Page:The Semi-detached House.djvu/95

 of small elephants, and gigantic ladybirds, all tending to an ark that did not seem adequate to house them, still less to admit eight yellow and red extinguishers, which were intended to represent Noah and his family.

"What now?" said the Doctor. "Why are you playing at Noah's arks? I thought you were, at least, half way to Berlin."

"No, you did not," said Blanche, "you thought onno [sic] such thing, you were only, as usual, humouring me and laughing at me, I saw that all the time. It is a great pity that I have known you all my life, I see through you so well."

"Not half so clearly as I see through you, and it is a great advantage to you to have a steady old friend like myself, who withstands all your impetuosities. You were an impetuous baby when you were an hour old, and you are not tamed yet."

"But I am improving rapidly, I might have fretted over an obscure hint about Berlin that I had to-day, and that I could easily