By-and-bye I knew how a man feels in a treadmill, and I was anxious
for the Boy's sake, seeing the queer little figure in the panama and
dressing-gown gradually droop, despite the brave spirit with which it
was animated. Losing confidence in my boasted ability as a pioneer, I
called Joseph to the rescue, and bade him take the lead.
Having intruded upon him suddenly, behind the screen of snow-cloud, I
found him engaged in the Samaritan act--no doubt carried out on purely
humanitarian principles--of warming one of Innocentina's hands in his.
I simulated blindness with such histrionic skill that honest Joseph
was deceived thereby; but not so Innocentina. She tossed her head, and
folded her arms in her cape as if it had been the toga of a Roman
senator unjustly accused of treason. She had been, so she assured me,
at that instant on the point of coming forward to entreat her young
monsieur to mount Fanny, since he must be deadly tired; but the Boy,
joining us at the moment, denied excessive fatigue and said that he
would freeze if he rode. Besides, he added, it would be cruel to
burden Fanny, in her present state of depression. The most likely
thing was that we should have to carry her; and if she continued to
shrink at her present rate per minute, soon we could slip her into one
of our pockets.
Joseph, promoted to the post of honour, forged ahead; and either Fanny
and Souris insisted upon following Finois, or else Innocentina felt
called upon to continue the process of conversion even in adverse
circumstances; at all events, the Boy and I almost immediately found
ourselves in the background, all that we could see of our companions
being a tassel-like grey tail quivering above a moving blur of little
legs, scarcely thicker than toothpicks.
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