FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   >>   >|  
ur sins. As it is, you will be wise to get off that high horse of yours and take a back seat. I never have put up with this sort of thing from you. And I never mean to." Derrick had no answer ready. He stood still, considering these things. Colonel Carlyon turned his back on him and cut the end of a cigar. "Do you grasp my meaning?" he enquired at length, as Derrick remained silent. Derrick moved to a chair and sat down. Somehow Carlyon had taken the backbone out of his indignation. He spoke at last, but without anger. "Even if it were as you say," he said, "I don't consider you treated me decently." Carlyon suddenly laughed. "Even if by some odd chance I have actually spoken the truth," he said, "I shall not, and do not, feel called upon to justify my action for your benefit." "I think you owe me that," Derrick said quickly. "I disagree with you," Carlyon rejoined. "I owe you nothing whatever except the aforementioned thrashing which must, unfortunately, under the circumstances, remain a debt for the present." Derrick leant forward suddenly "Stop rotting, Carlyon!" he said, with impulsive earnestness. "I can't help talking seriously. You didn't know, surely, what a tight fix we were in? You couldn't have intended us to--to--die in the dark like that?" "Intended!" said Carlyon sharply. "I never intended you to occupy that position at all, remember." "Yes; but--since we were in that position, since--if you choose to put it so--I exceeded all bounds and intentions and took those splendid little Goorkhas into a death-trap; I may have been a headstrong, idiotic fool to do it; but, granted all that, you did not deliberately and knowingly leave us to be massacred? You couldn't have done actually that." Carlyon laid his cigar-case on the table at Derrick's elbow, and lighted his own cigar with great deliberation. "You may remember, Dick," he said quietly, after a pause, "that once upon a time you wrote--and published--a book. It had its merits and it had its faults. But a fool of a critic took it into his head to give you a thorough slating. You were furious, weren't you? I remember giving you a bit of sound advice over that book. Probably you have forgotten it. But it chances to be one of the guiding principles of my life. It is this: Never answer your critics! Go straight ahead!" He paused. "I remember," said Derrick. "Well?" "Well," said Carlyon gravely, "that is what I have done all my li
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Carlyon
 

Derrick

 

remember

 
couldn
 

intended

 

answer

 

position

 

suddenly

 

idiotic

 

granted


headstrong

 
deliberately
 

exceeded

 
Intended
 
sharply
 

surely

 

occupy

 

splendid

 

Goorkhas

 

intentions


choose

 

bounds

 

quietly

 

advice

 

Probably

 
forgotten
 

chances

 

slating

 

furious

 

giving


guiding

 

paused

 
gravely
 

straight

 

principles

 

critics

 

lighted

 

deliberation

 

massacred

 

merits


faults
 
critic
 

published

 

knowingly

 

meaning

 
enquired
 

length

 
things
 
Colonel
 

turned