登陆注册
15459400000007

第7章 CHAPTER II(3)

"I assure you, I mean no insult. You cannot help knowing that I think you as beautiful and fascinating a woman as I have ever met; but of course you can't help being beautiful and fascinating. Do I insult you by having eyes? If so, I am sorry, but you will have to make the best of it."

With this, he turned in his seat, and calmly confronted her. Beautiful she certainly was, at that moment; but it was the beauty of an angry serpent. She had a pencil in her hand, with which, a little while before, she had been sketching heads of some of the passengers in her little notebook.

She was now handling this inoffensive object in such a way as to justify the fancy that, had it been charged with a deadly poison in its point, instead of with a bit of plumbago of the HH quality, she would have driven it into Freeman's heart then and there.

"Is it no insult," said she, in a sibilant voice, "to talk to me as you are doing, when you have just told me that you love another woman, and are going to meet her?"

Freeman's brows gradually knitted themselves in a frown of apparent perplexity.

"I must say I don't understand you," he observed, at length. "I am quite sure I have said nothing of the sort. How could I?"

"If you wish to quibble about words, perhaps not. But was not that your meaning?"

"No, it wasn't. You are the only woman who has been in my thoughts to-day."

"Mr. Freeman!"

"Well?"

"You have intimated very clearly that you are engaged--married, for aught I know --to a woman whom you are now on your way to meet----"

At this point she stopped. Freeman had interrupted her with a shout of laughter.

She had been very pale. She now flushed all over her face, and jumped to her feet.

"Sit down," he said, laying a hand on her dress and (aided by a lurch of the vessel) pulling her into her seat again, "and listen to me. And then I shall insist upon an apology. This is too much!"

"I shall ask the captain----"

"You will not, I promise you. Look here! When I was in Panama, I met there a fellow I used to know in New York. He told me that he had recently crossed the continent with Professor Meschines, who used to teach geology and botany at Yale College, when he and I were students there.

The professor had come over partly for the fun of the thing, and partly to look for specimens in the line of his profession.

My friend parted from him at San Francisco: the professor was going farther south."

"What has all this to do with the woman who----"

"It has this to do with it,--that the professor is the woman! He is over sixty years old, and has always been a good friend of mine; but I am not going to marry him.

I am not engaged to him, he is not beautiful, nor even fascinating, except in the way of an elderly man of science. And he is the only human being, besides yourself, that I know or have ever heard of on the Pacific coast. Now for your apology!"

Grace emitted a long breath, and sank back in her seat, with her hands clasped in her lap. She raised her hands and covered her face with them. She removed them, sat erect, and bent an open-eyed, intent gaze upon her companion.

After this pantomime, she exclaimed, in the lowest and most musical of tones, "Oh! how hateful you are!" Then she cried out with animation, "I believe you did it on purpose!" Finally, she sank back again, with a soft laugh and sparkling eyes, at the same time stretching out her right arm towards him and placing her hand on his, with a whispered, "There, then!"

Freeman, accepting the hand for the apology, kissed it, and continued to hold it afterwards.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 惹上神探贵公子

    惹上神探贵公子

    被妹妹设计失去清誉,她还没有求负责,却被神探榜上身!本想甩开某男之际,不想亲人入狱,某男露出腹黑真面目:“女人,想要救人?用你终身来赌!”赌?被人陷害,有英雄救美;行动不便,还有美男送抱……唔,这场豪赌,好像稳赚不赔呢!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 哭吧,疯子

    哭吧,疯子

    这世界上可以分为三种人,疯子,傻子还有骗子。你属于哪一个。
  • 军婚盛宠我的傲娇首长

    军婚盛宠我的傲娇首长

    “南宫扬,我恨你恨你一辈子。”当她意识到事情的问题时向着他狠狠地说道“恨我也总比忘了我好,恨吧!你越恨我就越高兴。”说完便狠狠吻上她的唇。爱总比恨好,恨总比忘了好。一段时间的利用让他彻底爱上了她,可在达到目的后她却转身离开他。“不要让我找到你,不然你这辈子都不要想离开我。”南宫扬站在楼上看着楼下的人海茫茫说道。内个,本人在此声明主角并不是以上写的这一对,只是本人比较喜欢这一对的经历。
  • 鬼舞神兵

    鬼舞神兵

    索伦大陆上一直流传着这样一个传说:大陆上共有八部赋神书,具有百年之灵的赋神书可以通灵兵器,兵器通灵后都有自己的意识和一些奇异的力量,这些兵器称之为“魔兵”,但集齐八部赋神书,通灵后的兵器不但与主人心意相通,还蕴藏着巨大而又神秘的力量。如果有人能够驾驭这种力量,那么毫无疑问,他拥有的就是索伦大陆的传说——神兵!
  • 无上魔医

    无上魔医

    魔医现,天下乱!一代魔医的成长史诗。故事发生在一个叫圣天大陆。
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 萌娃太强势,总裁莫贪欢

    萌娃太强势,总裁莫贪欢

    她借了他的种子,强烈的自尊要求她逃离他的身边,六年后,带着强势的萌娃回归,到底会碰撞出多大的火花呢?既然回来了,就不许走了……
  • 男神来了你就上

    男神来了你就上

    沈轻岚觉得严祈辰就像一座高不可攀的珠穆朗玛峰,她爬呀爬,爬得呕心沥血,苟延残喘……严祈辰:“珠穆朗玛峰不是也被你攻下了?”
  • 七月纪

    七月纪

    五千年前,大陆上最强的一百名巅峰强者出海去寻找大海之外的世界,他们的力量加起来可以毁灭一个国家。最终,他们都没能活着回来,只留下了一个漂流瓶,瓶里写着——别来找他们。两千年前,一群神秘的强者突袭了最后一支拥有正统皇室血脉的精灵部落,纯正精灵的皇室血脉就是消失。一万年前,拥有一千名禁咒法师,十万名圣域,号称史上人数最多、魔力最强的空间法师,一夜之间便从大陆上消失。从此,禁咒法师成为了传说。三百年前,永远强大的阿图姆公国,仅仅在三日内便被攻陷了整个公国,三百名圣域,两位禁咒法师惨死在皇宫内。这一切的事,都曾有一个家族参与其中——阿流金家族。
  • 帝业缭绕

    帝业缭绕

    三年前,两国修谊。他是送婚王子,她是和亲公主,他举荐她去楚国和亲。三年后,两国交战。他请缨出兵,杀了她的夫君,迎她返回燕国故土。当并立的四国被斩断一足,命运之手开始翻云覆雨,和亲公主,铁血诸侯,亡国太子均以新面目示人。庶子谋权,美人夺宫,王室秘辛的真相背后,故人安在?群雄逐鹿,四国争霸,弱肉强食的乱世面前,情归何处?聂云原臣,解四大家族纠葛起源。拨云见日,看大熙王朝开国传奇。江湖之远,庙堂之高,社稷玲珑,帝业缭绕。