按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
157
… Page 158…
BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
received；〃 objected Janetta； 〃otherwise people would never know
whether they had arrived safely。〃
〃Of course； I have thought of that；〃 said Egbert； 〃every present that
was sent off would be accompanied by a ticket bearing the date of
dispatch and the signature of the sender； and some conventional
hieroglyphic to show that it was intended to be a Christmas or New Year
gift； there would be a counterfoil with space for the recipient's name
and the date of arrival； and all you would have to do would be to sign
and date the counterfoil； add a conventional hieroglyphic indicating
heartfelt thanks and gratified surprise； put the thing into an envelope and
post it。〃
〃It sounds delightfully simple；〃 said Janetta wistfully； 〃but people
would consider it too cut…and… dried； too perfunctory。〃
〃It is not a bit more perfunctory than the present system；〃 said Egbert；
〃I have only the same conventional language of gratitude at my disposal
with which to thank dear old Colonel Chuttle for his perfectly delicious
Stilton； which we shall devour to the last morsel； and the Froplinsons for
their calendar； which we shall never look at。 Colonel Chuttle knows
that we are grateful for the Stilton； without having to be told so； and the
Froplinsons know that we are bored with their calendar； whatever we
may say to the contrary； just as we know that they are bored with the
bridge…markers in spite of their written assurance that they thanked us
for our charming little gift。 What is more； the Colonel knows that even
if we had taken a sudden aversion to Stilton or been forbidden it by the
doctor； we should still have written a letter of hearty thanks around it。
So you see the present system of acknowledgment is just as perfunctory
and conventional as the counterfoil business would be； only ten times
more tiresome and brain…racking。〃
〃Your plan would certainly bring the ideal of a Happy Christmas a
step nearer realisation；〃 said Janetta。
〃There are exceptions； of course；〃 said Egbert； 〃people who really
try to infuse a breath of reality into their letters of acknowledgment。
Aunt Susan； for instance； who writes： 'Thank you very much for the ham；
not such a good flavour as the one you sent last year； which itself was
158
… Page 159…
BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
not a particularly good one。 Hams are not what they used to be。' It
would be a pity to be deprived of her Christmas comments； but that loss
would be swallowed up in the general gain。〃
〃Meanwhile；〃 said Janetta； 〃what am I to say to the Froplinsons？〃
159
… Page 160…
BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
THE NAME…DAY
ADVENTURES； according to the proverb； are to the adventurous。
Quite as often they are to the non… adventurous； to the retiring； to the
constitutionally timid。 John James Abbleway had been endowed by
Nature with the sort of disposition that instinctively avoids Carlist
intrigues； slum crusades； the tracking of wounded wild beasts； and the
moving of hostile amendments at political meetings。 If a mad dog or a
Mad Mullah had come his way he would have surrendered the way
without hesitation。 At school he had unwillingly acquired a thorough
knowledge of the German tongue out of deference to the plainly…
expressed wishes of a foreign…languages master； who； though he taught
modern subjects； employed old…fashioned methods in driving his lessons
home。 It was this enforced familiarity with an important commercial
language which thrust Abbleway in later years into strange lands where
adventures were less easy to guard against than in the ordered
atmosphere of an English country town。 The firm that he worked for
saw fit to send him one day on a prosaic business errand to the far city
of Vienna； and； having sent him there； continued to keep him there； still
engaged in humdrum affairs of commerce； but with the possibilities of
romance and adventure； or even misadventure； jostling at his elbow。
After two and a half years of exile； however； John James Abbleway had
embarked on only one hazardous undertaking； and that was of a nature
which would assuredly have overtaken him sooner or later if he had
been leading a sheltered； stay…at…home existence at Dorking or
Huntingdon。 He fell placidly in love with a placidly lovable English
girl； the sister of one of his commercial colleagues； who was improving
her mind by a short trip to foreign parts； and in due course he was
formally accepted as the young man she was engaged to。 The further
step by which she was to become Mrs。 John Abbleway was to take place
a twelvemonth hence in a town in the English midlands； by which time
the firm that employed John James would have no further need for his
presence in the Austrian capital。
It was early in April； two months after the installation of Abbleway
160
… Page 161…
BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
as the young man Miss Penning was engaged to； when he received a
letter from her； written from Venice。 She was still peregrinating under
the wing of her brother； and as the latter's business arrangements would
take him across to Fiume for a day or two； she had conceived the idea
that it would be rather jolly if John could obtain leave of absence and
run down to the Adriatic coast to meet them。 She had looked up the
route on the map； and the journey did not appear likely to be expensive。
Between the lines of her communication there lay a hint that if he really
cared for her …
Abbleway obtained leave of absence and added a journey to Fiume
to his life's adventures。 He left Vienna on a cold； cheerless day。 The
flower shops were full of spring blooms； and the weekly organs of
illustrated humour were full of spring topics； but the skies were heavy
with clouds that looked like cotton…wool that has been kept over long in
a shop window。
〃Snow comes；〃 said the train official to the station officials； and they
agreed that snow was about to come。 And it came； rapidly； plenteously。
The train had not been more than an hour on its journey when the
cotton… wool clouds commenced to dissolve in a blinding downpour of
snowflakes。 The forest trees on either side of the line were speedily
coated with a heavy white mantle； the telegraph wires became thick
glistening ropes； the line itself was buried more and more completely
under a carpeting of snow； through which the not very powerful engine
ploughed its way with increasing difficulty。 The Vienna…Fiume line is
scarcely the best equipped of the Austrian State railways； and Abbleway
began to have serious fears for a breakdown。 The train had slowed
down to a painful and precarious crawl and presently came to a halt at
a spot where the drifting snow had accumulated in a formidable barrier。
The engine made a special effort and broke through the obstruction； but
in the course of another twenty minutes it was again held up。 The
process of breaking through was renewed； and the trai