FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   128   129   130   >>   >|  
tened to a tirade against present-day customs. "Why, this dancing is indecent!" stormed the old lady. "I never saw anything like it in my life! Look at that little Morris chit with her cheek plastered up to Johnnie Rawlins'! If somebody doesn't speak to her, I will! I will not have such dancing in my house! And there's Kitty Carey, the one with no back to her dress. What her mother is thinking of--Mercy! Look at the length of that skirt!" It was not until Mr. and Mrs. Ranny arrived, and Madam had no time for any one else, that Quin was able to escape. "Can you tell me where I can find Miss Eleanor?" he asked eagerly of Miss Isobel, whom he encountered in the back hall. Miss Isobel, looking thoroughly uncomfortable in a high-necked, long-sleeved evening dress, sighed anxiously: "I am looking for her myself. She has had all the windows opened, and mother gave express orders that they were to be kept closed. Would you mind putting this one down? It makes such a draught." It was a high window and an obstinate one, and by the time it was down Quin's cuffs were six inches beyond his coat sleeves and his vest was bulging. "I don't want that window down," said a spirited voice behind him. "I wish you had left it alone." "Eleanor!" said Miss Isobel reprovingly. "He is doing it at my request. It is our young friend Quinby Graham." Quin wheeled about in dismay, and found himself face to face with a slender vision in shimmering blue and silver, a vision with flushed cheeks and angry eyes, who looked at him in blank amazement, then burst out laughing. "Why, for mercy sakes! I never would have known you. You look so--so different in civilian clothes." The words were what he had expected, but the intonation was not. It seemed to call for some sort of explanation. "It's my face," he blurted out apologetically, drawing attention to the fact that of all others he most wished to ignore. "Had an abscess in my tooth; it's swelled my jaw up a bit." Eleanor was not in the least concerned with his affliction. A civilian with the toothache could not expect the consideration of a hero with a shrapnel wound. Moreover, this was her first appearance in the role of hostess at a large party, and she fluttered about like a distracted humming-bird. Miss Isobel laid a detaining hand on her bare shoulder. "Did you know they were smoking in the dining-room, Nellie? Even some of the _girls_ are smoking. If mother finds it
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   128   129   130   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Isobel
 

mother

 

Eleanor

 

smoking

 

window

 
civilian
 
dancing
 

vision

 
clothes
 

intonation


expected

 

slender

 
shimmering
 

dismay

 
friend
 

Quinby

 
Graham
 
wheeled
 

silver

 

flushed


laughing

 

amazement

 

looked

 

cheeks

 

appearance

 

hostess

 

Moreover

 

dining

 

consideration

 

expect


shrapnel

 
detaining
 

shoulder

 

fluttered

 

distracted

 
humming
 

toothache

 
wished
 

ignore

 
attention

blurted
 

explanation

 
apologetically
 
drawing
 

Nellie

 

concerned

 
affliction
 

abscess

 
swelled
 

draught