FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   >>  
into the room, her face agitated, but rather, it seemed, with excitement than grief. "Papa, lend me five pounds," she panted. "Lend you--five pounds! And what for, I'd like to know?" "Don't ask me now. I--I promise to tell you later--some time later." "I'll see myself----! I mean, you're talking nonsense." Eva's lip trembled. "Hi, hist! Eva, my dear," said Mr. Rentoul; "if you're wanting the money badly, and your papa doesn't see his way----" He concluded his sentence with a wink and a dive into his trousers-pocket, and a minute later Eva had fled from the room again. This action of the sage, being at total variance to his ordinary habits (which indeed erred on the economical side), was attributed by his irate host--with a certain show of reason--to the mere intention of annoying him; and the conversation took a more acrimonious turn than ever. In fact, when Eva returned a few minutes later she was just in time to hear her father thunder in an infuriated voice-- "A German waiter, is he? Aye, that's verra probable, verra probable indeed. In fact I might have known it when I saw you and him swilling a bottle and a half of my best port together! Birds of a feather--aye, aye, exactly!" The crushing retort which the sage evidently had ready to heap upon the fire of this controversy was anticipated by Miss Gallosh. "He isn't a German waiter, papa! He is a German BARON--and an ambassador, too!" The four started and stared at her. "Where did you learn that?" demanded her father. "I've been talking to the man who brought the letter, and he says that Lord Tulli--I mean the Baron--declares positively that he is a German nobleman!" "Tuts, fiddlesticks!" scoffed her father. "Verra like a whale," pronounced the sage. "I wouldn't believe what HE said," declared Mrs. Gallosh. "One can SEE he isn't," said Mrs. Rentoul. "The kind of Baron that plays in a German band, perhaps," added her husband, with a whole series of winks to give point to this mot. "He's just a scoundrelly adventurer!" shouted Mr. Gallosh. "I hope he'll get penal servitude, that's what I hope," said his wife with a sob. "And, judging from his appearance, that'll be no new experience for him," commented the sage. So remarkably had their judgment of the late Lord Tulliwuddle waxed in discrimination. And, strange to say, his only defender was the lady he had injured most. "I still believe him a gentleman!" she cried,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   >>  



Top keywords:
German
 

father

 

Gallosh

 

waiter

 

Rentoul

 
pounds
 
talking
 

probable

 
letter
 

scoffed


positively

 

nobleman

 
declares
 

fiddlesticks

 
ambassador
 

started

 
controversy
 
anticipated
 

stared

 

demanded


brought

 

remarkably

 

judgment

 

commented

 

experience

 

appearance

 

judging

 

Tulliwuddle

 

injured

 

gentleman


defender

 
discrimination
 

strange

 

wouldn

 

pronounced

 
declared
 

husband

 
shouted
 

adventurer

 
servitude

scoundrelly
 

series

 
wanting
 
concluded
 

sentence

 

action

 
minute
 

trousers

 
pocket
 

trembled