"Go directly," she said, "or I'll report you and have you
summonsed!"
"I have only two more crackers and this volcano," I said
protestingly. "Surely you would not mind----"
"Don't be insolent," she said, "or I shall have no compunction in
setting my dog on you."
I looked down, and there, sure enough, rolling a yellow eye and
showing his fangs at me, was a sort of Uncle Tom's Cabin
bloodhound only waiting to begin.
"The fact is," I said, speaking slowly, so as to emphasise the
fact that I was a gentleman, "I am an American; to-day is our
national holiday; and we make it everywhere our practice to
celebrate it with fireworks. I would have done so in the road, but
the island seemed so crowded this morning I couldn't find an
undisturbed place outside the park."
Beauty was obviously mollified by my tone and respectful address.
"Please leave the park directly," she said.
I put the crackers in my pocket, took up my hat, placed the Haetna
Volcano under my arm, and stood there, ready to go.
"Accept my apologies," I said. "Whatever my fault, at least no
discourtesy was intended."
We looked at each other, and Beauty's face relaxed into something
like a smile.
"Just give me one more minute for my volcano," I pleaded.
"You seem very polite," she returned. "Yes, you can set it off, if
that will be any satisfaction to you."
"It'll be a whole lot," I said, "and since you're so kind perhaps
you'll let me include the crackers as well?"
Then she began to laugh, and the sweetest thing about it was that
she didn't want to laugh a bit and blushed the most lovely pink,
as she broke out again and again until the woods fairly rang. And
as I laughed too--for really it was most absurd--it was as good as
a scene in a play. And so, while she held Legree's dog, whom the
sound inflamed to frenzy, I popped off the crackers and dropped my
cigar into Vesuvius. I tell you he was worth four and eightpence,
and the man was right when he said there wasn't his match in
London. I doubt if there was his match anywhere for being plumb-
full of red balls and green balls and blue balls and crimson stars
and fizzlegigs and whole torrents of tiny crackers and chase-me-
quicks, and when you about thought he was never going to stop he
shot up a silver spray and a gold spray and wound up with a very
considerable decent-sized bust.
"I must thank you for your good nature," I said to the young lady.
"Are you a typical American?" she asked. "Oh, so-so," I returned.
"There are heaps like me in New York."
"And do they all do this on the Fourth of July?" she asked.
"Every last one!" I said.
"Fancy!" she said.
"In America," I said, "when a man has received one favour he is
certain to make it the stepping-stone for another. Won't you
permit me to walk across the park to Castle Fyles?"
"Castle Fyles?" she repeated, with a little note of curiosity in
her girlish voice. "Then don't you know that this is Fyles Park?"
"Can't say I did," I returned. "But I am delighted to hear it."
"Why are you delighted to hear it?" she asked, making me feel more
than ever like an escaped lunatic.
"This is the home of my ancestors," I said, "and it makes me glad
to think they amount to something--own real estate--and keep their
venerable heads above water."
"So this is the home of your ancestors," she said.
"It's holy ground to me," I said.
"Fancy!" she exclaimed.
"At least I think it is," I went on, "though we haven't any proofs
beyond the fact that Fyles has always been a family name with us
back to the Colonial days. I'm named Fyles myself--Fyles ffrench--
and we, like the Castle people--have managed to retain our little
f throughout the ages."
She looked at me so incredulously that I handed her my card.
Mr. Fyles ffrench,
Knickerbocker Club.
She turned it over in her fingers, regarding me at the same time
with flattering curiosity.
"How do you do, kinsman?" she said, holding out her hand. "Welcome
to old England!"