I have heard of delicate shades of language before, but this is
the sublimity thereof."
And Ralph laughed.
"I never saw such a person," said Fanny, pouting.
"By the bye," said Ralph.
"Well, sir?"
"What was there so interesting in the toes?"
"They were lovely."
"Anything else?"
"Beautiful."
"That all? Come, now, tell me the charm in those feet which you young
ladies designated, I remember, as 'teensy,' and expressed your desire
to 'tiss.' Shocking perversion of the king's English--and in honor of
nothing but two dirty little feet!" said Ralph.
The storm which was visited upon Ralph's unhappy head for this
barbarous criticism was dreadful. Fanny declared, in express terms,
that he was a monster, an ogre, and with a stone in his breast instead
of a heart. To which Mr. Ralph replied, that the best writers of
ancient and modern times had nowhere designated as a monster the man
who was not in raptures at the sight of babies;--whereupon Miss Fanny
declared her disregard of writers in general, and her preference for
babies--at which stage of the discussion Ralph began to whistle.
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