FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   >>   >|  
e says she's taken particular note as Mr. Hazlewood has never been near the Rectory for the last fortnight unless it was once when she heard footsteps and hadn't time to get to the window to see who it was on account of the kettle being on the boil at that moment, where's your Holy Matrimony?' I said. With that up speaks Miss Burge from the back of The shop whose father used to keep the King's Head before he dropped dead of the apoplexy on Shipcot platform. 'That doesn't say he hasn't gone round by the field the same as Mr. Burrows's servant used to when she was being courted by We'll-mention-no-names.' 'No, and that he hasn't, either,' said I, smacking the counter, for I was feeling a bit angry by now at all this poking about in other people's business, 'that he hasn't,' I said, 'because the Rectory cook asked me most particular if there was anything the matter down at Plashers Mead, seeing as Mr. Hazlewood hadn't been near the Rectory for a fortnight. That doesn't look like Holy Matrimony,' I said, and with that I walked out of the post-office. Mr. Hazlewood," Godbold concluded, very earnestly, "the gossip of Wychford is something as no one would believe, if they hadn't heard it, as I have, every mortal day of my life." Guy could have laughed on his own account, but the notion of Pauline's being dragged into the chatter made him furious. Yet what could he do? If he went frequently to the Greys' house he must be engaged, according to Wychford. And if he did not go.... "I suppose they'll be saying next that the engagement has been broken off," he inquired, with cold sarcasm. "Oh, they have said it. Depend upon it, Mr. Hazlewood, it undoubtedly has been said." It began to appeal to Guy as extremely undignified--the way in which he had let Godbold chatter on like this. "I'm afraid I must be getting back to my work," he said, curtly. "That's right. Work's the best answer to talk. Did you feel it much here in that rainy spell?" "The meadows were a bit splashy, of course, but the water never got anywhere near the house." "But it will. Don't you make any mistake. It will. Only, of course, we've had a dry Autumn. Why, last June year Miss Peasey could have been fishing for minnows in her kitchen. Now that seems a nice upstanding sort of woman. A Wesleen, they tell me? I haven't seen her in church that I can remember, and which would account for it. But I never talk to the chapel folk, they being that unciviliz
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Hazlewood

 
account
 

Rectory

 

chatter

 

Wychford

 

Godbold

 
fortnight
 
Matrimony
 

undignified

 

chapel


extremely

 

appeal

 

undoubtedly

 

afraid

 

answer

 
remember
 

curtly

 
Depend
 

engaged

 

frequently


footsteps

 

unciviliz

 

suppose

 
inquired
 

sarcasm

 

broken

 

engagement

 

Peasey

 
fishing
 

minnows


Autumn

 

kitchen

 
Wesleen
 

upstanding

 

church

 

meadows

 
splashy
 
mistake
 

speaks

 

feeling


smacking
 

counter

 

poking

 

people

 

business

 

Shipcot

 

platform

 
father
 

apoplexy

 
dropped