The Project Gutenberg eBook, Those Who Smiled, by Perceval Gibbon

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Title: Those Who Smiled
And Eleven Other Stories

Author: Perceval Gibbon

Release Date: December 26, 2007 [eBook #23993]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THOSE WHO SMILED***

E-text prepared by Charles Klingman

THOSE WHO SMILED

PERCEVAL GIBBON

* * * * *

By the Same Author

VERSE: African Items

SHORT STORIES:

Vrouw Grobelaar's Leading Cases, The Adventures of Miss Gregory,
The Second-class Passenger

NOVELS: Souls in Bondage, Salvator, Margaret Harding

* * * * *

THOSE WHO SMILED

And Eleven Other Stories

by

PERCEVAL GIBBON

Gassell and Company, LTD London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne

First Published 1920

To

MY SISTER, MURIEL GIBBON

CONTENTS

1. THOSE WHO SMILED

2. THE DAGO

3. WOOD-LADIES

4. A MAN BEFORE THE MAST

5. THE GIRL

6. THE BREADWINNER

7. "PLAIN GERMAN"

8. ALMS AND THE MAN

9. THE DARKENED PATH

10. MISS PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

11. THE CONNOISSEUR

12. THE DAY OF OMENS

I

THOSE WHO SMILED

From the great villa, marble-white amid its yews and cedars, in which
the invaders had set up their headquarters, the two officers the
stout, formidable German captain and the young Austrian lieutenant
went together through the mulberry orchards, where the parched grass
underfoot was tiger-striped with alternate sun and shadow. The hush
of the afternoon and the benign tyranny of the North Italian sun
subdued them; they scarcely spoke as they came through the ranks of
fruit-laden trees to the low embankment where the last houses of the
village tailed out beside the road.

"So ist's gut!" said Captain Hahn then. "We are on time nicely on
time!" He climbed the grassy bank to the road and paused, his tall
young companion beside him. "Halt here," he directed; "we shall see
everything from here."

He suspired exhaustively in the still, strong heat, and took
possession of the scene wi