to my friends, that I never care, myself for rashers, nor for tea. I like to see other people enjoy ’em,’’said Trotty, speaking very loud, to impress the fact upon his guest, “but to me, as food, they’re disagreeable.”

Yet Trotty sniffed the savour of the hissing bacon—as if he liked it; and when he poured the boiling water in the tea-pot, looked lovingly down into the depths of that snug cauldron, and suffered the fragrant steam to curl about his nose, and wreathe his head and face in a thick cloud. However, for all this, he neither ate nor drank, except at the very beginning, a mere morsel for form’s sake, which he appeared to eat with infinite relish, but declared was perfctly uninteresting to him.

No. Trotty’s occupation was, to see Will Fern and Lilian eat and drink; and so was Meg’s. And never did spectators at a city dinner or court banquet find such high delight in seeing others feast: although it were a monarch or a pope: as those two did, in looking on that night. Meg smiled at Trotty, Trotty laughed at Meg. Meg shook her head, and made belief to clap her hands, applauding Trotty; Trotty conveyed, in a dumb-show, unintelligible narratives of how and when and where he had found their visitors, to Meg; and they were happy. Very happy. “Although,” thought Trotty, sorrowfully, as he watched Meg’s face; “that match is broken off, I see!”