The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Woman With The Fan, by Robert Hichens

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Title: The Woman With The Fan

Author: Robert Hichens

Release Date: July, 2005 [EBook #8549]
Posting Date: July 24, 2009

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WOMAN WITH THE FAN ***

Produced by Dagny, and David Widger

THE WOMAN WITH THE FAN

By Robert Hichens

CHAPTER I

IN a large and cool drawing-room of London a few people were
scattered about, listening to a soprano voice that was singing to the
accompaniment of a piano. The sound of the voice came from an inner
room, towards which most of these people were looking earnestly. Only
one or two seemed indifferent to the fascination of the singer.

A little woman, with oily black hair and enormous dark eyes, leaned back
on a sofa, playing with a scarlet fan and glancing sideways at a thin,
elderly man, who gazed into the distance from which the voice came. His
mouth worked slightly under his stiff white moustache, and his eyes, in
colour a faded blue, were fixed and stern. Upon his knees his thin and
lemon-coloured hands twitched nervously, as if they longed to grasp
something and hold it fast. The little dark woman glanced down at
these hands, and then sharply up at the elderly man's face. A faint and
malicious smile curved her full lips, which were artificially reddened,
and she turned her shoulder to him with deliberation and looked about
the room.

On all the faces in it, except one, she perceived intent expressions.
A sleek and plump man, with hanging cheeks, a hooked nose, and hair
slightly tinged with grey and parted in the middle, was the exception.
He sat in a low chair, pouting his lips, playing with his single
eyeglass, and looking as sulky as an ill-conditioned school-boy. Once
or twice he crossed and uncrossed his short legs with a sort of abrupt
violence, laid his fat, white hands on the arms of the chair, lifted
them, glanced at his rosy and shining nails, and frowned. Then he shut
his little eyes so tightly that the skin round them became wrinkled,
and, stretching out his feet, seemed almost angrily endeavouring to fall
asleep.

A ta