And then my thoughts travelled to small homes in distant suburbs,
and these bright lads and lasses round me came to look older and
more careworn. But what of that? Are not old faces sweet when
looked at by old eyes a little dimmed by love, and are not care and
toil but the parents of peace and joy?
But as I drew nearer, I saw that many of the faces were seared with
sour and angry looks, and the voices that rose round me sounded
surly and captious. The pretty compliment and praise had changed to
sneers and scoldings. The dimpled smile had wrinkled to a frown.
There seemed so little desire to please, so great a determination
not to be pleased.
And the flirtations! Ah me, they had forgotten how to flirt! Oh,
the pity of it! All the jests were bitter, all the little services
were given grudgingly. The air seemed to have grown chilly. A
darkness had come over all things.
And then I awoke to reality, and found I had been sitting in my
chair longer than I had intended. The band-stand was empty, the sun
had set; I rose and made my way home through the scattered crowd.
Nature is so callous. The Dame irritates one at times by her
devotion to her one idea, the propagation of the species.
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