FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   >>   >|  
er. "Baker, did you say?" repeated Ratcliffe. "Baker--Mrs. Sam Baker; at least so Mr. Carrington told me; he said she was a client of his." In fact Ratcliffe soon saw Carrington go up to her and remain by her side during the rest of the trip. Ratcliffe watched them sharply and grew more and more absorbed in his own thoughts as the boat drew nearer and nearer the shore. Carrington was in high spirits. He thought he had played his cards with unusual success. Even Miss Dare deigned to acknowledge his charms that day. She declared herself to be the moral image of Martha Washington, and she started a discussion whether Carrington or Lord Dunbeg would best suit her in the role of the General. "Mr. Carrington is exemplary," she said, "but oh, what joy to be Martha Washington and a Countess too!" Chapter VII WHEN he reached his rooms that afternoon, Senator Ratcliffe found there, as he expected, a choice company of friends and admirers, who had beguiled their leisure hours since noon by cursing him in every variety of profane language that experience could suggest and impatience stimulate. On his part, had he consulted his own feelings only, he would then and there have turned them out, and locked the doors behind them. So far as silent maledictions were concerned, no profanity of theirs could hold its own against the intensity and deliberation with which, as he found himself approaching his own door, he expressed between his teeth his views in respect to their eternal interests. Nothing could be less suited to his present humour than the society which awaited him in his rooms. He groaned in spirit as he sat down at his writing-table and looked about him. Dozens of office-seekers were besieging the house; men whose patriotic services in the last election called loudly for recognition from a grateful country. They brought their applications to the Senator with an entreaty that he would endorse and take charge of them. Several members and senators who felt that Ratcliffe had no reason for existence except to fight their battle for patronage, were lounging about his room, reading newspapers, or beguiling their time with tobacco in various forms; at long intervals making dull remarks, as though they were more weary than their constituents of the atmosphere that surrounds the grandest government the sun ever shone upon. Several newspaper correspondents, eager to barter their news for Ratcliffe's hints or
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Ratcliffe

 

Carrington

 

Senator

 

Martha

 

nearer

 
Washington
 

Several

 

office

 

writing

 
seekers

Dozens

 
besieging
 

patriotic

 

looked

 

services

 

suited

 

deliberation

 

approaching

 

expressed

 

intensity


profanity

 

concerned

 

society

 

humour

 

awaited

 

groaned

 

spirit

 

present

 

election

 

eternal


respect

 
interests
 

Nothing

 

remarks

 

atmosphere

 
constituents
 

making

 

tobacco

 

intervals

 

surrounds


grandest

 

barter

 

correspondents

 

newspaper

 

government

 

beguiling

 
applications
 

entreaty

 

endorse

 

maledictions