"
Ghip-Ghisizzle managed to shake his head. Then he said, "Really,
ladies, you must excuse me. I'd rather be patched than mismatched,
as I would be with a lovely, snub-nosed wife. You are too beautiful
for me; go seek your husbands elsewhere."
"Monster!" cried Indigo. "If you choose me, I'll scratch your eyes
out!"
"If you choose me," said Cobalt in a rage, "I'll tear out your hair
by the roots!"
"If I am to be your wife," screamed Azure, "I'll mark your obstinate
face with my fingernails!"
"And I," said Turquoise passionately, "will pound your head with a
broomstick!"
"I'll shake him till his teeth rattle!" shrieked Sapphire.
"The best way to manage a husband," observed Cerulia angrily, "is to
pull his nose."
"Ladies," said Ghip-Ghisizzle when he had a chance to speak, "do not
anticipate these pleasures, I beg of you, for I shall choose none
among you for a wife."
"We'll see about that," said Indigo.
"I think you will soon change your mind," added Azure.
"I'm going to be patched to Tingle, here, as soon as the Boolooroo
returns," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and it's against the law for a
patched man to marry anyone. It's regarded as half-bigamy."
"Dear me!" cried Cerulia. "If he's patched, he never can be
Boolooroo."
"Then he musn't be patched," declared Sapphire. "We must save him
from that fate, girls, and force him to decide among us.
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