'Then let us proceed with her education: it is growing chilly, too,' said
the Earl; and they all went to billiards, the Jesuit marking with much
attention and precision. Later he took a cue, and was easily the master
of every man there, though better acquainted, he said, with the foreign
game. The late Pope used to play, he said, nearly as well as Mr. Herbert
Spencer. Even for a beginner, Miss Willoughby was not a brilliant
player; but she did not cut the cloth, and her arms were remarkably
beautiful--an excellent but an extremely rare thing in woman. She was
rewarded, finally, by a choice between bedroom candles lit and offered by
her younger and her elder cousins, and, after a momentary hesitation,
accepted that of the Earl.
'How is this going to end?' thought Logan, when he was alone. 'Miss
Bangs is out of the running, that is certain: millions of dollars cannot
bring her near Miss Willoughby with Scremerston. The old gentleman ought
to like that--it relieves him from the bacon and lard, and the dollars,
and the associations with a Straddle; and then Miss Willoughby's family
is all right, but the girl is reckless. A demon has entered into her:
she used to be so quiet. I'd rather marry Miss Bangs without the
dollars. Then it is all very well for Scremerston to yield to Venus
Verticordia, and transfer his heart to this new enchantress. But, if I
am not mistaken, the Earl himself is much more kind than kin. The heart
has no age, and he is a very well-preserved peer. You might take him for
little more than forty, though he quite looked his years when I saw him
first. Well, _I_ am safe enough, in spite of Merton's warning: this new
Helen has no eyes for me, and the Prince has no eyes for her, I think.
But who is the Jesuit?'
Logan fought with his memory till he fell asleep, but he recovered no
gleam of recollection about the holy man.
It did not seem to Logan, next day, that he was in for a very lively
holiday. His host carried off Miss Willoughby to the muniment-room after
breakfast; that was an advantage he had over Scremerston, who was
decidedly restless and ill at ease. He took Logan to see the keeper, and
they talked about fish and examined local flies, and Logan arranged to go
and try the trout with the bustard some night; and then they pottered
about, and ate cherries in the garden, and finally the Earl found them
half asleep in the smoking-room. He routed the Jesuit out of the
library, where he was absorbed in a folio containing the works of the
sainted Father Parsons, and then the Earl showed Logan and Father
Riccoboni over the house. From a window of the gallery Scremerston could
be descried playing croquet with Miss Willoughby, an apparition radiant
in white.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account