Page:Lesbia Newman - Dalton - 1889.djvu/154

 as well as a boot—a pretty good one fer a sweet gurl, else I’ve knocked about with the gloves for nothing.’

‘Never mind,’ he persisted; ‘let’s see what you'd do if I sugared you all over.’ Without another word, hitting straight from the shoulder, Lesbia sent Dandidimmons sprawling upon the floor.

‘Now there’s a sweet gurl shown your chivalry what's what, aw; how do you like it?’ laughed Lesbia.

The fallen hero made no answer, but lay quite still in the same position. The others still laughed, but Lesbia changed countenance, and, springing to the side of Julius Dandidimmons, snatched him up im her arms as if he had been a baby, carried him to a sofa which happened to be vacant at the time, laid him gently on his back, putting the cushion under his head, then sat down by him on a chair and took his hand in hers while she said tenderly,—

‘I hope you don't feel badly hurt, Mr Dandidimmons? 1 never meant that, I assure you.’

Already the smart, sharp as it had been, was passing away, and the young man was occupied more with his mental than with his bodily sensations. He felt shaken in his self-esteem; it was giving place to a new feeling, one of respect for the girl, wholly different in kind from the sort of respect one might feel toward a man. His habits of thought about girls had sustained a double shock, first in the unconventional violence, then in the unconventional caressing; he was getting a glimpse of the truth that the frailty and timidity of women is a paste of imposture, manufactured by the slavery system of an undeveloped civilisation, and having nothing corresponding to it in the spiritual world. A comical way by such an incident as this, we allow, for Divine Order to reveal itself to the conscience; yet Julius Dandidimmons might have studied theology till it oozed out of his fingers, without learning what he was taught