Dove painted and cleaned, and whistled as he worked; he
felt quite cheerful and virtuous, and began to consider that the
position of British workmen was not such a bad one after all. He felt
more and more pleased with Daisy Mainwaring for having put him in the
way of such agreeable and profitable occupation, and more and more
resolved to leave her alone for the future.
"Maybe if I was to talk to the pretty little dear she'd find me a deal
more jobs of this yere sort," he said to himself. "A little lady she
is, and no mistake, and she keeps very genteel friends, as any one can
see with half an eye."
After Dove had worked for two or three hours he began to feel thirsty,
for he was quite unaccustomed to any continuous labor. The sun was
shining brightly on the balcony, and he was also a little hot, and the
inside of Noel's room looked deliciously cool and inviting. He had
just seen Lawson walking down the street, too, so he was quite sure of
having the premises to himself. Slipping off his shoes he stepped into
the room and began to look about him with an appreciative air. He
handled some of Noel's choicest books, and looked through a portfolio
of rare engravings but neither books nor engravings were quite in
Dove's way, and after a time he strolled over to the mantel-piece, as
he said, to see how he looked reflected in the over-mantel glass.
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