FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   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   >>   >|  
don't like it mentioned, but I was really engaged to young Lord Fanleighton." He murmured a little word of sympathy, and their conversation was momentarily interrupted as she leaned forward to answer an enquiry from her host. Wingate turned to Sarah, who was seated at his other side. "How dare you neglect me so shamefully!" she asked. "Let me make amends," he pleaded. "I am glad you feel penitent, at any rate. I expect Miss Flossie Lane has asked you what you think of her friend, Miss Orford, and told you that she was engaged to Lord Fanleighton." "What a hearing!" he murmured. "Don't be silly," she replied. "I couldn't hear a word, but I know her stock in trade." There was a little stir at the farther end of the table. Lord Dredlinton had left his place and was standing behind Phipps, with his hands upon his shoulders. He seemed to be shouting something in his ear. At that moment he recognised Wingate. He staggered up the farther side of the table towards him, butting into a waiter on the way and pausing for a moment to curse him, Flossie jogged Wingate's elbow. "What fun!" she whispered. "Here's Lord Dredlinton, absolutely blotto!" CHAPTER IX Wingate from the first had a prescience of disagreeable things. There was malice in Dredlinton's pallid face, the ugly twist of his lips and the light in his bloodshot eyes. He paused opposite to them, and leaning his hands on the back of the nearest chair, spoke across the table. "Hullo, Flossie!" he exclaimed. "How are you, old dear? How are you, Wingate?" Wingate replied with cold civility, Flossie with a careless nod. "I do hope," she whispered to her companion, glancing into the mirror which she had just drawn from her bag, "that Lord Dredlinton isn't going to be foolish. He does embarrass me so sometimes." "I say," Dredlinton went on, "what are you doing here, Wingate? I didn't know this sort of thing was in your line." Wingate raised his eyebrows but made no response. Dredlinton shook his head reproachfully at Miss Lane. "Flossie," he continued, "you ought to know better. Besides, you will waste your time. Mr. Wingate's taste in women is of a very--superior order. Doesn't care about your sort at all. He likes saints. That's right, isn't it, Wingate?" "You seem to know," was the cool reply. "Not 't tall sure," Dredlinton went on, balancing himself with difficulty, "that your new conquest would altogether approve of this, you
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Wingate

 

Dredlinton

 

Flossie

 
moment
 
farther
 

murmured

 
replied
 

Fanleighton

 

whispered

 

engaged


embarrass
 

foolish

 

nearest

 

exclaimed

 

leaning

 
bloodshot
 

paused

 

opposite

 

mirror

 
glancing

companion

 
civility
 

careless

 

reproachfully

 

saints

 

conquest

 

altogether

 
approve
 

difficulty

 

balancing


continued

 

response

 

raised

 

eyebrows

 

superior

 

Besides

 

butting

 

penitent

 

pleaded

 

amends


neglect

 

shamefully

 

hearing

 

Orford

 

friend

 

expect

 
conversation
 

momentarily

 

interrupted

 

sympathy