"I'd rather sit on the floor," he said as he took his seat beside the bed, adding immediately, "I can stay until twelve o'clock!"
Tanaka had gone to take a bath after his warm run and to drink tea at the little tea-house across the road.
Monsieur lay propped up in bed with his bandaged hands lying helpless on the cover-lid. But his eyes were soft and kind, and he had so many interesting things to talk about that June found him a most entertaining host. After he had shown June his sword and told a wonderful story about it, he returned to the goldfish.
"Alas, there are but twenty-one now," he sighed. "Napoleon Bonaparte died on Sunday. Have you seen the Grand Monarch? He is the great shining fellow in the crystal bowl. Those smaller ones are his gentlemen-in-waiting. Here is Marie Antoinette, is she not most beautiful?"
June was introduced to every one in turn and had endless questions to ask in regard to the story of each. Monsieur was the only person he had ever met who always had another story on hand. Everything suggested a story, a story was hidden in every nook and corner of Monsieur's brain, they fairly bubbled over in their eagerness to be told, and June was as greedy for more as the pigeons were greedy for corn, and he thought up new questions while the old ones were getting answered.
Once Monsieur recited something in verse to him, and that reminded June of his own poem.
"I made up one coming," he announced, "do you want to hear it?"
Monsieur did. Monsieur was very fond of verse, so June recited it with evident pride:
"Oh Gee!" said the tree, "It seems to me That under my branches I see a bee!"
"Bravo!" said Monsieur, "you will be a poet and a soldier too!"