I see now what he meant. Any other man would have gone on doing my work while I leaned against the edge of the stall. He made me do it myself, and at the exact moment when I'd decided I'd had enough of it!
"Take a rest now," broke in this Captain Holiday after he'd watched me critically for some minutes. "Resting is just as important as thrusting."
He drew up a long wooden crate near the cow-house door.
"Sit down," he ordered.
I did, still wondering half-exasperatedly who this tall young captain was.
Did he think that just because I was on the land I was to be spoken to by any stranger who drifted along? If so—well!
I was just wondering how I had better show him very plainly that he'd made a big mistake, when again I was disarmed by the sight of that charming smile. No man with a smile like that could make that kind of mistake. But again the smile was accompanied by the bluntest remark.
"You were jacking up just now, weren't you? Thinking you'd chuck the whole show?"
This nettled me exceedingly.
"No! I was doing nothing of the kind," I replied hotly.