'No, but I get quotations mixed at times. Will you forgive me?' I said childishly.
So we smoked the pipe of peace with great contentment, smoked the calumet, the peace pipe, and I said, 'My brother, listen,—
"See the smoke rise slowly, slowly,
First a single line of darkness,
Then a denser, bluer vapour,
Then a snow-white cloud unfolding,
Like the tree tops of the forest.
Ever rising, rising, rising,
Till it touched the top of heaven,"
Till it broke against the ceiling,
Till I sneezed.'
'Meg, I'm sure you're feverish.'
'I'm not.'
'Well, the only thing I've understood that you've said lately was the sneeze.'
'And that,' I observed with pride, 'was the original bit. I always felt I could be a poet if I tried. Now I'm going to finish rowing you.'
'But I thought we'd smoked the pipe of peace, Meg.'
'Oh, that——' I said.
'How like a woman. Fire away, then, and get it off your chest.'