FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53  
54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   >>   >|  
see a possible chance of winning _her_, why, then I shall be very good. "... 'Myes ... not very lofty ... but I want to be honest, and feel pretty sure that is what I shall do.... No doubt I shall not be happy, but...?" With a dissatisfied growl he began to undress, and soon he was in bed. To quiet his uneasy conscience before he fell asleep he muttered, "And of course I shall do anything she tells me." The unheroic but truthful pleasure-seeker then gave an unromantic snore. CHAPTER V THE PLOT THICKENS A knock on his door roused Lionel at half past eight, and he sprang up clear-eyed and joyous to meet the sun. The events of the previous day sped pleasantly through his brain; and now that the morning was upon him and the London sparrows twittering optimism, he could not dwell seriously on the indignation of his hostess. "Oh, it is bound to be all right!" he said to himself, stropping a razor that he found on the dressing-table and whistling a merry tune. The cold tub strung him to a higher mood, and as he plied the towel he broke into song. "_Horchen Sie doch!_" said Mizzi approvingly to the cat, as she prepared breakfast and heard the melodious strain: "_Er ist ein braver Kerl, der sich nicht erzuernt. Er ist ein lustiger Geist, wirklich. Die anderen habe ich zum Besten._" No doubt she was right. Lionel breakfasted alone. Mizzi said that her mistress begged to be excused for an hour; after that she would be ready. The maid lingered a moment more than was necessary after bringing in the coffee, and seemed markedly assiduous for his comfort. But Lionel did not detain her in conversation; he had no intention of elaborating the _affaire_ of the previous night. What amusement fell to his share he was ready to accept with a youthful zest, but he was old enough not to pursue happiness too zealously nor to magnify trifles. A kiss was well enough, provided it embarrassed neither the recipient nor himself. He was never a man to raise false hopes or win success by lies or a pretended love. His philosophy embraced the theory that girls, or some of them at least, liked being petted, and he was not averse from the kindly office. Only, there must be a clear, if unspoken, understanding that he was not to be taken _au serieux_. This philosophy, of course, did not apply to Beatrice Blair: she was altogether outside routine. He was a butterfly, if you like, but at any rate honest. So when Mizzi hoped that monsie
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53  
54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Lionel
 

philosophy

 
previous
 

honest

 
elaborating
 
pursue
 
conversation
 

intention

 

accept

 

youthful


amusement

 

affaire

 

bringing

 

mistress

 

begged

 

excused

 

breakfasted

 

Besten

 

anderen

 

monsie


markedly

 

assiduous

 

comfort

 

coffee

 
lingered
 
moment
 

detain

 

provided

 

kindly

 

office


averse

 
petted
 
unspoken
 

Beatrice

 

altogether

 

serieux

 

butterfly

 

understanding

 

theory

 
embarrassed

recipient
 
routine
 

zealously

 

magnify

 
trifles
 

pretended

 

embraced

 

success

 

wirklich

 
happiness