登陆注册
5195500000153

第153章

It was as good as a play.I got up as near as I dared once or twice, and I couldn't hardly keep from bursting out laughing when I saw how grave he talked and drawled and put up his eyeglass, and every now and then made 'em all laugh, or said something reminded him of India, where he'd last come from.

Well, that was a regular fizzer of a spree, if we never had another.

The racing was very fair, and, as luck would have it, the Dawson horses won all the big money, and, as they started at longish odds, they must have made a pot of money, and Starlight too, as he'd gone in a docker for their stable.This made them better friends than ever, and it was Dawson here and Lascelles there all over the course.

Well, the day went over at last, and all of them that liked a little fun and dancing better than heavy drinking made it up to go to the race ball.It was a subscription affair -- guinea tickets, just to keep out the regular roughs, and the proceeds to go to the Turon Jockey Club Fund.All the swells had to go, of course, and, though they knew it would be a crush and pretty mixed, as I heard Starlight say, the room was large, the band was good, and they expected to get a fair share of dancing after an hour or so.

Starlight and the Dawsons dined at the camp, and were made a good deal of -- their health drunk and what not -- and Starlight told us afterwards he returned thanks for the strangers and visitors; said he'd been told Australia was a rough place, but he never expected to find so much genuine kindness and hospitality and, he might add, so much refinement and gentlemanly feeling.Speaking for himself, he had never expected, considering his being a total stranger, to be welcomed so cordially and entertained so handsomely, more particularly at the mess of her Majesty's goldfields officials, whose attention on this occasion they might be assured he would never forget.

He would repeat, the events of this particular day would never be effaced from his memory.(Tremendous cheering.)After dinner, and when the champagne had gone round pretty reasonable, the Commissioner proposed they should all adjourn to the ball, when, if Mr.Lascelles cared about dancing, he ventured to think a partner or two could be found for him.So they all got up and went away down to the hall of the Mechanics' Institute -- a tremendous big room that had been built to use as a theatre, and to give lectures and concerts in.

These sort of things are very popular at diggings.Miners like to be amused, and have plenty of money to spend when times are good.

There was hardly a week passed without some kind of show being on when we went there.

I walked down quietly an hour or so before most of the people, so as to be in the way to see if Aileen came.We'd asked her to come on the chance of meeting us there, but we hadn't got any word, and didn't know whether she could manage it nor whether George would bring her.I had a sort of half-and-half notion that perhaps Gracey might come, but I didn't like to think of it for fear of being disappointed, and tried to make believe I didn't expect her.

I gave in my ticket and walked in about eight o'clock, and sat down pretty close to the door so that I could see the people as they came in.

I didn't feel much up to dancing myself, but I'd have ridden a thousand miles to have had the chance of seeing those two girls that night.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 快乐服务

    快乐服务

    面对工作的压力,很多人感到迷茫、无奈,不知道如何解决。其实解决这个问题很简单,那就是态度。本书中的主人公凯瑟琳用她近二十年的工作心得给大家讲述了这个问题:工作是一面镜子,你想从中看到什么样的自己由你做主。这本书通过凯瑟琳一天的工作,真实地再现了一个快乐的服务者。每一个读此书的人都会在不知不觉中受到凯瑟琳的感染和鼓舞,她让我们学会了热爱工作、热爱生活。
  • 三坊七巷与台湾文化研讨会论文集

    三坊七巷与台湾文化研讨会论文集

    《开风气之先 谋天下永福:“三坊七巷与台湾”文化研讨会论文集》主要内容包括:三坊七巷人士与台湾的教育、试论三坊七巷学人与台湾书院的发展、三坊七巷与近代福州历史文化变迁、两岸交流视域下的三坊七巷名人文化等。
  • 重生之荼靡

    重生之荼靡

    她是天之娇女,名满天下,琴棋书画诗酒花无不精通。她却败给了爱情,败给了权利。她为爱痴狂,付出所有,却聪明反被聪明误,害得双亲惨死,腹中未出生的孩儿也难逃毒手。她恨,毒杀仇人未果,她视死如归,不曾想却得老天垂怜得以重活一世!运筹帷幄,且看她如何虐渣男,怼贱女。她这一世张扬肆意,本以为会孤独终老,结果却遇上了他。他疼她爱她宠她护她,她是他的小野猫,他是她的避风港。夜夜欺她,日日爱她,看宠妻狂魔如何俘获她的心?
  • 太上玄灵北斗本命延生真经批注

    太上玄灵北斗本命延生真经批注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 傲天弃少

    傲天弃少

    家族弃我,我为家族!豪门弃我,我为豪门!宗门弃我,我自立宗门又何妨?豪门身份、长子嫡孙,却成为了家族弃少。自九天而来,揽日月星辰,踏碧波巨浪!重新来过,再回当年,这一世,我不留遗憾!这一世,我为善良而活,我为恶人而生!这一世,我要拿回本属于我的一切!傲天而立,弃少称尊!
  • 中国当代文学经典必读·1992中篇小说卷

    中国当代文学经典必读·1992中篇小说卷

    吴义勤主编的这本《中国当代文学经典必读·1992中篇小说卷》共收中篇小说八篇,包括贾平凹的《晚雨》、莫言的《红耳朵》、阎连科的《寻找土地》、尤凤伟的《石门夜话》、刘醒龙的《村支书》、池莉的《预谋杀人》等。每篇小说后都有精短点评。
  • 穿越汉朝后宫:昭君不出塞

    穿越汉朝后宫:昭君不出塞

    一次倒霉的穿越,她糊里糊涂的变成了昭君。什么?四大美人很爽?我P类,一直罩着她的皇帝没多久就挂了,要是去塞外那个蛮夷的底盘,又是跟自己在现代的负心汉一样,都是有妇之夫….哦,天哪,地哪...见到明星脸了,古代也不错嘛....
  • 主角培训师

    主角培训师

    有这样一个人,见证了八大界的兴衰,左右着苍穹下的格局!他曾无数次登顶巅峰,君临天下,却又在鼎盛之时,悄然隐退,消失在了历史的长河。如今,这个人活出了第九世,他从台前走向了幕后,开启了一段与众不同的传奇人生。这是一个少年带着一条大黑狗,行走在各个世界,将草根调教成巅峰的故事。(都让建个群,那就建一个吧!QQ群,幻家,439319748,加群没要求,禁止互撕,不管是谁!)
  • 大江东来

    大江东来

    大江流日夜,黑云牛马行,风尘三尺剑,万里未归人。一个落魄孤儿,以枯脉劫火之躯,解开多年之前鬼道内幕,劫尽天倾,剑挽狂澜,平复宗门之乱,决战昆吾之巅,剑道存千古,冷眼看轮回。
  • 关庙与关公文化

    关庙与关公文化

    将近10年前,笔者又和王峻峰、郭汾阳合写过一本同名的30余万字的专著。本书是对这本专著的浓缩和深化,又加上了一些新的思考。