' I want you to meet them, then we will try and
persuade them to eat tiffin with us, provided we can think of eating
after such an adventure!"
As she spoke he came fully into view, and suddenly flirted out one hand
from behind his coat, paying no heed to her remark. To her horror, she
saw it was the dead snake he was thus playing with, and, knowing him of
old, she turned pale.
"Rufus!" she cried warningly, backing up a step.
He gave a tantalizing laugh, and gave the repulsive thing another
flirt, which brought it near her face. With a shriek of dismay she
broke into a run, feeling, as she did so, that she had made a great
mistake. He started after her, every step taking them further from the
group, where she might have had protection from his vicious teasing.
"Stop!" thundered the captain, seeing the woman's wild face, "Stop, or
you'll do her a mischief," but, laughing so loudly that he could hear
nothing else, the brute kept on.
Mrs. Campbell, wildly excited, could not keep up this pace long, and as
she faltered, in hopes to dodge and turn back, he drew nearer and gave
the snake a fling. It whizzed about her head, and she gave an awful
shriek of horror as she felt its slimy folds about her neck. It was
too much! Never a strong woman, and morbidly afraid of these cobras,
living or dead, she sank down in a faint, just before her amazed
husband, who nearly stumbled over her inert body.
"Bless us! If she hasn't fainted," he muttered stupidly, as he bent
over her, too muddled to understand all he had done.
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