Detective and mystery stories; English fiction -- 19th century
not have that either, though he laughed when he said he could not trust
to a lady's punctuality in this case, but if I would leave Rosalie she
would not understand anything that was said. Of course this would not
do, and at last William, with more presence of mind and determination
than I should have thought him capable of, took him by the buttonhole
and fairly drew him away into the further window, where he began
whispering eagerly to him to draw off his attention. I suppose it was
the consciousness of a sort of stratagem, but my heart beat quite fast
as I brought out my two words, "_Gibst' was?_" and I could see that
hers was so too. She seemed surprised at my speaking to her in German,
and certainly I was no less so to hear her answer in English, with
a slight accent certainly, but still in quite plain English--"Don't
seem to listen. I am ..." and then she stopped suddenly and turned
quite pale, and I could feel all my own blood rush back to my heart
with such a throb! I looked up, and there were the Baron's eyes fixed
upon us. Poor Rosalie seemed quite frightened, and I declare I felt
so too. At all events, we neither of us ventured on another word, and
the next minute the Baron succeeded in fairly shaking off poor William
and taking his leave. So there is an end of my little romance about
Rosalie. I am _sure_ there was something in it. Why, if she had nothing
particular to say, should she have taken the trouble of learning that
little bit of English? and why--but I must not sit here all night
speculating about this, which after all is, I daresay, nothing at all.
It is positively just twelve o'clock.
_Nov._ 6.--How strange! There is certainly some mystery about Rosalie
and the Baron. I am quite certain I saw them in a cab together this
morning, and yet they were to cross on Saturday night and be in Paris
yesterday. I wonder whether they were late after all, and yet an hour
and a-half is surely time enough to London Bridge, and if he had missed
the train I should think he would have come to us yesterday. At all
events he might have gone early this morning. It is very odd....
_Nov._ 7.--I wonder whether any one ever had such a husband as I have
got. Yesterday he must needs worry himself with the idea that I am
fretting about the loss of my mesmerism,--as if I could possibly think
a moment about the loss of anything when I had got him with me. So
nothing would satisfy him but that we must go to the Haymarket to see
"Paul Pry" and the Spanish Dancers. I have not laughed so much for many
a long day. I don't like all that violent dancing, so we came away
directly after the absurd little farce--"How to Pay the Rent." How we
did laugh at it to be sure, and the absurdities of that little monkey,
Clark. Wright, too, in "Paul Pry," is quite inimitable. Dear William,
how good it was of him!....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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