Rusty hurriedly returned the smile. ‘Where have you been, dear?’ asked his garrulous neighbour. ‘I was expecting you for lunch. You’ve never been away so long, I’ve finished all my work now, you know . . . Was it a nice walk? I know you’re thirsty, come in and have a nice cool lemonade, there’s nothing like iced lemonade to refresh one after a long walk. I remember when I was a girl, having to walk down to Dehra from Mussoorie, I filled my thermos with lemonade . . .’ But Rusty had gone. He did not wish to hurt the missionary’s wife’s feelings by refusing the lemonade but, after experiencing the chaat shop, the very idea of a lemonade offended him. But he decided that this Sunday he would contribute an extra four annas to the missionary’s fund for the upkeep of church, wife and garden; and, with this good thought in mind, went to his room. The sweeper boy passed by the window, his buckets clanging, his feet going slip-slop in the watery path. Rusty threw himself on his bed.
What do You think about Classic Ruskin Bond (2013)?
