FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   >>  
hands clasped over a knee she rocked to and fro in her chair. Gertie discovered that to her friend had just come the terrifying thought that no one loved her, nobody cared for her, and for all practical purposes Miss Radford might as well be dead and buried, with daisies growing over her grave. Gertie argued against this melancholy attitude, and the other explained that it came to her only at moments when every one else was jolly and cheerful, adding defiantly that she could not avoid it, and did not mean to avoid it. "People," declared Miss Radford with truculence, "have to take me as they happen to find me!" Bulpert's second friend, advancing with a pack of cards, asked if Miss Radford would kindly select one and tell him the description. "The Queen of Hearts? Nothing," said Bulpert's second friend, with a gallant bow, "nothing could be more appropriate." Miss Radford cried, "Oh, what a cheeky thing to say!" and at once bade farewell to melancholy. A wonderful man, the second friend--able to do everything with cards that ordinary folk deemed impossible. If you selected a card and tore it up; and he presently--talking all the while--produced a card, and said in the politest way, "I think that is yours, madam?" and you remarked that this was the four of clubs, whereas you selected the five, he exclaimed, with pretence of irritation, "Well, what is there to grumble at?" and, looking again, you saw that it had changed to the five of clubs. There was nothing to do but to applaud and wonder. He swallowed cards, and produced them with a slight click from his elbow, the middle of his back, and his ankle. He allowed Miss Loriner to find the four aces and put them at the bottom of the pack, and the next moment asked Mr. Trew, who had just arrived, to produce them from the inside pocket of his coat. Mr. Trew had some difficulty in finding them, but the conjurer assisted, and there were the four aces; and Mr. Trew, after denying the suggestion that he had come prepared to play whist, admitted the young man was a masterpiece. Mr. Trew's watch was next borrowed and wrapped in paper; the poker borrowed in order to smash it; the violent blow given. Miss Radford was asked to be so very kind as to assist by looking in the plate of nuts that stood on the table, and there the watch was discovered, safe and sound. Some thought-reading followed, not easy to understand because of the incessant monologue kept up by the gi
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   >>  



Top keywords:

Radford

 

friend

 

Bulpert

 

borrowed

 

selected

 
produced
 

discovered

 

Gertie

 

melancholy

 
thought

moment

 
rocked
 

bottom

 

arrived

 

difficulty

 

finding

 

pocket

 

produce

 

inside

 

Loriner


allowed

 

slight

 

changed

 

swallowed

 

terrifying

 

grumble

 

middle

 

conjurer

 

applaud

 

assist


incessant

 
monologue
 

understand

 

reading

 

admitted

 
prepared
 

suggestion

 

irritation

 

denying

 

masterpiece


clasped

 

violent

 

wrapped

 

assisted

 

kindly

 

select

 
advancing
 

argued

 

description

 

gallant