Lady Lansdowne having invited eight midshipmen to spend a Sunday
at Barrackpore, they arrived there by launch with a drag net,
which the Viceroy had given them leave to use on the largest of
the ponds. My sister at once set them down to play lawn-tennis,
hoping to work off some of their superfluous energy in this way.
In honour of the occasion, the midshipmen had extracted their best
white flannels from their chests, and they proceeded to array
themselves in these. The Boadicea, however, had been two years in
commission, the flannels were two years old, and the lads were
just at the age when they were growing most rapidly. They squeezed
themselves with great difficulty into their shrunken garments,
which looked more like tights than trousers, every button and seam
obviously strained to the bursting point, and set to work playing
tennis with their accustomed vigour. Soon there was a sound of
rending cloth, and the senior midshipman, a portly youth of
Teutonic amplitude of outline, lay down flat on his back on the
lawn. A minute later there was a similar sound, and another boy
lay down on his back and remained there, and a third lad quickly
followed their example.
Pages:
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413