We are not amused
(Queen Victoria)
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When you see Miss Arnot Robertson
laughing at Frank Muir's jokes, you would conclude she is by nature a very
merry person; or else that Frank is kicking her under that table a little bit
too hard.
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But she is a very merry person,
but she wasn't always a very merry person. In fact, when she a child she was a
very solemn little girl.? She was brought
up, as her name Robertson implies, in Scotland. And she was very grave, very
earnest, very serious, never smiled, didn't laugh even at the things ordinary
little girls DO laugh at like somebody breaking a leg, her father cutting his
ear off when shaving.? None of those
things raised a flicker.
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She wasn't sort of backward in
any way.? Sort of normal. Bright.? Always had her nose in a book.? Of course in Scotland they don't waste money
on a bookmarks.
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Nevertheless she just walked
about the whole time with this very grave face. And her parents were very
worried about it.? And they tried all
sorts of things to get her to cheer up a little.?
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Till finally they hit upon an
idea.?? They discovered that near by, the
local laird, the McHeath of McMuck his name was, was throwing one of these
Highland Games, where they sort of toss telegraph poles about.
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And they thought it would it
would be a good idea to take Ms. Robertson there and see if anything there
might amuse her.
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She wasn't in the least
interested until suddenly somebody started this hammer-throwing competition
which they whirl round with a hammer, and then let loose.
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This chap got hold of the hammer,
he was a very good hammer-thrower but just a little bit erratic in his timing.
And he let go a bit too soon and it hit the Laird, the McHeath of McMuir right
in the McTum.?
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Everybody was absolutely appalled
except Arnot's parents who looked, and there, for the first time, slowly,
across the little girl's face was breaking a very tiny smile.
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And her father turned to her
mother and said, "Look, wee Arnot amused."
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Denis Norden 571018b
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