登陆注册
15459600000045

第45章 CHAPTER XIX(2)

The two strangely associated companions, having reached one extremity of the square, were now standing before the church of St. Mark.

The moonlight was bright enough to show the architecture of the grand cathedral in its wonderful variety of detail.

Even the pigeons of St. Mark were visible, in dark closely packed rows, roosting in the archways of the great entrance doors.

'I never saw the old church look so beautiful by moonlight,' the Countess said quietly; speaking, not to Francis, but to herself.

'Good-bye, St. Mark's by moonlight! I shall not see you again.'

She turned away from the church, and saw Francis listening to her with wondering looks. 'No,' she resumed, placidly picking up the lost thread of the conversation, 'I don't know why Miss Lockwood is coming here, I only know that we are to meet in Venice.'

'By previous appointment?'

'By Destiny,' she answered, with her head on her breast, and her eyes on the ground. Francis burst out laughing. 'Or, if you like it better,' she instantly resumed, 'by what fools call Chance.'

Francis answered easily, out of the depths of his strong common sense.

'Chance seems to be taking a queer way of bringing the meeting about,' he said. 'We have all arranged to meet at the Palace Hotel.

How is it that your name is not on the Visitors' List? Destiny ought to have brought you to the Palace Hotel too.'

She abruptly pulled down her veil. 'Destiny may do that yet!' she said.

'The Palace Hotel?' she repeated, speaking once more to herself.

'The old hell, transformed into the new purgatory. The place itself!

Jesu Maria! the place itself!' She paused and laid her hand on her companion's arm. 'Perhaps Miss Lockwood is not going there with the rest of you?' she burst out with sudden eagerness. 'Are you positively sure she will be at the hotel?'

'Positively! Haven't I told you that Miss Lockwood travels with Lord and Lady Montbarry? and don't you know that she is a member of the family?

You will have to move, Countess, to our hotel.'

She was perfectly impenetrable to the bantering tone in which he spoke.

'Yes,' she said faintly, 'I shall have to move to your hotel.'

Her hand was still on his arm--he could feel her shivering from head to foot while she spoke. Heartily as he disliked and distrusted her, the common instinct of humanity obliged him to ask if she felt cold.

'Yes,' she said. 'Cold and faint.'

'Cold and faint, Countess, on such a night as this?'

'The night has nothing to do with it, Mr. Westwick. How do you suppose the criminal feels on the scaffold, while the hangman is putting the rope around his neck? Cold and faint, too, I should think.

Excuse my grim fancy. You see, Destiny has got the rope round my neck--and I feel it.'

She looked about her. They were at that moment close to the famous cafe known as 'Florian's.' 'Take me in there,' she said;'I must have something to revive me. You had better not hesitate.

You are interested in reviving me. I have not said what I wanted to say to you yet. It's business, and it's connected with your theatre.'

Wondering inwardly what she could possibly want with his theatre, Francis reluctantly yielded to the necessities of the situation, and took her into the cafe. He found a quiet corner in which they could take their places without attracting notice. 'What will you have?' he inquired resignedly. She gave her own orders to the waiter, without troubling him to speak for her.

'Maraschino. And a pot of tea.'

The waiter stared; Francis stared. The tea was a novelty (in connection with maraschino) to both of them. Careless whether she surprised them or not, she instructed the waiter, when her directions had been complied with, to pour a large wine-glass-full of the liqueur into a tumbler, and to fill it up from the teapot.

'I can't do it for myself,' she remarked, 'my hand trembles so.'

She drank the strange mixture eagerly, hot as it was. 'Maraschino punch--will you taste some of it?' she said. 'I inherit the discovery of this drink. When your English Queen Caroline was on the Continent, my mother was attached to her Court. That much injured Royal Person invented, in her happier hours, maraschino punch.

Fondly attached to her gracious mistress, my mother shared her tastes.

And I, in my turn, learnt from my mother. Now, Mr. Westwick, suppose I tell you what my business is. You are manager of a theatre.

Do you want a new play?'

'I always want a new play--provided it's a good one.'

'And you pay, if it's a good one?'

'I pay liberally--in my own interests.'

'If I write the play, will you read it?'

Francis hesitated. 'What has put writing a play into your head?' he asked.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 腹黑美人:谢绝你的爱

    腹黑美人:谢绝你的爱

    绝对生死恋!穿越穿越再穿越!“我是炎爵,”某男看着某女,眼里带着一丝引诱,夏倾城看着他,捂着额头心里想,如果让这位失忆却满脑子想着如何去泡妞的大侠知道他们之间的关系,恐怕会痛哭。此刻某男之妻冲了过来,说“你,别靠近我老公!”这时候门外又出现了两个人,同时大喊:“你们别靠近我老婆!”然后两位就杠上了,“冷漠男……”“龙大少……”夏倾城无语,说好的出生入死好兄弟呢?不爱了……
  • Count Bunker

    Count Bunker

    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。
  • 最后一个吻

    最后一个吻

    爱是恨的影子,我给你的吻是彼此的毒药一沾便上瘾,从此深陷其中苦苦纠缠,我们到底要牺牲多少才能携手游出这片爱情的沼泽之地?有一个人一段故事仿佛在她生命中从来没出现过,可是她还是不停地在脑海中里闪现,在安静的教室里看着外面清澈的天空,微笑着流泪,她坚强的告诉所有人,她叫朱献。
  • 探索与发现

    探索与发现

    从钻木取火、结绳记事的远古时期发展到今天虚拟网络的数字时代,人类经历了数千年的时间。数千年来,我们人类所经历的最美妙的事就是神秘。而所接触的未知领域越多,人类对未来勇于追求和探索的精神也愈强。本书以最生动的文字,最精彩的图片,将这些神秘现象的奥妙娓娓道来,与青少年朋友们一起探索种种扑朔迷离的科学疑云。
  • 静待桃花别样红

    静待桃花别样红

    淡淡的忧伤淡淡的痛,分开还是相守。无尽漫长的等待
  • 凯说源来爱

    凯说源来爱

    这是耽美世界在现实中产生的恋爱文!
  • 白色眷恋

    白色眷恋

    因为不满皇马6比2的比分,中国青年律师沈星怒砸啤酒瓶,结果电光火石间,他穿越成了佛罗伦蒂诺的儿子,且看来自09年的小伙子如何玩转03年的欧洲足坛
  • 荒古冢

    荒古冢

    十帝季的梦,化为了千里得白骨皑皑,苍生的路,何去何从!迷离的过往,埋在了永恒沉默的骨冢,向来缘浅,奈何情深!在背起乞棺的时候,我就把我的心埋到了荒古冢里,伴随着她,如永恒的冰。
  • 花开如之初

    花开如之初

    以前她对服装设计有着强烈的热爱,当遇到那个温柔的他的时,他一直在她的身边鼓舞着她,因为一场误会,使她与他之间有着很深的隔离,因为这样,她一声招呼都不打就离开了这里,来到了美国纽约,在学习服装设计的过程中遇到了另一个他,他俩成了人人皆知的好伙伴,经过1年的学习,她成了美国纽约知名的服装设计师,当她重新回到这里的时候时间已经过了3年飞机一下,另一个他希望她能成为他的女朋友,她果断的拒绝了,当温柔的他和她再次相遇的时候,却是那样的可怕......
  • 萦心曲

    萦心曲

    大业年,江湖有术士言传:有神女降于渭水之北,此女肩部有红色莲花印记,得此女者得天下。一时间,各大名门世家皆在渭水之北寻找刚出世的女婴,望得天下。但数月后并无一人得见此女,此事终不了了之。韩雨,是现代的天才少女,尤其精通乐律舞蹈。不幸被一只古老的银手镯带到了隋末唐初,穿越到武林世家上官家的小姐上官染身上。她遇到了种种传奇人物。上官沐段岚上官宁李世民李元吉。她在现代是个传奇人物,在古代依然是个传奇人物。