FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   >>  
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Homo, by F. Hopkinson Smith This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Homo 1909 Author: F. Hopkinson Smith Release Date: December 3, 2007 [EBook #23694] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOMO *** Produced by David Widger HOMO By F. Hopkinson Smith 1909 Dinner was over, and Mme. Constantin and her guests were seated under the lighted candles in her cosey salon. With the serving of the coffee and cigarettes, pillows had been adjusted to bare shoulders, stools moved under slippered feet, and easy lounges pushed nearer the fire. Greenough, his long body aslant, his head on the edge of a chair, his feet on the hearth rug, was blowing rings to the ceiling. Bayard, the African explorer, and the young Russian Secretary, Ivan Petrovski, had each the end of a long sofa, with pretty Mme. Petrovski and old Baron Sleyde between them, while Mme. Constantin lay nestled like a kitten among the big and little cushions of a divan. The dinner had been a merry one, with every brain at its best; this restful silence was but another luxury. Only the Baron rattled on. A duel of unusual ferocity had startled Paris, and the old fellow knew its every detail. Mme. Petrovski was listening in a languid way: "Dead, isn't he?" she asked in an indifferent tone, as being the better way to change the subject. Duels did not interest the young bride. "No," answered the Baron, flicking the ashes from his cigarette--"going to get well, so Mercier, who operated, told a friend of mine to-day." "Where did they fight?" she asked, as she took a fresh cigarette from her case. "Ivan told me, but I forgot." "At Surenne, above the bridge. You know the row of trees by the water; we walked there the day we dined at the Cycle." "Both of them fools!" cried the Russian from the depths of his seat. "La Clou wasn't worth it--she's getting fat." Greenough drew his long legs back from the fender and, looking toward the young Secretary, said in a decided tone:-- "I don't agree with you, Ivan. Served the beggar right; the only pity is that he's going to get well." "But she wasn't his wife," remarked Mme.
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   >>  



Top keywords:

Hopkinson

 

Petrovski

 

Russian

 

Secretary

 

Constantin

 

cigarette

 

Greenough

 

Gutenberg

 
Project
 
flicking

luxury

 
rattled
 

answered

 

ferocity

 

listening

 
detail
 

fellow

 
languid
 

indifferent

 

unusual


startled

 
change
 

subject

 
interest
 

fender

 

depths

 
decided
 

remarked

 

Served

 

beggar


Mercier
 

operated

 
friend
 

forgot

 

walked

 

Surenne

 

bridge

 

pretty

 

PROJECT

 

encoding


Language

 

English

 
Character
 
GUTENBERG
 

guests

 

seated

 

lighted

 

candles

 

Dinner

 

Produced