FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   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   >>   >|  
resser and began to polish her already glittering nails, turning her head this way and that, preening her neck, biting her scarlet lips to deepen their crimson, opening her eyes wide and half closing them languorously. Julia, down on her knees in combat with the trickiest of the hooks, glanced up and saw. Two-eighteen caught the glance in the mirror. She stopped her idle polishing and preening to study the glowing and lovely little face that looked up at her. A certain queer expression grew in her eyes--a speculative, eager look. "Tell me, little girl," she said, "What do you do round here?" Julia turned from the mirror to the last of the hooks, her fingers working nimbly. "Me? My regular job is working. Don't jerk, please. I've fastened this one three times." "Working!" laughed Two-eighteen, fingering the diamonds at her throat. "What does a pretty girl like you want to do that for?" "Hook off here," said Julia. "Shall I sew it?" "Pin it!" snapped Two-eighteen. Julia's tidy nature revolted. "It'll take just a minute to catch it with thread--" Two-eighteen whirled about in one of the sudden hot rages of her kind: "Pin it, you fool! Pin it! I told you I was late!" Julia paused a moment, the red surging into her face. Then in silence she knelt and wove a pin deftly in and out. When she rose from her knees her face was quite white. "There, that's the girl!" said Two-eighteen blithely, her rage forgotten. "Just pat this over my shoulders." She handed a powder-puff to Julia and turned her back to the broad mirror, holding a hand-glass high as she watched the powder-laden puff leaving a snowy coat on the neck and shoulders and back so generously displayed in the cherry-coloured gown. Julia's face was set and hard. "Oh, now, don't sulk!" coaxed Two-eighteen good-naturedly, all of a sudden. "I hate sulky girls. I like people to be cheerful round me." "I'm not used to being yelled at," Julia said resentfully. Two-eighteen patted her cheek lightly. "You come out with me to-morrow and I'll buy you something pretty. Don't you like pretty clothes?" "Yes; but--" "Of course you do. Every girl does--especially pretty ones like you. How do you like this dress? Don't you think it smart?" She turned squarely to face Julia, trying on her the tricks she had practised in the mirror. A little cruel look came into Julia's face. "Last year's, isn't it?" she asked coolly. "This!" cried Two-eighteen,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   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:
eighteen
 

mirror

 

pretty

 
turned
 

sudden

 

working

 

shoulders

 

powder

 

preening

 

leaving


coloured

 
cherry
 

displayed

 
tricks
 
generously
 

blithely

 

forgotten

 

deftly

 

practised

 

handed


holding

 

watched

 

coaxed

 

lightly

 

morrow

 
patted
 

yelled

 

resentfully

 

clothes

 

naturedly


squarely

 

people

 
cheerful
 

coolly

 

nature

 

polishing

 

glowing

 

stopped

 

glance

 

trickiest


glanced
 
caught
 

lovely

 

looked

 

fingers

 
nimbly
 

speculative

 
expression
 
combat
 

turning