FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   136   137   138   139   140   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   >>   >|  
e. Here are delicacies I sent from Cairo." Smilingly he seated himself at the divan by the table and lifted the covers from the plates, nodded satisfaction at the food, and began to help himself, while she stood there, motionless. Without looking up, "Will you not help me to the Apollinaris, Mademoiselle?" he suggested. "My right hand, you see, is not as it should be. There is a bottle opener on the tray." Feeling a fool, but unwilling to provoke a crisis, Arlee tugged at the cork and poured him a glass of the sparkling water and then a glass for herself, which she thirstily drank. "How did you hurt your hand?" it occurred to her to say. "By playing with fire--the single pastime of entertainment!" He spoke gaily, but his lips twitched. "But will you not sit down and join me? This caviar I recommend." "I do not care to eat." "No?" He finished his sandwich and drained his glass, talking banteringly the while to her. She did not answer. Something told her that the time of explanation between them was coming fast; he had ceased to play with his good fortune, ceased to feel he could afford to wait and look and fancy. He had come urgent, in the dead of night. His mood was teasing, mocking, but imperative.... Slowly she moved toward the unlatched door. Alertly he was before her; the bolts shot home. "Ah, pardon, but I was negligent! We might be interrupted--and also," he laughed, as if deprecatingly, "I have foolish fears that you are so dream-like that you will vanish like a dream without those earthly bars. Locks are for treasures.... And now where is that welcome for me? I came in that door on fire to see you, and your eyes froze me. I came to love--you made me mock. Shall we begin again? Will you be nice now, little one, be kind and sweet----" "Captain Kerissen, you make it impossible for me to like you at all! Why do you treat me like this? You shut me in this house like a prisoner. If you--if you care for me at all," stammered Arlee, "you would not treat me so!" "And how, then, would I treat you?" he inquired slowly. "You would--you would take me to my own people and give me back my independence, my dignity. Then there would be honor in your--your courtship. I----" "Would you come back to me?" "I----" The lie choked her. And the passion of anger which had flared in her that afternoon sprang up in flame again; the candlelight showed the hot blood in her cheeks. "I shall not come to you if y
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   136   137   138   139   140   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
ceased
 

candlelight

 

foolish

 

showed

 

deprecatingly

 
treasures
 
afternoon
 

flared

 
earthly
 

sprang


vanish

 

Alertly

 
cheeks
 

unlatched

 
Slowly
 

interrupted

 
negligent
 
pardon
 

laughed

 

impossible


imperative

 

independence

 

dignity

 

Captain

 

Kerissen

 

people

 

stammered

 

inquired

 

prisoner

 

slowly


choked

 
courtship
 

passion

 

explanation

 

Feeling

 
unwilling
 

provoke

 
crisis
 

opener

 
bottle

tugged
 

occurred

 
thirstily
 
poured
 

sparkling

 

suggested

 
seated
 

lifted

 
Smilingly
 

delicacies