FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31  
32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   >>   >|  
r a moment. Superficially there is very little resemblance between an orange and a polar bear. "Like polar bears," I said hopefully. "I mean," luckily she went on, "polar bears do it for you in the polar regions. You really know you're there then. Give me the polar bears, I always say, and you can keep the seals and the walruses and the penguins. It's the hallmark." "Right. I knew you meant something. In London," I went on, "it is raining. Looking out of my window I see a lamp-post (not in flower) beneath a low, grey sky. Here we see oranges against a blue sky a million miles deep. What a blend! Myra, let's go to a fancy-dress ball when we get back. You go as an orange and I'll go as a very blue, blue sky, and you shall lean against me." "And we'll dance the tangerine," said Myra. But now observe us approaching Monte Carlo. For an hour past Simpson has been collecting his belongings. Two bags, two coats, a camera, a rug, Thomas, golf-clubs, books--his compartment is full of things which have to be kept under his eye lest they should evade him at the last moment. As the train leaves Monaco his excitement is intense. "I think, old chap," he says to Thomas, "I'll wear the coats after all." "And the bags," says Thomas, "and then you'll have a suit." Simpson puts on the two coats and appears very big and hot. "I'd better have my hands free," he says, and straps the camera and the golf-clubs on to himself. "Then if you nip out and get a porter I can hand the bags out to him through the window." "All right," says Thomas. He is deep in his book and looks as if he were settled in his corner of the carriage for the day. The train stops. There is bustle, noise, confusion. Thomas in some magical way has disappeared. A porter appears at the open window and speaks voluble French to Simpson. Simpson looks round wildly for Thomas. "Thomas!" he cries. "_Un moment_," he says to the porter. "Thomas! _Mon ami, it n'est pas_--I say, Thomas, old chap, where are you? _Attendez un moment. Mon ami_--er--_reviendra_--" He is very hot. He is wearing, in addition to what one doesn't mention, an ordinary waistcoat, a woolly waistcoat for steamer use, a tweed coat, an aquascutum, an ulster, a camera and a bag of golfclubs. The porter, with many gesticulations, is still hurling French at him. It is too much for Simpson. He puts his head out of the window and, observing in the distance a figure of such immense dignity that it
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31  
32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Thomas

 

Simpson

 

moment

 

window

 

porter

 

camera

 

waistcoat

 

appears

 

French

 

orange


confusion
 

bustle

 

voluble

 
resemblance
 
disappeared
 
magical
 

speaks

 
corner
 

straps

 

settled


carriage

 

golfclubs

 

gesticulations

 

ulster

 

aquascutum

 

hurling

 

immense

 

dignity

 

figure

 

distance


observing
 
steamer
 
woolly
 

Attendez

 

Superficially

 

reviendra

 

mention

 

ordinary

 
wearing
 
addition

wildly

 

penguins

 
hallmark
 

walruses

 
approaching
 

observe

 
tangerine
 

beneath

 

raining

 
flower