FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  
r husband would be likely to play her false this time. "Shall you be here on the twelfth?" she asked him casually. "Why? What's up on the twelfth?" "I'm going to have one of those things you hate--before the Arkell House ball. I chose that night so that everyone should run away early! You won't be obliged to look at a horse in the country that particular day?" She spoke laughingly, as if she wanted him to say no, but would not be very angry if he didn't. Lord Holme tugged his moustache and looked very serious indeed. "Another!" he ejaculated. "We're always havin' 'em. Any music?" "No, no, nothing. There are endless dinners that night, and Mrs. Crutchby's concert with Calve, and the ball. People will only run in and say something silly and run out again." "Who's comin'?" "Everybody. All the tiresome dears that have had their cards left." Lord Holme stared at his varnished boots and looked rather like a puzzled boy at a _viva voce_ examination. "The worst of it is, I can't be in the country lookin' at a horse that night," he said with depression. "Why not?" She hastily added: "But why should you? You ought to be here." "I'd rather be lookin' at a horse. But I'm booked for the dinner to Rowley at the Nation Club that night. I might say the speeches were too long and I couldn't get away. Eh?" He looked at her for support. "You really ought to be here, Fritz," she answered. It ended there. Lady Holme knew her husband pretty well. She fancied that the speeches at the dinner given to Sir Jacob Rowley, ex-Governor of some place she knew nothing about, would turn out to be very lengthy indeed--speeches to keep a man far from his home till after midnight. On the evening of the twelfth Lord Holme had not arrived when the first of his wife's guests came slowly up the stairs, and Lady Holme began gently to make his excuses to all the tiresome dears who had had their cards left at forty-two Cadogan Square. There were a great many tiresome dears. The stream flowed steadily, and towards half-past eleven resembled a flood-tide. Lady Cardington, Lady Manby, Mr. Bry, Sally Perceval had one by one appeared, and Robin Pierce's dark head was visible mounting slowly amid a throng of other heads of all shapes, sizes and tints. Lady Holme was looking particularly well. She was dressed in black. Of course black suits everybody. It suited her even better than most people, and her gown was a triumph. S
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86  
87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
tiresome
 

speeches

 

looked

 
twelfth
 

dinner

 

lookin

 

country

 

Rowley

 

slowly

 

husband


evening

 
arrived
 

guests

 
triumph
 
stairs
 

Governor

 

fancied

 

pretty

 

gently

 

lengthy


midnight

 

stream

 

visible

 

mounting

 

suited

 
Pierce
 

appeared

 

dressed

 

shapes

 

throng


Perceval

 

flowed

 
steadily
 

Square

 

Cadogan

 

excuses

 

people

 

Cardington

 

eleven

 

resembled


examination
 
tugged
 

moustache

 

wanted

 

laughingly

 
Another
 

ejaculated

 
obliged
 
casually
 

things