"I suppose so," returned Clarges. He was astride a cannon and still
biting the tiny moustache. "Yes, by the direction of the sunset we
must be, I suppose. I say, if we are, you know, I should like to be
able to tell between what two trees--it would have to be between two
of those trees there--we should have to walk to get to the North Pole."
The Hon. Bovyne looked around suddenly and laughed. He was fishing
apparently in his pockets for a paper or something of the kind, as
he had a number of letters in his hand, looking them over.
"What two trees? Where? Arthur, you _are_ a donkey. What are you
talking about?"
"I say," returned Clarges, "that it is perfectly true that as we sit
here, facing due north, all we have to do is to walk straight over
this river--"
"On the sawdust?"
"Certainly, over those hills and between two of those trees in order
to get to the North Pole. Curious, isn't it? If you look awfully
close, real hard, you know, you can almost count their branches as
they stand up against the sky. Like little feathers--huff-f-f-f--one
could almost blow them away!"
The Honorable Bovyne laughed again. Clarges was a mystery to him, as
to many others. Half-witted he sometimes called him, though on other
occasions he stood in awe of his bright, candid, fearless nature,
and his truthful and reckless tongue.
"I say," went on Clarges excitedly, shading his eyes with his hand.
"There are two trees out there in a straight line from this very
cannon that--that I should know again, Bovey! Do look where I point
now like a good fellow. Don't you see there, following the chimney
of that big red place, factory or other, right in a line with that
at the very top of the hill at its highest point, two trees that
stand a little apart from the others and have such funny branches--Oh!
you must be able to see them by those queer branches! One crooks out
on one side just as the other does on the other tree. That isn't
very lucid, but you see what I mean can't you? They make a sort of--
of--lyre shape."
The Hon. Bovyne shaded his eyes with his hand and looked out over
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