"Not particularly, except that he talks so beautifully."
Jock gave a small sympathetic whistle at this dreadful symptom, and
wondered to hear that he had been able to talk.
"I didn't mean only to-day, but this is only what he had made up his
mind to. He never expects to leave Belforest, and he thinks—-oh,
Jock!-—he thinks it is meant to do Bobus good."
"He doesn't go the way to edify Bobus."
"No, but don't you see? That is what is so dreadful. He only just
reads with Bobus because mother ordered him; and he hates it because
he thinks it is of no use, for he will never be well enough to go to
college. Why, he had this cold coming yesterday, and I believe he is
glad, for it would be like a book for him to be very bad indeed, bad
enough to be able to speak out to Bobus without being laughed at."
"Does he always go on in this way?"
"Not to mother; but to hear him and Miss Parsons is enough to drive
one wild. They went on such a dreadful way yesterday that I was
furious, and so glad to get away to Kenminster; only after I had set
off, he came running after me, and I knew what that would be."
"What does she do? Does she blarney him?"
"Yes, I suppose so. She means it, I believe; but she does natter him
so that it would make me sick, if it didn't make me so wretched! You
see he likes it, because he fancies her goodness itself; and so I
suppose she is, only there is such a lot of clerical shop"-—then, as
Jock made a sound as if he did not like the slang in her mouth-—"Ay,
it sounds like Bobus; but if this goes on much longer, I shall turn
to Bobus's way.
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