Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne

Atoms of Empire Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne

"WHAT on earth does the Chief have an animal like this Padgett to dine in Government House for?" asked Day ton-Philipps, querulously. "I expected to rough it, of course, when I came out here to the Coast, because they promised us active service, but hang me if ever I expected to rough it at the Governor's dinner-table with a missionary-thing like that. Why, the fellow hadn't got an aitch to his name; he stoked with his knife all the time; and when he got a fresh stock of perspiration on his forehead my aunt! he was too awful for anything."Forbes, the Colonial Secretary, fanned himself in his long-sleeved Madeira chair, and suggested lazily that Dayton-Philipps had been taken out of lavender too soon, and sent out into the warm, wide world too early. " We're a primitive people, we Coasters," said Forbes. "If a man has a white skin and a dress coat, we ask him to dinner. You're too fastidious.""Rot!" said Dayton-Philipps. " And, besides, the Padgett person hadn't a dress coat.""Oh, of course, I was speaking figuratively. Being a padre of sorts I forget what his fancy religion is called: never heard of it before being a padre, he naturally wears his official cloth. I saw you didn't like him at dinner. But you were very good; you swallowed down what you wanted to say; in fact, you behaved quite nicely.""I never wanted to kick a man so much in my life. He insulted you; he said your department was corrupt. He insulted the Governor; said practically that he was a disgrace to West Africa. And he insulted the other two men skilfully and rudely. As you all sat tight and tried to look as if you liked it, when it came to my turn I just followed your lead."