FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165  
166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   >>   >|  
Artois spoke quietly, but there was a sound in his voice which caused his frivolous companion to stare at him with an inquiry that was, for a moment, almost sulky. "You forget, Doro, how old I am." "What has that to do with it?" "You forget--" Artois was about to allude to his real self, to point out the improbability of a man so mental, so known, so travelled as he was, falling like a school-boy publicly into a sordid adventure. But he stopped, realizing the uselessness of such an explanation. And he could not tell the Marchesino the truth of his shadowy colloquy in a by-street with the old creature from behind the shutter. "You have made a mistake about me," he said. "But it is of no consequence. Look! There is another goose coming." He pointed with his cane in the direction of the chatterers near the kiosk. "It is papa! It is papa!" "Pardon! I did not recognize--" The Marchesino got up. "Let us go there. The Marchesa with papa--it is better than the Compagnia Scarpetta! I will present you." But Artois was in no mood for a cataract of nothingness. "Not now," he said. "I have--" The Marchesino shot a cruel glance of impudent comprehension at him, and touched his left hand in token of farewell. "I know! I know! The quickest horse to the Toledo. A-ah! A-ah! May the writer's saint go with you! Addio, mio caro!" There was a hint of real malice in his voice. He cocked his hat and strutted away towards the veils and the piercing voices. Artois stared after him for a moment, then walked across the garden to the sea, and leaned against the low wall looking towards Capri. He was vexed at this little episode--unreasonably vexed. In his friend Doro he now discerned a possible enemy. An Italian who has trusted does not easily forgive if he is not trusted in return. Artois was conscious of a dawning hostility in the Marchesino. No doubt he could check it. Doro was essentially good-tempered and light-hearted. He could check it by an exhibition of frankness. But this frankness was impossible to him, and as it was impossible he must allow Doro to suspect him of sordid infamies. He knew, of course, the Neapolitan's habitual disbelief in masculine virtue, and did not mind it. Then why should he mind Doro's laughing thought of himself as one of the elderly crew who cling to forbidden pleasures? Why should he feel sore, angry, almost insulted? Vere rose before him, as one who came softly to bring him t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165  
166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Artois
 

Marchesino

 

frankness

 

impossible

 

sordid

 
trusted
 
forget
 

moment

 
unreasonably
 

episode


discerned

 

malice

 
friend
 

walked

 
Italian
 

voices

 
stared
 
garden
 

piercing

 

strutted


leaned

 

cocked

 

laughing

 

virtue

 

Neapolitan

 

habitual

 

disbelief

 

masculine

 

thought

 

forbidden


pleasures

 
insulted
 

elderly

 

dawning

 

hostility

 
conscious
 

return

 
softly
 

easily

 
forgive

essentially
 

suspect

 
infamies
 
tempered
 

hearted

 

exhibition

 
present
 

adventure

 
stopped
 

realizing