FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   >>  
at all?" asked Mrs. Markham impatiently. "No, no--not that, exactly," stammered Markham. "Oh, come now, Susannah"-- "No," said Richard Keene earnestly; "by Jove! some thanks ought to go to Belle Montgomery"--He checked himself in sudden consternation. There was a chilly silence. Even Miss Keene looked anxiously at her brother, as the voice of Mrs. Brimmer for the first time broke the silence. "May we be permitted to know who is this person to whom we owe so great an obligation?" "Certainly," said Brimmer, "She was--as I have already intimated--a friend; possibly, you know," he added, turning lightly to his companions, as if to corroborate an impression that had just struck him, "perhaps a--a--a sweetheart of the Senor Perkins." "And how was she so interested in us, pray?" said Mrs. Markham. "Well, you see, she had an idea that a former husband was on board of the Excelsior." He stopped suddenly, remembering from the astonished faces of Keene and Markham that the secret was not known to them, while they, impressed with the belief that the story was a sudden invention of Brimmer's, with difficulty preserved their composure. But the women were quick to notice their confusion, and promptly disbelieved Brimmer's explanation. "Well, as there's no Mister Montgomery here, she's probably mistaken," said Mrs. Markham, with decision, "though it strikes ME that she's very likely had the same delusion on board of some other ship. Come along, James; perhaps after you've had a bath and some clean clothes, you may come out a little more like the man I once knew. I don't know how Mrs. Brimmer feels, but I feel more as if I required to be introduced to you--than your friend's friend, Mrs. Montgomery. At any rate, try and look and behave a little more decent when you go over to the Presidio." With these words she dragged him away. Mr. Brimmer, after a futile attempt to appear at his ease, promptly effected the usual marital diversion of carrying the war into the enemy's camp. "For heaven's sake, Barbara," he said, with ostentatious indignation, "go and dress yourself properly. Had you neither money nor credit to purchase clothes? I declare I didn't know you at first; and when I did, I was shocked; before Mrs. Markham, too!" "Mrs. Markham, I fear, has quite enough to occupy her now," said Mrs. Brimmer shortly, as she turned away, with hysterically moist eyes, leaving her husband to follow her. Oblivious of th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   >>  



Top keywords:

Brimmer

 

Markham

 
friend
 

Montgomery

 

husband

 
promptly
 

sudden

 
silence
 
clothes
 

decent


behave
 

Presidio

 

required

 

introduced

 

delusion

 

shocked

 

declare

 

credit

 

purchase

 
Oblivious

hysterically
 

leaving

 

follow

 
turned
 
shortly
 

occupy

 

properly

 
effected
 

marital

 

diversion


strikes
 

attempt

 

dragged

 
futile
 

carrying

 

ostentatious

 

Barbara

 

indignation

 

heaven

 
person

permitted

 
possibly
 

turning

 
lightly
 
intimated
 

obligation

 
Certainly
 

brother

 

anxiously

 
Susannah