FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   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   >>  
sured her, bowing. He passed on to greet Herman, and was presented to others in the rapidly growing throng. Wherever he went Olga heard exclamations usually of surprise or dismay from her women guests, and the number that invariably gathered around him at first rapidly diminished. He seemed bent on making himself disagreeable, as he had promised. One elderly spinster to whom he was presented greeted him with an affected lisp, drooping eyes and an inane remark about the terrible cold. "Yes, mademoiselle, your teeth will chatter to-night--on the dresser." To another--a portly lady who affected the airs of a girl--he said in his most silken tones: "My dear madam, I must tell you of a splendid remedy for getting thin." "I don't want to get thin," the portly one replied indignantly as she flounced away from him. Olga waited impatiently for an opportunity to withdraw with Millar into a secluded place, where she might listen to him while he told her the things that she did not dare tell herself. The evening had grown late, however, and Karl had arrived before she could get away from her guests. Karl had tried to avoid a tete-a-tete with Olga, and she took the first opportunity of introducing him to Elsa. She rebelled in her soul now at the thought of their marriage, but her will drove her to the fulfilment of her purpose, to that extent at least. But it was with a heart torn with jealousy that she watched Karl and Elsa move off together, and turned to meet Millar, standing beside her with his cynical, sinister smile. Elsa Berg was a brilliant, vivacious girl, rarely beautiful, with lively blue eyes, chestnut hair and a tall, slender, willowy figure. The romance and excitement of her meeting with Karl made her seem doubly beautiful, and she gladdened the artist in him, but he helplessly confessed to himself that she made no impression on his heart. His thoughts were with Olga, and he was abstracted, almost to the point of rudeness, while Elsa tried to talk with him. "Who is that terribly rude person who seems to be frightening every one?" she asked. "He? Oh, that is Dr. Millar, a friend of mine," Karl replied. "Pooh! I don't see why every one seems so afraid of him," Elsa said with a note of challenge in her tone. "I think I shall meet him just to see if he will make me run." "No, no; don't go near him," Karl begged. "And why not? Has he such a sharp tongue or an evil mind? I can take care of mys
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   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   >>  



Top keywords:

Millar

 

beautiful

 

affected

 
replied
 
portly
 

opportunity

 

rapidly

 
presented
 

guests

 

excitement


jealousy

 

extent

 

meeting

 
watched
 

figure

 

lively

 

vivacious

 
rarely
 

brilliant

 
sinister

chestnut

 
standing
 

willowy

 

romance

 
slender
 

cynical

 

turned

 

rudeness

 

challenge

 

begged


tongue

 

afraid

 

abstracted

 

purpose

 
thoughts
 

artist

 
gladdened
 
helplessly
 
confessed
 

impression


friend

 

frightening

 

terribly

 
person
 

doubly

 

greeted

 

drooping

 
remark
 

spinster

 
disagreeable