FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   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   >>   >|  
at I 'am up' and leaving this place with my ward, Miss Stannard. Good-morning." He lifted Pansy with infinite courtesy from her chair, took her hand, strolled to the counter, threw down a gold piece, and passing the table of the astonished fair one with an inflated breast, swept with Pansy out of the shop. In the street he paused, bidding the child go on; and then, finding he was not followed by the woman's escort, rejoined his little companion. For a few moments they walked silently side by side. Then Pansy's curiosity, getting the better of her pout, demanded information. She had applied a child's swift logic to the scene. The colonel was angry, and had punished the woman for something. She drew closer to his side, and looking up with her big eyes, said confidentially. "What had she been a-doing?" The colonel was amazed, embarrassed, and speechless. He was totally unprepared for the question, and as unable to answer it. His abrupt departure from the shop had been to evade the very truth now demanded of him. Only a supreme effort of mendacity was left him. He wiped his brow with his handkerchief, coughed, and began deliberately:-- "The--er--lady in question is in the habit of using a scent called--er--patchouli, a--er--perfume exceedingly distressing to me. I detected it instantly on her entrance. I wished to avoid it--without further contact. It is--er--singular but accepted fact that some people are--er--peculiarly affected by odors. I had--er--old cherished friend who always--er--fainted at the odor of jasmine; and I was intimately acquainted with General Bludyer, who--er--dropped like a shot on the presentation of a simple violet. The--er--habit of using such perfumes excessively in public," continued the colonel, looking down upon the innocent Pansy, and speaking in tones of deadly deliberation, "cannot be too greatly condemned, as well as the habit of--er--frequenting places of public resort in extravagant costumes, with--er--individuals who--er--intrude upon domestic privacy. I trust you will eschew such perfumes, places, costumes, and--er--companions FOREVER and--ON ALL OCCASIONS!" The colonel had raised his voice to his forensic emphasis, and Pansy, somewhat alarmed, assented. Whether she entirely accepted the colonel's explanation was another matter. The incident, although not again alluded to, seemed to shadow the rest of their brief afternoon holiday, and the colonel's manner was unmistakably grav
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

colonel

 
public
 

places

 

costumes

 

demanded

 

accepted

 
perfumes
 
question
 

General

 

simple


acquainted

 

intimately

 

presentation

 

dropped

 

violet

 
Bludyer
 

speaking

 
deadly
 

deliberation

 

innocent


continued

 

excessively

 

leaving

 
jasmine
 

singular

 

contact

 

entrance

 

wished

 
friend
 

cherished


fainted

 

people

 
peculiarly
 

affected

 

explanation

 

matter

 
incident
 
Whether
 

emphasis

 

alarmed


assented
 

alluded

 

holiday

 

manner

 

unmistakably

 

afternoon

 

shadow

 
forensic
 

resort

 
extravagant