At this Bazalgette uttered a sort of chuckle, at which Mrs. Bazalgette
turned red. David stitched on for the bare life.
"I came to offer to invite you to my study, but--"
"I can't come just now," said David, bluntly; "I am doing a lady's
work for her."
"So I see," retorted Bazalgette, dryly.
"We all dine with the Hunts but you and Mr. Dodd," said Mrs.
Bazalgette, "so you will be _en tete-a-tete_ all the evening."
"All the better for us both." And with this ingratiating remark Mr.
Bazalgette retired whistling.
Mrs. Bazalgette heaved a gentle sigh: "Pity me, my friend," said she,
softly.
"What is the matter?" inquired David, rather bluntly.
"Mr. Bazalgette is so harsh to me--ah!--to me, who longs so for
kindness and gentleness that I feel I could give my very soul in
exchange for them."
The bait did not take.
"It is only his manner," said David, good-naturedly. "His heart is all
right; I never met a better. What sort of a knot is that you are
tying? Why, that is a granny's knot;" and he looked morose, at which
she looked amazed; so he softened, and explained to her with
benevolence the rationale of a knot. "A knot is a fastening intended
to be undone again by fingers, and not to come undone without them.
Accordingly, a knot is no knot at all if it jams or if it slips. A
granny's knot does both; when you want to untie it you must pick at it
like taking a nail out of a board, and, for all that, sooner or later
it always comes undone of itself; now you look here;" and he took a
piece of string out of his pocket, and tied her a sailor's knot,
bidding her observe that she could untie it at once, but it could
never come untied of itself.
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