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Everybody had risen from necessity; chairs were pushed back, skirts drawn aside as the heavy table, staggering, lurching, moved out across the floor; and they all followed, striving to keep their finger-tips on the top. Portlaw was speechless; Shiela pale, tremulous, bewildered; Tressilvain's beady eyes shone like the eyes of a surprised rat; but his wife and Malcourt took it calmly.
Also she had become curiously considerate of other people's feelings rather subdued; less ready in her criticisms; gentler in judgments. All of which symptoms Constance had already noted with incredulity and alarm. "Where did you and Louis Malcourt go this afternoon?" she asked, unpegging her hair. "Out to the beach.
Malcourt winced, but as the girl had apparently heard nothing to his discredit except about his gambling, he ventured an intelligent sidelong glance at Hamil. The latter looked at him inquiringly; Malcourt laughed. "You haven't been to the Beach Club yet, have you, Hamil? I'll get you a card if you like." Cecile, furious, turned her back and went head first into the sea.
Malcourt does not know and she is not to be told as long as it can be avoided: Cardross, Carrick & Co. are in a bad way." "How bad?" "The worst unless the Clearing House does something " "What!" " And it won't! Mark my words. Wayward, the Clearing House won't lift a penny's weight from the load on their shoulders. I know.
"Somebody," said Wayward pleasantly, "will do you in the same style some day." And he retired to dress, laughing in an odd way. But Portlaw searched in vain for the humour which he had contrived somehow to miss. He also missed Malcourt on such occasions Malcourt whose nimble intelligence never missed a trick! "Thank the Lord he's coming!" he breathed devoutly.
Tressilvain stood absolutely still, his close-set eyes fairly starting from his face, in which not a vestige of colour now remained; and when at length he left the room he left so noiselessly that Malcourt did not hear him.
For a moment she looked at him with a tremor of curiosity and amusement edging her lips. "Louis Malcourt," he said, smiling; and turned again to the sea. A sudden, still, inward fright seized her; the curious soundless crash of her own senses followed as though all within had given way.
Look at the men troops of 'em! Alex Anan knew when he tried his luck. You had to tell Mr. Cuyp, but Shiela was obliged to turn him down after all. It certainly has not intimidated anybody. Do you remember two years ago how persistent Louis Malcourt was until you squelched him?" "Yes; but he didn't know the truth then. He acts sometimes as though he knew it now.
"Then why " She shook her head. "Quite right," said Malcourt, rising; "you're in the wrong planet, too. And the sooner you realise it the sooner we'll meet again. Good-bye." She turned horribly pale, stammering something about his coming with her, resisting a little as he drew her out, down the stairs, and aided her to enter the depot-wagon.
The accidental ownership of property will not prevent my entering it; but its ownership by you would prevent my accepting your personal invitation to use it or even enter it. And now, perhaps, you understand." Malcourt, very white, nodded: "It is so useless," he said "all this bitterness.
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