FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102  
103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   >>   >|  
ason--but followed his counsel. During their first stroll in the open air she said she felt like a Mohammedan woman; yet she soon realized that a double motor veil not only shielded her from impertinent eyes but kept her face free from dust and insects. Naturally, they made straight for the cathedral and examined the quaint picture that had provided an excuse for their visit to the Near East. They were much impressed. They gazed at its brilliant coloring and stiff pose for fully a minute. Then Joan broke a silence that was becoming irksome. "If it is really a Giotto," she whispered, "it was painted before he broke away from the Byzantine tradition." "Yes," murmured Poluski, "here we have both Giotto and Saint Peter at their worst." "Felix, how can I copy that?" "Impossible, my belle. You must improvise, using it as a theme. When all is said and done, you know far more than Giotto about Saint Peter. Holy blue! if you bring that back to Paris as a veritable likeness of the Chief Apostle you will be placed on the Index Expurgatorius. Moreover, it would not be fair to him, after all these years." "It needed only this to prove how farcical is the whole scheme. I am beginning to dread the idea of meeting Alec. He will laugh at me." "That will do him good. I am told he is becoming most serious." "Told--by whom? Surely you have not sent any message?" "Not a word. I leave that to you--or Princess Delgrado." "How snappy you are! It was not my fault that the Princess spoke to me. She would never have known I was on the train if you hadn't sung." "Ah, by the way, we ought to hear some decent Gregorian music in this old place. See, where they have put the choir, nearly under the dome. Yes, we must attend a service. The bass should roll like thunder up yonder----" "Felix, who told you about Alec?" "A waiter in the hotel, a waiter rejoicing in the noble name of John Sobieski, a Pole, therefore, like myself. I said to him 'What of the King?' He answered, 'Everything that is good, if one listens to the people; but the officers who come here to drink and play cards do not like him.' I explained that I wished to know the King's whereabouts, and he said that if I was anxious to see the gracious youth I should have a splendid opportunity at four o'clock this afternoon, as his Majesty will pass the hotel at that hour on his way to the University, where he has promised to attend a prize giving." "At four o'clock
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102  
103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Giotto

 

waiter

 

attend

 
Princess
 
snappy
 

wished

 
giving
 

Delgrado

 

explained

 

whereabouts


splendid
 

Majesty

 

afternoon

 

opportunity

 

gracious

 
message
 

Surely

 

anxious

 

University

 
service

Sobieski

 
yonder
 

rejoicing

 

thunder

 

decent

 

promised

 

Gregorian

 
officers
 

people

 

listens


answered

 

Everything

 

provided

 

excuse

 

picture

 

straight

 

cathedral

 

examined

 

quaint

 

minute


coloring

 

brilliant

 

impressed

 

Naturally

 

insects

 

Mohammedan

 
stroll
 

counsel

 

During

 

impertinent