 | A Summer Christmas and a Sonnet upon The S.S. "Ballaarat." |  |
Hall, the Professor, Will and Lil
Had ridden. Kit so dreaded Phil
That she had given up her horse
To Hall, and driven to the course
Lest any accident should force
The fatal tete-à-tete. Phil drove,
He was so visibly in love
That when he said he wished to drive
(Which was when he'd heard Kit arrive
At her decision), Will gave up
And rode. For neither cared to stoop
To th' other's driving which they thought
Uninteresting if not fraught
With ignominy positive,
Having for years been wont to live
Like independent potentates
Of equal, jealous, neighbouring states.
Had ridden. Kit so dreaded Phil
That she had given up her horse
To Hall, and driven to the course
Lest any accident should force
The fatal tete-à-tete. Phil drove,
He was so visibly in love
That when he said he wished to drive
(Which was when he'd heard Kit arrive
At her decision), Will gave up
And rode. For neither cared to stoop
To th' other's driving which they thought
215
With ignominy positive,
Having for years been wont to live
Like independent potentates
Of equal, jealous, neighbouring states.
Kit would not ride upon the box
And play the goose beside the fox
For reasons obvious, and Maud,
For reasons just as plain and broad,
Could not, in justice to her pride,
Take a position by his side,
And Madge knew by experience
How Phil could illustrate his sense
Of being victimised, too well
To think the post desirable,
And Phil could hardly interfere
With Ida, whom the ex-minister
Made in a kind of way his own,
Although he gladly would have done,
For, failing Kit, he liked to be
With Ida, who dressed daintily,
And had the manners of the class
With whom he wished his days to pass.
He was not of a kind to press
Attentions on the governess,
And so he found himself left with
His pet aversion—Lachlan Smith.
To Phil's more educated eye
The barrister's gentility
Was shoddy and suggestive of
A “Monster Outfitting Alcove,”
With his frock-coat not fitting well,
And hat the converse of a bell,
And long shirt cuffs and large breast pin,
And collar forcing up his chin.
And play the goose beside the fox
For reasons obvious, and Maud,
For reasons just as plain and broad,
Could not, in justice to her pride,
Take a position by his side,
And Madge knew by experience
How Phil could illustrate his sense
Of being victimised, too well
To think the post desirable,
And Phil could hardly interfere
With Ida, whom the ex-minister
Made in a kind of way his own,
Although he gladly would have done,
For, failing Kit, he liked to be
With Ida, who dressed daintily,
And had the manners of the class
With whom he wished his days to pass.
He was not of a kind to press
Attentions on the governess,
And so he found himself left with
His pet aversion—Lachlan Smith.
To Phil's more educated eye
The barrister's gentility
Was shoddy and suggestive of
A “Monster Outfitting Alcove,”
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And hat the converse of a bell,
And long shirt cuffs and large breast pin,
And collar forcing up his chin.
And his pretentious arguings
On races, stock and other things,
Of which he was quite ignorant,
With people who were conversant
Were calculated to confirm
And not remove suspicion's germ.
On races, stock and other things,
Of which he was quite ignorant,
With people who were conversant
Were calculated to confirm
And not remove suspicion's germ.
But Lachlan Smith talked glibly on
These topics dangerous upon,
The whole way there and whole way back
Without suspecting any lack
Of cordial responsiveness,
Although if he had chattered less
And pondered more he must have seen
Phil's ill-disguised contempt and spleen,
And was so well pleased in his mind
With his success that he inclined
To be almost familiar,
And might have gone a step too far
Had they not fortunately come,
Just as they verged upon it, home.
These topics dangerous upon,
The whole way there and whole way back
Without suspecting any lack
Of cordial responsiveness,
Although if he had chattered less
And pondered more he must have seen
Phil's ill-disguised contempt and spleen,
And was so well pleased in his mind
With his success that he inclined
To be almost familiar,
And might have gone a step too far
Had they not fortunately come,
Just as they verged upon it, home.
| A Summer Christmas and a Sonnet upon The S.S. "Ballaarat." | |