CHAPTER ELEVEN [113]
The next morning Scrogg brought Selia her morning tea and told her it would be best to have a bath.
“They are made very pleasant now Madam” she explained, as she threw all Selias close into the tall basket behind the washstand, “what with bath salts and animal sponges.” Selia in surprise propped herself on elbow in the couchy bed saying “Do they then have a bath every day with clean underwear,” for even she knew it was no good to put dirty close on a clean body.
“Indeed yes” said Scrogg with a kind smile. “My last lady was very particular, she would never dream to have her bath without her special frog sponge, so I made bold to buy you one yesterday in the form of a pijeon [114] ]which you will find in its place in the bath racket.”
“Ho” said Selia “I thought such things were only for the young.”
“Dear no” said Scrogg departing with the towels, “all things are animal now including electric lights.”
And so Selia had a bath first however recalling Scrogg.
“Go and tell Mr. Withersq to have a bath every day too” she thoughtfully said “for I fear he is not quite up to that yet.”
“Very good Madam” said Scrogg and went, and so Selia tripped into the bathroom and soaped well all over with the sponge which was like a pijeon with a beak and wool eyes and when she had had a good swill and a brisk dry she felt so strong she ran out and banged all the doors all down one side of the corridor for as will be remembered she occupied a whole floor to herself.
[115] And after a good breakfast with her Harold both of them reading Harold’s own newspaper propped up on the toast-machine, she departed on a mysterous errand to the Majpottels whereat Mr. Withersq made a sorry face, still as he was really very busy in the mornings he didnt mind as much as he looked, and set himself to writing his newspaper, which he now did every day as he thought it a good sport to tell others how to get on, and smiled up his sleeve to think how few would have Unckle Burts at the send-off, still it was a good wheeze as long as the craze for him lasted and made more money than ever. He was a little bored with it already however, for all though of low birth Mr. Withersq like all the truly great bored easily. And from time to time he caught himself thinking of cricket but not so much as he had done as the doctor had already given him some unthinking medesine, and each time he did [116] ]think he wrote a poem and they were soon to be printed in a book.