United States or Nigeria ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"There is nothing so analytic as disillusionment. But there it is. She married Camerino." "Yes, I don't lime that," said Stanmer. He was silent a while, and then he added "Perhaps she wouldn't have done so if you had remained." He has a little innocent way! "Very likely she would have dispensed with the ceremony," I answered, drily. "Upon my word," he said, "you have analysed her!"
Nevertheless, at moments, she had a charm which made it pure pedantry to be conscious of her faults; and while these moments lasted I would have done anything for her. Unfortunately they didn't last long. But you know what I mean; am I not describing the Scarabelli?" "The Countess Scarabelli never lied!" cried Stanmer.
Stanmer is in a suspicions mood?" "Well, I mean that his situation is the same as mine." The Countess gave me one of her serious looks. "Come," she said, "what was it this famous situation of yours? I have heard you mention it before." "Your mother might have told you, since she occasionally did me the honour to speak of me." "All my mother ever told me was that you were a sad puzzle to her."
"Don't repeat it too often, or I shall begin to think you don't mean it." "Well," said Stanmer, "I think this, at any rate that you take an extraordinary responsibility in trying to put a man out of conceit of a woman who, as he believes, may make him very happy." I grasped his arm, and we stopped, going on with our talk like a couple of Florentines. "Do you wish to marry her?"
"I don't object to your saying that for all the world but I do for him." "Well," I went on, "he is peculiar in this: he is rather afraid of you." Instantly she began to smile; she turned her face toward Stanmer. He had seen that we were talking about him; he coloured and got up then came toward us. "I like men who are afraid of nothing," said our hostess.
If she is not a consummate coquette . . . What had she in her head when she said that I should not have gone away? Poor little Stanmer didn't go away. I left him there at midnight. 12th. I found him today sitting in the church of Santa Croce, into which I wandered to escape from the heat of the sun.
Stanmer was there, trying hard to talk to one of them, but making, I am sure, a very poor business of it. The Countess well, the Countess was admirable. She greeted me like a friend of ten years, toward whom familiarity should not have engendered a want of ceremony; she made me sit near her, and she asked me a dozen questions about my health and my occupations. "I live in the past," I said.
"Your mistrust keeps rising to the surface; you can't rid yourself of the suspicion that at the bottom of all things she is hard and cruel, and you would be immensely relieved if some one should persuade you that your suspicion is right." Stanmer made no direct reply to this; but before we reached the hotel he said "What did you ever know about the mother?" "It's a terrible story," I answered.
Ah, my dear boy, it was a tremendous escape! I had been ready to marry the woman who was capable of that! But my instinct had warned me, and I had trusted my instinct." "'Instinct's everything, as Falstaff says!" And Stanmer began to laugh. "Did you tell Madame de Salvi that your instinct was against her?" "No; I told her that she frightened me, shocked me, horrified me."
The high road leaves the town by the Battlefield road past St. Anne's church and follows the railway closely until the tram lines on the outskirts of Brighton are reached; this route passes Falmer, north-west of which lies the beautiful Stanmer Park, seat of the Earl of Chichester.
Word Of The Day