"Well, I repeated to him the advice he had given me, and told him I saw in his face that he was sure to be sea-sick. He didn't recover during the whole voyage, and I never suffered a moment." "That's a lie," he pleasantly remarked, and lay back, enjoying my silent wrath. "Send him, General," he added, "he's your man." "He didn't begin that until after he left me. I had some private reasons for not killing him when I might have done it." A few moments later Mrs. Masters entered the room bearing a tray with the promised meal. True to her instinct, the good soul must have searched the remotest corners of her pantry in order to provide what she evidently regarded as but an apology of a repast. Little did she know for what Brobdingnagian appetite she was catering! At the sight of the six gleaming white eggs in their cups, the guest made a movement expressive of the direction of his desire, if not of very sanguine hope of their fulfilment. Besides eggs, there were several piles of sandwiches, bread and butter, and assorted cakes. Lalage saw the beautiful force of the argument. Besides, he was not anxious to die yet. His own bitter regret was that he had not completed his mission. If he had only known that his dalliance with opportunity had proved his own undoing he would have been moved to a deeper and fiercer anger. CHAPTER XXVIII. TEMPERING STEEL. He learned, first of all, not to start up an engine while the tail of the ship pointed toward a hangar, or other open building, or toward a crowd, in future, on a field. No bird ever was more free. ¡°Where do they lead to?¡± Back along the hangar wall they crept, until they came up to the small wooden cupboard with its dusty, frayed protecting burlap across the front. Under the cupboard boards the wires ran well concealed by more dusty lint which seemed to have been swept into the corners by the lazy act of some cleaner. He stopped and considered the morals of the affair a little further, and somehow the idea of taking the fowls by stealth did not seem so abhorrent as at first. Then, everything was overslaughed by the thought of going into camp with the precious birds, of cleaning one and carefully stewing it, making a delicate, fragrant broth, the very smell of which would revive Si, and every spoonful bring nourishment and strength. "'Tain't enough," answered Groundhog angrily. "Look here, Jeff Billings, I know you of old. You've played off on me before, and I won't stand no more of it. Jest bekase you've bin a Lieutenant-Colonel and me only a teamster you've played the high and mighty with me. I'm jest as good as you are any day. I wouldn't give a howl in the infernal regions for your promises. You come down now with $100 in greenbacks and I'll go along and help you all I kin. If you don't¡ª" "Now none o' that, missus," said Reuben roughly¡ª"you put the child back in her cradle, and go and lie down yourself. I d?an't want to have to fetch doctor in to you." "Meddling knave!" said he, "why did you interfere? The woman was dead¡ªwhat more would you have? Did you understand it to be the custom of the lord of Sudley to war with dead enemies?" HoMEb0399510duppid1sut3691ENTER NUMBET 003www.rred.com.cn www.ogcf.com.cn fc186.net.cn journey.org.cn www.hzjzjxhg.com.cn www.realestateinvestar.com.cn gsecap.com.cn chinacoin.net.cn kugouyinyue.org.cn www.kfsyxx.org.cn