登陆注册
15422100000009

第9章

Eugene turned towards her, wearing the sharp edge of a smile.Not removing his eyes from her face, he produced with deliberation a flat silver box from a pocket, took therefrom a cigarette, replaced the box, extracted a smaller silver box from another pocket, shook out of it a fusee, slowly lit the cigarette--this in a splendid silence, which he finally broke to say, languidly, but with particular distinctness:

"Ariel Tabor, go home!"

The girl's teeth stopped chattering, her lips remaining parted; she shook the hair out of her eyes and stared at him as if she did not understand, but Joe Louden, who had picked up the banjo-case obediently, burst into cheerful laughter.

"That's it, 'Gene," he cried, gayly."That's the way to talk to her!""Stow it, you young cub," replied Eugene, not turning to him."Do you think I'm trying to be amusing?""I don't know what you mean by `stow it,' " Joe began, "but if--""I mean," interrupted the other, not relaxing his faintly smiling stare at the girl--" I mean that Ariel Tabor is to go home.Really, we can't have this kind of thing occurring upon our front lawn!"The flush upon her wet cheeks deepened and became dark; even her arm grew redder as she gazed back at him.In his eyes was patent his complete realization of the figure she cut, of this bare arm, of the strewn hair, of the fallen stocking, of the ragged shoulder of her blouse, of her patched short skirt, of the whole dishevelled little figure.He was the master of the house, and he was sending her home as ill-behaved children are sent home by neighbors.

The immobile, amused superiority of this proprietor of silver boxes, this wearer of strange and brilliant garments, became slightly intensified as he pointed to the fallen sleeve, a rag of red and snow, lying near her feet.

"You might take that with you?" he said, interrogatively.

Her gaze had not wavered in meeting his, but at this her eyelashes began to wink uncontrollably, her chin to tremble.She bent over the sleeve and picked it up, before Joe Louden, who had started towards her, could do it for her.Then turning, her head still bent so that her face was hidden from both of them, she ran out of the gate.

"DO go!" Joe called after her, vehemently."Go!

Just to show what a fool you are to think 'Gene's in earnest."He would have followed, but his step-brother caught him by the arm."Don't stop her," said Eugene."Can't you tell when I AM in earnest, you bally muff!""I know you are," returned the other, in a low voice."I didn't want her to think so for your sake.""Thousands of thanks," said Eugene, airily.

"You are a wise young judge.She couldn't stay--in THAT state, could she? I sent her for her own good.""She could have gone in the house and your mother might have loaned her a jacket," returned Joe, swallowing."You had no business to make her go out in the street like that."Eugene laughed."There isn't a soul in sight --and there, she's all right now.She's home."Ariel had run along the fence until she came to the next gate, which opened upon a walk leading to a shabby, meandering old house of one story, with a very long, low porch, once painted white, running the full length of the front.Ariel sprang upon the porch and disappeared within the house.

Joe stood looking after her, his eyelashes winking as had hers."You oughtn't to have treated her that way," he said, huskily.

Eugene laughed again."How were YOU treating her when I came up? You bully her all you want to yourself, but nobody else must say even a fatherly word to her!""That wasn't bullying," explained Joe."We fight all the time.""Mais oui!" assented Eugene."I fancy!""What?" said the other, blankly.

"Pick up that banjo-case again and come on,"commanded Mr.Bantry, tartly."Where's the mater?"Joe stared at him."Where's what?""The mater!" was the frowning reply.

"Oh yes, I know!" said Joe, looking at his step-brother curiously."I've seen it in stories.She's up-stairs.You'll be a surprise.You're wearing lots of clothes, 'Gene.""I suppose it will seem so to Canaan," returned the other, weariedly."Governor feeling fit?""I never saw him," Joe replied; then caught himself."Oh, I see what you mean! Yes, he's all right."They had come into the hall, and Eugene was removing the long coat, while his step-brother looked at him thoughtfully.

"'Gene," asked the latter, in a softened voice, "have you seen Mamie Pike yet?""You will find, my young friend," responded Mr.Bantry, "if you ever go about much outside of Canaan, that ladies' names are not supposed to be mentioned indiscriminately.""It's only," said Joe, "that I wanted to say that there's a dance at their house to-night.I suppose you'll be going?""Certainly.Are you?"Both knew that the question was needless; but Joe answered, gently:

"Oh no, of course not." He leaned over and fumbled with one foot as if to fasten a loose shoe-string."She wouldn't be very likely to ask me.""Well, what about it?""Only that--that Arie Tabor's going."

"Indeed!" Eugene paused on the stairs, which he had begun to ascend."Very interesting.""I thought," continued Joe, hopefully, straightening up to look at him, "that maybe you'd dance with her.I don't believe many will ask her--I'm afraid they won't--and if you would, even only once, it would kind of make up for"--he faltered --"for out there," he finished, nodding his head in the direction of the gate.

If Eugene vouchsafed any reply, it was lost in a loud, shrill cry from above, as a small, intensely nervous-looking woman in blue silk ran half-way down the stairs to meet him and caught him tearfully in her arms.

"Dear old mater!" said Eugene.

Joe went out of the front-door quickly.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 恶鬼将至

    恶鬼将至

    一个全新的世界——由精神构造出的领域,这里有战斗,有快感,也有阴谋。悄然撞入这个世界的少年许卿,被定义为恶鬼,在这个世界,主宰这个世界的阴谋正在萌生......
  • EXO之谢谢你把我改变

    EXO之谢谢你把我改变

    “我恨你们!我哥做错了什么,他也是为了公司,你们怎么能这么对他,我会报仇的!"-------"婉勋,你误会了,真的不是我们!“--------”婉勋,不要相信他们,你还有我,我们一定会报仇的"--------"婉勋是无辜的,你这样对她有什么好“----------”因为我喜欢她,我能给她幸福,而你们!不——能——!“
  • 兼明书

    兼明书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 巨星外挂光环

    巨星外挂光环

    这一年,林天参加了比赛,却意外开启了“巨星外挂系统”从此,他便是歌王,影帝,全球最顶级的电影导演。从此,属于他传奇生涯开始了。横扫大陆,攻伐欧美。
  • 重生之别惹恶妻

    重生之别惹恶妻

    江东府的”恶妇”陈素月死了,人们都说,活该。陈素月的相公娶了新妇,从城南到城西摆了三天流水席,人们都说老天开眼。只有林花枝在一旁冷笑,穿了我的衣,住了我的房,霸了我的财,凭什么好事都让奸夫淫妇给占了?天底下可没白吃的事,总有一天都给我吐出来。
  • 我的萌能系统

    我的萌能系统

    超能时代,一切将以灵能为基。就算是最为弱小的人类都会含有灵能,灵能同时决定了一个人身份地位的高低——灵能便是一切!生活的一切都离不开灵能。他,这个时代的异类,这个世界的异类。打破了人类对于自身认可的可能性,他完全没有灵能。因此他不被认可!【系统解析中……弱点确定,薄弱点确定,缺陷确定!】他没有灵能,但是在系统的帮助下,所有对象能力和破解方法都会被他了解得清清楚楚,所有灵能的衍生变化都将会在他面前可以说是变得无能!【能不能去掀一下那个女孩子的裙子啊?】【这个……】【你……你欺负人,你明明答应过我,我们契约的要求之一便是去感受感触更多地事物让我了解(打滚状ing)】【这个关掀裙子有什么关系?】
  • 大千世界的宠儿

    大千世界的宠儿

    紫光灯下的象牙刻痕给了王喾太多的不解。拥有着最不专业团队的他选择为梦出发,即使他选择的坐骑是一匹名叫驴子的马,即使他的帮手里有喜欢做韭菜馅面包的厨师,还有温柔的光头“一道疤”,王喾也敢勇闯天涯。最初的世界是怎样的?就让王喾为你一一解答。
  • 家有娇妻之相公轻点撩

    家有娇妻之相公轻点撩

    沫汐泠从来没想过自己会背负着家族秘辛,直到有一天夫人对她说:“小泠啊,你去罗门吧。”哈?夫人在开玩笑?不要欺骗她不知道罗门是什么地方,那天偷偷听老爷说话时,他说了一句:“世上还有罗门不知道的事么。”那一定是个有神通的地方,她一个小丫鬟凭什么去。“可以不去么?”夫人:“不行。”沫汐泠巴巴的问:“为什么?”犹记得那天,夫人面带微笑,说话的语气却犹如无常索命。她说:“世人只知坏人死后会下地狱,受十八苦。殊不知......还有一苦。所以你要去罗门找一个人为你赎罪。”还有一苦......付和宇身为罗门的门下,承袭门上之位是铁板钉钉的事,哪知被一个从大街上捡来的孩子搅黄了美事,还做了她的师父。“师父,明天就要开始我们的任务了,你到时可一定要护着我啊。”付和宇脸色铁青,他收徒弟可不是为了保护她的,可在最危险的时候,他却对她伸出援手。“师父,天琊阁也被灭门了,下一个会不会是我们啊,你到时可一定要护着我啊。”罗门没灭,他却带着她奔向一个个生死攸关的前线,不变的是,他依然护着她。幽深黑暗的通道里,她慌乱的找着他的身影:“师父,师父,你在哪?”如果你真的倾心于我,只要你回头,就能看到我。师父的话犹记耳边,她转头,他就站在她身后。他的笑,依旧让她迷恋。她说:“师父,我终于找到你了。”他说:“我一直在等你。”
  • 穿越成终极大反派

    穿越成终极大反派

    命运如此玄妙,冥冥中似乎早有注定,愿意的,命运引领着走,不愿意的,命运拖着走。而命运通常只会眷顾那些有大恒心,大毅力,大志向,大智慧之人。玄黄大世界,不知存在多少纪元,每一次大破灭后,又进入新纪元,每一新纪元开始,万族开始进入新一轮繁衍昌盛,迎来黄金大世,在大世中无数时代宠儿,气运之子应运而生,这些时代之子都在玄黄史上留下了永恒不朽的传说。一个心术不正,腹黑,阴险,为了财富不择手段的富豪意外穿越而来,他把自己当成了主角,但是他错了,他只是主角们的终极大BOSS。
  • 快穿时空局:青梅竹马萌萌哒

    快穿时空局:青梅竹马萌萌哒

    宁夏祭拜完父母在开车回家的路上出车祸──宁夏毙,享年23岁。你们以为意识恢复后会在系统空间里?你们错了!死后重生,小说里比比皆是,宁夏也看过许多,但发生在自己身上时才觉得神奇。重生就重生吧,为何当初冷淡的竹马如此热情?为何到哪都甩不开竹马这个跟屁虫?呵呵呵这也算了,为什么连在时空局甚至任务中也能看到他?!某天某夏发现自己重生的种种都跟某人有关,而自己就像条贪吃的鱼儿轻易的落入某人编织的网中从此再也逃脱不掉。“北以橙你个神经病!”“夏天到了,吃个橙子吧?”