Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno.djvu/66

38 a grin of delight at his own cleverness, looked round for applause.

Sylvie coloured crimson, as she shook off the butter from her frock: but she kept her lips tight shut, and walked away to the window, where she stood looking out and trying to recover her temper.

Uggug's triumph was a very short one: the Sub-Warden had returned, just in time to be a witness of his dear child's playfulness, and in another moment a skilfully-applied box on the ear had changed the grin of delight into a howl of pain.

"My darling!" cried his mother, enfolding him in her fat arms. "Did they box his ears for nothing? A precious pet!"

"It's not for nothing! growled the angry father. "Are you aware. Madam, that I pay the house-bills, out of a fixed annual sum? The loss of all that wasted butter falls on me! Do you hear. Madam!"

"Hold your tongue, Sir!" My Lady spoke very quietly——almost in a whisper. But there was something in her look which silenced him. "Don't you see it was only a joke? And a