United States or Bosnia and Herzegovina ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The impulse which had first drawn them together again, in spite of reason, in spite of themselves almost, that deep-seated instinctive need that each had of the other, would never again wholly let them go. Yet as he sat there he thought of Strefford, he thought of Coral Hicks. He had been a coward in regard to Coral, and Susy had been sincere and courageous in regard to Strefford.
I say, give me a cigar, will you, old man, I left some awfully good ones at Como, worse luck and I don't mind telling you that Ellie's no judge of tobacco, and that Nick's too far gone in bliss to care what he smokes," Strefford grumbled, stretching a hand toward his host's cigar-case. "I do like jewellery best," Clarissa murmured, hugging her father.
She looked into his humorously puckered eyes, answering. Their friendly smile with hers. "I promise!" she said. THAT hour with Strefford had altered her whole perspective. Instead of possible dependence, an enforced return to the old life of connivances and concessions, she saw before her whenever she chose to take them freedom, power and dignity. Dignity!
The last evening that you were in Venice the day he didn't come back to dinner he had gone off to Genoa to meet them. I suppose he intends to marry Coral." Strefford received this in silence. "Well it was your bargain, wasn't it?" he said at length. "Yes; but " "Exactly: I always told you so. You weren't ready to have him go yet that's all." She flushed to the forehead.
As a matter of fact, though Strefford was not an ardent wooer perhaps from tact, perhaps from temperament, perhaps merely from the long habit of belittling and disintegrating every sentiment and every conviction yet she knew he did care for her as much as he was capable of caring for anyone.
STREFFORD was leaving for England. Once assured that Susy had taken the first step toward freeing herself, he frankly regarded her as his affianced wife, and could see no reason for further mystery. She understood his impatience to have their plans settled; it would protect him from the formidable menace of the marriageable, and cause people, as he said, to stop meddling.
Perhaps, if Nat's success continued, and Grace was able to work at her music, they would need a kind of governess-companion. At any rate, she could picture no future less distasteful. She had not sent to Mr. Spearman Nick's answer to her letter. In the interval between writing to him and receiving his reply she had broken with Strefford; she had therefore no object in seeking her freedom.
Strefford Susy and Strefford!... More than once, Nick had noticed the softer inflections of his friend's voice when he spoke to Susy, the brooding look in his lazy eyes when they rested on her. In the security of his wedded bliss Nick had made light of those signs. The only real jealousy he had felt had been of Fred Gillow, because of his unlimited power to satisfy a woman's whims.
"If I could, Ursula... but really... I'm not free at the moment." She paused, and then took an abrupt decision. "The fact is, I'm waiting here to see Strefford." "Strefford' Lord Altringham?" Ursula stared. "Ah, yes-I remember. You and he used to be great friends, didn't you?" Her roving attention deepened.... But if Susy were waiting to see Lord Altringham one of the richest men in England!
The mere fact that he was engaged on a philosophic romance, and not a mere novel, seemed the proof of an intrinsic superiority. And if she had mistrusted her impartiality Strefford's approval would have reassured her. Among their friends Strefford passed as an authority on such matters: in summing him up his eulogists always added: "And you know he writes."
Word Of The Day