FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   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   >>   >|  
rday as I always suspected. But you are so timid, Jupiter. _Timeo Dan--Dan_--well, _Dan_ something or other, as Virgil so truly says." "Cautious, Sophronia, only cautious, for your and the children's sakes!" "I call a man who's afraid even when he's passing everywhere as an American syndicate a cowardly custard," rejoined Madame, who appeared to be suffering under that peculiar form of flushed irritability which is apt to follow on heavy thought, indulged in to excess in a recumbent position during the daytime. "There, that's settled. So now let us get to business. Kindly hand me your prophecy of last night, Mr. Vivian." The Prophet drew from a breast pocket a sheet or two of notepaper, on which he had dotted down, in prophetic form, the events of the night before. Madame received it and continued,-- "Before perusing this report, Mr. Vivian, I should wish to be made acquainted with those particulars." "Which ones?" said the Prophet. "Of your grandmother's career." "Oh, I--" "Let us take them in order, please, and proceed _parri passo_. When was the old lady removed from the bottle?" "Never," replied the Prophet, firmly. "Never." An expression of incredulous amazement decorated the obstreperous features of Madame. "Do you mean to tell me, Mr. Vivian, that she sucks it still?" she inquired. "I mean what I say, that she has never been removed from it," returned the Prophet, with energy. "Well, sir, she must be very partial to milk and Indian rubber, very partial indeed!" said Mr. Sagittarius. "Go on, my darling." "Her first tooth, Mr. Vivian--when did she cut it?" "She has no idea." Madame began to look decidedly grim. "Date of short-coating?" she rapped out. "There was no date. She never wore a short-coat." "Do you desire me to believe, Mr. Vivian, that the old lady has been going about in long clothes ever since she was born?" inquired Madame, with incredulous sarcasm. "Most certainly I do," replied the Prophet. "Then how does she get along, pray? Come! Come!" "She has always worn long clothes," cried the Prophet, boldly standing up for his beloved relative, "and always will. You can take that from me, Madame Sagittarius. I know my grandmother, and I am ready to pledge my honour to it." "Oh, very well. She must be a very remarkable lady. That's all I can say. When did she put her hair up?" "Never. She has never put it up." "She has never put her hair up!" "No,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Madame
 

Prophet

 

Vivian

 

clothes

 

Sagittarius

 
partial
 
inquired
 

removed

 
replied
 

incredulous


grandmother

 

amazement

 
darling
 

returned

 
energy
 

obstreperous

 
rubber
 
features
 

Indian

 

decorated


boldly

 

standing

 

beloved

 

relative

 

remarkable

 

honour

 

pledge

 

coating

 

rapped

 

decidedly


expression

 
sarcasm
 

desire

 

particulars

 

appeared

 
suffering
 

peculiar

 
rejoined
 

custard

 
American

syndicate
 

cowardly

 
flushed
 
irritability
 

excess

 

recumbent

 
position
 

indulged

 
thought
 

follow