ON THEIR HONEYMOON.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3383, 18 July 1927, Page 8

ON THEIR HONEYMOON.

THE CONTINENTAL WAY

Wo were returning from our holiday in the Ardennes (writes Cecil Compton, in the “New Statesman”). The Brus-sels-to-Ostend express was crowded. As we were about to leave the Care du Nord a young Belgian couple with baggage boarded the train. They landed in our compartment, which was full with the exception of one place. The man, who was lame, and who leant heavily on his walking stick, was persuaded by his wife to take the seat. She preferred to sit on a trunk in the corridor, although we offered to make room for her.

Monsieur and Madame were quite light-hearted and playful with each other. He was sallow-complexioned and austere-looking, and wore large tortoiseshell rimmed spectacles.' She was fair, her hair was “bobbed, ”y and' she was dressed in a bright-coloured cotton frock embellished with Egyptian figures. As the train sped on its way Madame disappeared from her corridor seat. At Bruges a passenger alighted from our compartment, and Monsieur went in search of Madame. Madame evidently wanted a deal of persuasion before she would consent to come to the now vacant seat in our compartment. She eventually settled into it —opposite her husband.

Monsieur was very displeased with her, and he expressed, his wrath loudly and volubly. Madame did not make reply, but merely ejaculated from time to time, “Finis, finis, finis, finis,” and spat as a cat at a dog. This tantalising behaviour was too much for the irate husband, who sprang over to his wife, pinning her with the thumb and index linger of* his left hand against the upholstery of the carriage, meanwhile wagging the forefinger of his right hand in her face, to give emphasis to his wrathful harangue, in a most threatening manner. Madame retaliated by slapping ' the face of Monsieur, sending his spectacles flying to the other side of the compartment. The sting on his face .caused Monsieur involuntarily to relinquish his grip and to seek his lost spectacles, immediately, however, he returned to the attack; but Madame was prepared. She leant back in her seat, and, lifting her feet, warded off: her gentle spouse by forcing her feet against his chest. Madame was wearing white canvas shoes, and the whiting was transferred from the shoes to the blue serge suit of Monsieur. Monsieur was thwarted and he subsided into his scat.

A Belgian lady fellow-occupant of the compartment remonstrated with Monsieur. Her little girl was crying piteously with fright as a result of the fracas. “Eegardez ma petite fille, Monsieur,” said mamma, as both parent and child sought refuge in the corridor. This action somewhat cleared the compartment, and the remonstrance the air.

A few moments later there was a further clearance. Monsieur apparently deemed it inexpedient to repeat the attack. Instead, he contented himself by venting his wrath on some personal belongings. First of all he threw his walking-stick out of the window of the travelling train. This he followed up with his pipe, then a box of matches, then a book, then a pair of gloves, then his tobacco pouch, and finally a newspaper. The self-sacrificing effort seemed to afford Monsieur considerable relief, and he sank back into his corner. He still continued to gjare at his wife, who returned the gaze with a look of defiance. But quiet reigned once more. Presently, however, there came a soft sobbing sound, and wo saw that Monsieur was exuding real tears, and was now gazing fervently at Madame, his appealing look seeming to ask, “Won’t you say that you are sorryi”’ His face, with its spectacled tear-filled eyes, was a pitiful sight to sec. Suddenly Monsieur leant over to his wife once more, and we anticipated a repetition of the pantomime. But no! He could prolong the estrangement no longer, and so he implanted a resounding kiss upon the lips of his fair one. The look of defiance passed away, and, after a while, Madame leaped across to Monsieur, hugged him round the neck, and dispensed many kisses. Beturuing to her seat, only a few seconds elapsed before Monsieur was imitating his wife. Th<f see-saw of embraces and kisses continued for several minutes.

The train was now nearing (Mend and it behoved our fellow-passengers to prepare themselves for alighting. Monsieur dried his eyes, and removed from his clothes the imprints of his wife’s white shoes. Madame had recourse to her vanity bag, and smoothed out her dress.

Thus refreshed, Madame became talkative. She and her husband were on their way to (Mend for a holiday. They were fortunate, we told her, we were just returning home from ours. Monsieur, on his part, also became communicative. He and Madame had for many months eagerly anticipated this from travel. But they were now tired from travel. „ They had journey all the way from Antwerp, where they had, that very morn, been married.