FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   >>   >|  
vid, as a guide. I never saw her eyes wet. It is one of the touching things about her that she has the eyes of a man, to whom it is a shame to cry. If you ever see her greeting, David, I'm sore doubting that the time will have come." As David Gemmell let himself softly out of the house, to return to it presently, he thought the time had come. What he conceived he had to do was a hard thing, but he never thought of not doing it. He had kept himself in readiness to do it for many days now, and he walked to it as firmly as if he were on his professional rounds. He did not know that the skin round his eyes had contracted, giving them the look of pain which always came there when he was sorry or pitiful or indignant. He was not well acquainted with his eyes, and, had he glanced at them now in a glass, would have presumed that this was their usual expression. Grizel herself opened the door to him this time, and "Maggy Ann, he is found!" she cried victoriously. Evidently she had heard of his previous visit. "We have searched every room in the house for you," she said gaily, "and had you disappeared for much longer, Maggy Ann would have had the carpets up." He excused himself on the ground that he had forgotten something, and she chided him merrily for being forgetful. As he sat with her David could have groaned aloud. How vivacious she had become! but she was sparkling in false colours. After what he knew had been her distress of a few minutes ago, it was a painted face to him. She was trying to deceive him. Perhaps she suspected that he had seen her crying, and now, attired in all a woman's wiles, she was defying him to believe his eyes. Grizel garbed in wiles! Alack the day! She was shielding the man, and Gemmell could have driven her away roughly to get at him. But she was also standing over her own pride, lest anyone should see that it had fallen; and do you think that David would have made her budge an inch? Of course she saw that he had something on his mind. She knew those puckered eyes so well, and had so often smoothed them for him. "What is it, David?" she asked sympathetically. "I see you have come as a patient to-night." "As one of those patients," he rejoined, "who feel better at mere sight of the doctor." "Fear of the prescription?" said she. "Not if you prescribe yourself, Grizel." "David!" she cried. He had been paying compliments! "I mean it." "So I can see by your face. Oh, David,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Grizel

 

Gemmell

 

thought

 

defying

 

garbed

 

standing

 

driven

 

roughly

 
shielding
 

suspected


distress

 

colours

 
sparkling
 
minutes
 

crying

 

Perhaps

 

deceive

 

painted

 

attired

 

doctor


prescription
 

rejoined

 

prescribe

 
paying
 

compliments

 

patients

 

vivacious

 

fallen

 

sympathetically

 

patient


smoothed

 

puckered

 

touching

 
doubting
 

contracted

 
giving
 

acquainted

 
greeting
 
glanced
 

indignant


pitiful
 

return

 
readiness
 

presently

 

softly

 

professional

 

rounds

 

walked

 
firmly
 

longer