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Updated: May 20, 2025
"My husband gave it me only to-day." "I suppose it's your birthday or something," the inquisitive girl ventured. "No," said Nellie. "How nice of him!" said the girl. The next day Captain Deverax appeared in riding breeches. They were not correct for ski-running, but they were the best he could do. He visited a tailor's in Montreux.
"It's a world of coincidences," said Denry, with emphasis. "You don't mean to insinuate," said Mrs Clutterbuck, with a nervous laugh, "that Captain Deverax has er gone after the Countess?" "Oh no!" said Denry, with unction. "Such a thought never entered my head." "I think you're a very strange man, Mr Machin," retorted Mrs Clutterbuck, hostile and not a bit reassured.
The Clutterbuck cousin had proclaimed that owing to the inadequacy of the bedroom furniture she had been obliged to employ a sofa as a wardrobe. Then there were more references to Captain Deverax. And then at dinner it became known Heaven knows how! that the entire Clutterbuck party had given notice and was seceding to the Hotel Métropole.
Another detail: the secession of nine or ten people from one hotel to the other meant that the Métropole would decidedly be more populous than the Beau-Site, and on the point of numbers the emulation was very keen. "Well," said the Beau-Site, "let 'em go! With their Captain Deverax! We shall be better without 'em!"
"No, no," the Countess protested. "As for me, I hate your mountains. I was born in the steppe where it is all level level! Your mountains close me in. I am only here by order of my doctor. Your mountains get on my nerves." She shrugged her shoulders. Captain Deverax smiled. "It is the same with you, isn't it?" he said turning to Nellie. "Oh, no," said Nellie, simply.
The remarkable thing was that though he regarded Captain Deverax as a popinjay, he could not help feeling a certain slight satisfaction in the fact that they were in some sort acquaintances.... Mystery of the human heart!... He wished sincerely that he had not, in his conversation with the Captain in the train, talked about previous visits to Switzerland. It was dangerous.
"May one ask what that costume is supposed to be?" "A Captain of Chinese cavalry," said Denry, lifting his eyeglass. Nevertheless, the dance was a remarkable success, and little by little even the sternest adherents of the absent Captain Deverax deigned to be amused by Denry's Chinese gestures. Also, Denry led the cotillon, and was thereafter greatly applauded by the Beau-Site.
"Oh!" drawled Captain Deverax. His "Oh!" contained so much of insinuation, disdain, and lofty amusement that Denry blushed, and when Nellie saw her husband's cheek she blushed in competition and defeated him easily. It was felt that either Denry had been romancing to the Captain, or that he had been married before, unknown to his Nellie, and had been "carrying on" at Geneva.
Many men, however, seemed to argue that if a man who was a man led a cotillon, he ought not to lead it too well, on pain of being considered a cox-comb. At the close, during the hot soup, the worst happened. Denry had known that it would. Captain Deverax was talking to Nellie, who was respectfully listening, about the scenery, when the Countess came up, plate in hand.
The visitors agreed among themselves that, considering that his name was not Deverax, Denry acquitted himself honourably. Later he went to the bureau, and, returning, whispered to his wife: "It's all right. He's come back safe." "How do you know?" "I've just telephoned to ask." Denry's subsequent humour was wildly gay.
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