, 1896-04-15
WAITING FOR A BANG

20 hng-Woek3 and weoksEan awful
tins II had seemed to me. drifting aim
lsssly abo1k Naud and hsr husband
HsaA u my sistsr. BY the way, and
nswly nsxrisd-Hufeasins to be almost
- much "eons On" the scenery ~ they
really wsee On each othsr. 80 you can
sasly sssa what that meant for poor
NJ until George Joined M
The ehiak, may. the only, difficulty.
was 0sorsA he did not quite "c.toh
On" He was. very agreeable and very
ntoe but apparently quite satisfied to
sajoy hinsek with n, and then go back
10 work. ~ be playfully phrased it. "a
giant refreihed." and could not be got
10 ~ that there va anything more
ssrious in life than aimlessiy frivoling
about
We had done Snowdon, and really
what with the electric light and the
crowd, and all that. it was not half
bad. Quite cheerful, you know. and
civilised. Indeed, I never should have
gone without.
After that, l think-yes, it was
George suggested our going to Bethesda.
Not that any Of rs were at all interested
in states or quarries, only 1t was some
where to 60 and an excuse for e drive.
George ordered the carriage and made
all the arrangements. he had been
there before, 30 knew all about the
''show," a. he said, and we left every
thing to him.
Altogether it was 30 stupid and 20
dull that, but for what Maud called the
"off chance" Of George. I never could
eve that began to look desperate. Even
have stood it As long as I did. though
Maud began to lose heart.
"And yet ! don't know how it is.
You T looking your best" and she
eyed me critically, land he seems quite
fond Of you In his way"
But there was the hitch.. His way wa
mot ours. Apparently he was no fonder
Of me than Of any other girl. OF Of Maud
herseN.
We saw the men lay down their tools.
and, - though they had been 30 many
rabbits, disappear into their holes. and
after 4 few moments Of suspense there
were several loud explosions. and we
were told that the dynamite had done
it level best, or Its best. to level the
place, and We were warned most SOL
smnly that NC We were inside the
works-ws had only been on the outer
edge then-wheuever the whistle sound
Cd We must get into the nearest shelter
and not come out on any account until
after we had heard the bang"
1t wa highly exciting at the first, but
By repetition wen danger grew monoto-
nous and began to pail. and we strolled
On. George and I. and left the foreman
TO look after the others - best he could.
Maud and Fred seem very much at
tsched. don't you thipk?'' said George
o We looksd back just before passing
round . eurvs and caught sight Of them
with their Arms round each others
waists, ostendbly listening TO the fore
mans improving discourse, but really.
q W know from experience, far, far
away.
"Thsy ars indeed" I answered, with
Sigh that might have meant anything
ffom envy to despair. l realised with
. bluah, according to the interpreter and
tbs Interpretation.
And w strolled on again 10 \ part Of
The workings rather screened by that
pyramid lsft standing in the middle.
II suppose II 10 mot possible to get
lost oursslvesf' I began presently.
"6let.s me, no-you mean with this
Jack IN the boz arrangemeut-oh. dear,
NO. One has only to pop cot, and you
can 80 all over the show. but stop in
and-but there's that infer-Im mean that
blesssd thing again. I suppose We had
bsttsr"-
, "Oh,e yss; We must really 60 in. All
the men are off already, and II they do
it, who are " r I'D to 1t and know, We
ahoaA b very fooliah TO risk-see.
there's aFsluse herei" And We went
inside.
"Aftsr all It 10 rather jolly in hare
oat Il the sun. Beastly hot outside.
don't you thinki Sightseeing and all
that. Il gets 70 b rather-rather"-
"a bore. do you meanf" I intsrposed.
"Dossa's that depend''-
"Oh, II course, and ! don't think I
msant-you 80, its this way" And
- 1T . cigar. "It's the having to csc
things that's the bore. Take you and
M, for instance. We could hare been
inst - jolly and far moro comfortable
ovsr there at the INN, q. in fact, any
wheEA"
.Ars yoa % drssdful,y anoomfort-
able hsrsfs' / aGhsd diamally.
ssHy no meana. Qnite Otherwise, I
ass1fs you-you don't misd my mok-
in9s1 hOW-bot I've Ufeon thoeeht that