FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>  
She drops into an easy-chair beside the tea-table, and stretches the tips of her feet out beyond the hem of her skirt in extremely lady-like abandon. "Have a cigarette." She reaches the box to him. _Ashley_: "Thank you. I won't smoke, I believe." He stands frowning, while she throws her cigarette into a teacup and lights another. _Miss Ramsey_: "I thought everybody smoked. Then have a cocktail." _Ashley_: "A what?" _Miss Ramsey_: "A cocktail. So many people like them with their tea, instead of rum, you know." _Ashley_: "No, I didn't know." He regards her with amaze, rapidly hardening into condemnation. _Miss Ramsey_: "I hope you don't _object_ to smoking. Englishwomen all smoke." _Ashley_: "I think I've heard. I didn't know that American ladies did." _Miss Ramsey_: "They don't, _all_. But they will when they find how nice it is." _Ashley_: "And do Englishwomen all drink cocktails?" _Miss Ramsey_: "They will when they find how nice it is. But why do you keep standing? Sit down, if it's only for a moment. There is something I would like to talk with you about. What were you saying when you came in? I didn't catch it quite." _Ashley_: "Nothing--now--" _Miss Ramsey_: "And I can't persuade you to have a cocktail? I believe I'll have another myself." She takes up the bottle, and tries several times to pour from it. "I do believe Nora's forgotten to open it! That is a good joke on me. But I mustn't let her know. Do you happen to have a pocket-corkscrew with you, Mr. Ashley?" _Ashley_: "No--" _Miss Ramsey_: "Well, never mind." She tosses her cigarette into the grate, and lights another. "I wonder why they always have cynical persons smoke, on the stage? I don't see that the two things necessarily go together, but it does give you a kind of thrill when they strike a match, and it lights up their faces when they put it to the cigarette. You know something good and wicked is going to happen." She puffs violently at her cigarette, and then suddenly flings it away and starts to her feet. "Will you--would you--open the window?" She collapses into her chair. _Ashley_, springing toward her: "Miss Ramsey, are you--you are ill!" _Miss Ramsey_: "No, no! The window! A little faint--it's so close-- There, it's all right now. Or it will be--when--I've had--another cigarette." She leans forward to take one; Ashley gravely watches her, but says nothing. She lights her cigarette, but, without smoking, thr
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>  



Top keywords:
Ashley
 

Ramsey

 

cigarette

 

lights

 

cocktail

 
Englishwomen
 
smoking
 

window

 
happen
 

forgotten


corkscrew

 

cynical

 
persons
 

tosses

 
pocket
 

things

 
necessarily
 
wicked
 

watches

 

gravely


forward

 

springing

 

collapses

 

strike

 

thrill

 

flings

 

starts

 

suddenly

 

violently

 

teacup


thought

 
throws
 

stands

 

frowning

 

smoked

 
people
 

stretches

 
reaches
 

abandon

 
extremely

rapidly
 

Nothing

 
bottle
 
persuade
 

moment

 

American

 
ladies
 

object

 
hardening
 

condemnation