FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   >>   >|  
d by the fact that it had adorned the dummy in the shop window for seven consecutive days and occasioned much comment by its numerous "novelties." Quin had no doubts whatever about the coat. Its glory not only dimmed his eyes to the shortcomings of the trousers, which he had rented for the occasion, but even made him forget the aching tooth that had been harassing him all day. As he went down to present himself for the family inspection, it is useless to deny that he was very much impressed with the elegance and correctness of his costume. It had been achieved with infinite pains and considerable expense. Nothing was lacking, not even a silver cigarette-case, bearing an unknown monogram, which he had purchased at a pawn-shop the day before. His advent into the sitting-room produced a gratifying sensation. "Ha! Who comes here!" cried Mr. Martel. "The glass of fashion and the mould of form." Then he came forward for close inspection. "Hadn't you any better studs than those, my boy?" "They are the ones that came in the shirt," said Quin, instantly on the defensive. "Well, they hardly do justice to the occasion. Step upstairs, Cassius, and get my pearl ones out of the top chiffonier drawer." "I wish Captain Phipps could see you," said Rose admiringly. "You should have seen his face when I told him you were going to-night! He wasn't invited, you know." "Where did you see him?" Quin asked, brushing a speck of lint from the toe of his shining shoe. "Here. He's been coming twice a week to work with Papa Claude ever since you left. Give 'em to me, Cass"--this to her brother. "I'll put them in." "Aren't they too little for the buttonholes?" asked Quin anxiously. "Not enough to matter," Rose insisted. Then, as she finished, she added in a whisper: "Tell Nell somebody sent his love." "Nothing doing," laughed Quin with a superior shrug; "somebody else is taking his." The curb was lined with automobiles by the time he arrived at the Bartletts'. The house looked strangely unfamiliar with its blaze of lights and throng of arriving guests. He instinctively felt in his pocket for his latch-key, and then remembered, and waited for the strange butler to open the door. The inside of the house looked even less natural than the outside. The floors were cleared for dancing and the mantels were banked high with flowers and ferns. Under the steps the musicians were already tuning their instruments. "Upstairs, sir; f
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
inspection
 

looked

 

Nothing

 

occasion

 

anxiously

 
brother
 
buttonholes
 

coming

 
brushing
 

invited


Claude

 

shining

 
matter
 

inside

 
natural
 

cleared

 
floors
 
remembered
 

waited

 

butler


strange

 

dancing

 

mantels

 

tuning

 

instruments

 

Upstairs

 

musicians

 

banked

 

flowers

 

pocket


laughed

 
superior
 

taking

 

finished

 

whisper

 
throng
 

lights

 
arriving
 

guests

 
instinctively

unfamiliar
 

automobiles

 
arrived
 
Bartletts
 

strangely

 

insisted

 
family
 

useless

 
impressed
 

present