FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   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   >>   >|  
le still belonged to it, but the last Weston had signally failed to make a living out of it, or to meet his debts. He lived in a little town not far away, and let Scarthwaite for the shooting when he could, which explains how Major Kinnaird had taken it. Ida looked about her as she came down the stairway. It led into a dark-paneled, stone-arched hall, which, since habitable space was rather scarce at Scarthwaite, served as general living-room. A fire was burning in the big, ancient hearth, and a handful of people were scattered here and there, waiting for dinner, which should have been ready a few minutes earlier. Kinnaird, who appeared a trifle impatient, was standing near his wife and a couple of shooting men, and his daughter was talking to one or two of his neighbors. Ida smiled as one of the latter glanced up at her, and she moved toward him when she reached the foot of the stairway. Ainslie, the owner of some quarries in the vicinity, was a middle-aged man whom she had met once or twice before. When she had greeted him, she stood still a moment or two, listening to the murmurs of general conversation. Then she saw Kinnaird, who was standing not far from her, take out his watch. "It's a little too bad of Weston. I shouldn't have waited for anybody else," he said. "As it is, I suppose we'll have to give him a minute or two longer." The remark was evidently overheard, as perhaps Kinnaird intended. One of the others laughed. "Ralph Weston was never punctual in his life," he said. "Considering everything," observed one of the women standing near Ida, "it is rather curious that Weston should have promised to come at all. It must be a trifle embarrassing to dine at one's own place as another man's guest." "Oh," said the man beside her, "Weston would go anywhere for a good dinner and a good glass of wine." Ida, as it happened, had not heard what guests Mrs. Kinnaird had expected, and she started at the name. It was a moment or two later when she turned to her companion. "This house belongs to the man they seem to be waiting for?" she asked. Ainslie nodded. "Yes," he said, "I suppose it does." "Then why doesn't he live in it?" "It takes a good deal to keep up a place of this kind, and, until Major Kinnaird came, it's some time since anybody seriously attempted it." "Ah!" said Ida. "Mr. Weston's means are insufficient?" "It's a tolerably open secret. There are a good many people similarly
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Kinnaird
 

Weston

 

standing

 

dinner

 

waiting

 
suppose
 
stairway
 

people

 
Ainslie
 

living


general

 

Scarthwaite

 
shooting
 

trifle

 
moment
 

promised

 
embarrassing
 
laughed
 

overheard

 

evidently


intended

 

remark

 

minute

 

longer

 

observed

 

Considering

 

punctual

 

curious

 

attempted

 

secret


similarly

 
tolerably
 

insufficient

 

nodded

 

happened

 
guests
 

expected

 
belongs
 

started

 
turned

companion
 

quarries

 
habitable
 
scarce
 

served

 

arched

 
paneled
 

handful

 
scattered
 

hearth