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Why could he not deal with that fellow Cliffe as he deserved? And what in Heaven's name was the reason why old friends like Lady M were beginning to look at him coldly, and avoid his conversation? His mother, too! He gathered that quite lately there had been some disagreeable scene between her and Kitty. Kitty had resented some remonstrance of hers, and for some days now they had not met.
"I know not how things are at Cliffe Royal now," said he, thoughtfully. "It was not a cheery house, even before this shadow fell upon it. A fitter stage was never set forth for such a tragedy. But seventeen years have passed, and perhaps even that horrible ceiling " "It still bears the stain," said I.
"Lady Kitty often forgets her engagements." "Does she?" said Cliffe, coldly, pretending to glance through a book beside him. It touched his vanity that his hostess was not present, and still more that Darrell should suppose him a person to be forgotten.
Cliffe began to twist his mustache, a sign she knew well. It meant that he was in truth both irritable and nervous. "You think they'll last till Whitsuntide?" "The government?" she said, smiling. "Certainly and beyond." "I give them three weeks," said Cliffe, twisting anew, with a vigor that gave her a positive physical sympathy with the tortured mustache.
By all the rules of the game I ought to have died. But I suppose, like a brother officer long since defunct, also a Major, one Joe Bagstock, I am devilish tough. Cliffe told me this morning that, apart from a direct hit by a 42-centimetre shell, he saw no reason, after what I had gone through, why I should not live for another hundred years. "I wash my hands of you," said he.
For the first time in my life I took refuge in my invalidity, whereby I earned the commendation of Cliffe. Betty sent me flowers. Mrs. Boyce sent me grapes and an infallible prescription for heart attacks which, owing to the hopeless mess she had made in trying to copy the wriggles indicating the quantities of the various drugs, was of no practical use.
But Cliffe paid no heed. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and she sank back powerless into her chair as he bent over her. "Cruel cruel child, to play with me so! Did you mean to put me to a last test? or did your hard little heart misgive you at the last moment? I cross-examined your landlady I bribed the servants the gondoliers. Not a word! They were loyal or you had paid them better.
More indecorous whispering and thronging; and the procession came down the aisle, to be greeted outside by a hail of confetti and rice; the schoolboys, profiting by the dinner interval, and headed by Adrian, had jostled themselves into the foreground, and they ran headlong to the portico of Cliffe House to renew the shower. And there, unluckily, Mr.
Yes, it was certainly surprising that Mary had not married. Lady Tranmore's thoughts were running on this tack when of a sudden her eyes were caught by the placard of one of the evening papers. "Interview with Mr. Cliffe. Peace assured." So ran one of the lines. "Geoffrey Cliffe home again!" Lady Tranmore's tone betrayed a shade of contemptuous amusement.
"I think your dress is quite lovely!" she said, in that warm, shy voice she rarely used except for a few intimates, and had never yet been known to waste on Mary. "Don't you admire it enormously, Mr. Cliffe?" "Enormously," said Cliffe, pulling at his mustache. "But by now my compliments are stale." "Is he cross about William's letter?" thought Kitty. "Well, let's leave them to themselves."
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