FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   180   >>   >|  
dinand! Mr. Ferdinand, take your face from the wall, if you please. There is no cause for alarm. Now, Fancy--now!" For Mrs. Fancy had, as usual, broken into tears on learning the reassuring truth, and was now displaying every symptom of distress and enervation. The Prophet, unable to calm her, was obliged to assist her upstairs and place her upon the landing, where he hurriedly left her uttering broken moans and murmurs, and repeating again and again her statement of affairs and assertion of inability to conceal the revealed obvious. On his return he found Madame, Mr. Sagittarius and Mr. Ferdinand grouped statuesquely in the hall as if to represent "Perturbation." "Mr. Ferdinand," he said rather severely, "I did not expect this conduct of you, shrinking from guests in this extraordinary manner. A butler who shows terror at the sight of visitors does not conduce to the popularity of his employers." "I beg pardon, sir. I was not prepared." "Please be prepared another time. You will serve dinner for three to-night, very quietly, in the inner dining-room. I do not wish Mrs. Merillia to be disturbed in her illness, and--" "If you please, sir, Mrs. Merillia feels herself so much better that she is coming down to dinner to-night." "Coming down to dinner!" said the Prophet, aghast. "Yes, sir. And she has asked in Sir Tiglath Butt and the Lady Julia Postlethwaite to join her. I was about to show Mrs. Merillia the menu, sir, when--" "Good Heavens! Merciful Powers!" ejaculated the Prophet. "Sir?" "What on earth is to be done?" continued the Prophet, lost for the moment to all sense of propriety. Mr. Ferdinand looked at the old and valued friends. "I can't say, sir, I'm sure," he replied, pursing up his lips. "What is the meaning--" began Mr. Sagittarius. "I'm not aware that--" started Madame. The Prophet darted to the library door and opened it. "Pray, pray come in here," he hissed. "My grandmother! Softly!" "But the old la--" "Hush, please!" "I must remark, Mr. Viv--" "Tsh! Tsh! Mr. Ferdinand, wait in the hall. I shall want to speak to you in a moment." "Yes, sir." The Prophet closed the door and turned to this indignant visitors. "This is terrible," he said. "Terrible!" "Pray why?" cried Madame. "Why," cried the Prophet, "why?" He sought frantically for some excuse. Suddenly a bright idea occurred to him. "Why," he said, impressively. "Because Sir Tiglath Butt, the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   180   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Prophet
 

Ferdinand

 

Madame

 

dinner

 

Merillia

 
Sagittarius
 
visitors
 

Tiglath

 
prepared
 

moment


broken

 

ejaculated

 
frantically
 

Merciful

 
Powers
 

sought

 
Heavens
 
continued
 

occurred

 

aghast


Because

 

impressively

 

Coming

 

bright

 

excuse

 

propriety

 

Suddenly

 

Postlethwaite

 

friends

 

hissed


library

 
coming
 

opened

 

grandmother

 

remark

 
Softly
 

darted

 
closed
 

replied

 
pursing

Terrible
 

valued

 
turned
 
started
 

indignant

 

terrible

 
meaning
 

looked

 
landing
 

hurriedly