登陆注册
15732900000023

第23章

His twenty years of Colonial life, divesting him of the dandyism in which he had been bred, had left him the essential neatness of the horseman, and given him a queer and rather blighting eye over what he called "the silly haw-haw" of some Englishmen, the "flapping cockatoory" of some English-women--Holly had none of that and Holly was his model. Observant, quick, resourceful, Val went straight to the heart of a transaction, a horse, a drink; and he was on his way to the heart of a Mayfly filly, when a slow voice said at his elbow:

"Mr. Val Dartie? How's Mrs. Val Dartie? She's well, I hope." And he saw beside him the Belgian he had met at his sister Imogen's.

"Prosper Profond--I met you at lunch," said the voice.

"How are you?" murmured Val.

"I'm very well," replied Monsieur Profond, smiling with a certain inimitable slowness. "A good devil," Holly had called him. Well!

He looked a little like a devil, with his dark, clipped, pointed beard; a sleepy one though, and good-humoured, with fine eyes, unexpectedly intelligent.

"Here's a gentleman wants to know you--cousin of yours--Mr. George Forsyde."Val saw a large form, and a face clean-shaven, bull-like, a little lowering, with sardonic humour bubbling behind a full grey eye; he remembered it dimly from old days when he would dine with his father at the Iseeum Club.

"I used to go racing with your father," George was saying: "How's the stud? Like to buy one of my screws?"Val grinned, to hide the sudden feeling that the bottom had fallen out of breeding. They believed in nothing over here, not even in horses. George Forsyte, Prosper Profond! The devil himself was not more disillusioned than those two.

"Didn't know you were a racing man," he said to Monsieur Profond.

"I'm not. I don't care for it. I'm a yachtin' man. I don't care for yachtin' either, but I like to see my friends. I've got some lunch, Mr. Val Dartie, just a small lunch, if you'd like to 'ave some; not much--just a small one--in my car.""Thanks," said Val; "very good of you. I'll come along in about quarter of an hour.""Over there. Mr. Forsyde's comin'," and Monsieur Profond "poinded"with a yellow-gloved finger; "small car, with a small lunch"; he moved on, groomed, sleepy, and remote, George Forsyte following, neat, huge, and with his jesting air.

Val remained gazing at the Mayfly filly. George Forsyte, of course, was an old chap, but this Profond might be about his own age; Val felt extremely young, as if the Mayfly filly were a toy at which those two had laughed. The animal had lost reality.

"That 'small' mare"--he seemed to hear the voice of Monsieur Profond--"what do you see in her?--we must all die!"And George Forsyte, crony of his father, racing still! The Mayfly strain--was it any better than any other? He might just as well have a flutter with his money instead.

"No, by gum!" he muttered suddenly, "if it's no good breeding horses, it's no good doing anything. What did I come for? I'll buy her."He stood back and watched the ebb of the paddock visitors toward the stand. Natty old chips, shrewd portly fellows, Jews, trainers looking as if they had never been guilty of seeing a horse in their lives; tall, flapping, languid women, or brisk, loud-voiced women;young men with an air as if trying to take it seriously--two or three of them with only one arm.

'Life over here's a game!' thought Val. 'Muffin bell rings, horses run, money changes hands; ring again, run again, money changes back.'

But, alarmed at his own philosophy, he went to the paddock gate to watch the Mayfly filly canter down. She moved well; and he made his way over to the "small" car. The "small" lunch was the sort a man dreams of but seldom gets; and when it was concluded Monsieur Profond walked back with him to the paddock.

"Your wife's a nice woman," was his surprising remark.

"Nicest woman I know," returned Val dryly.

"Yes," said Monsieur Profond; "she has a nice face. I admire nice women."Val looked at him suspiciously, but something kindly and direct in the heavy diabolism of his companion disarmed him for the moment.

"Any time you like to come on my yacht, I'll give her a small cruise.""Thanks," said Val, in arms again, "she hates the sea.""So do I," said Monsieur Profond.

"Then why do you yacht?"

The Belgian's eyes smiled. "Oh! I don't know. I've done everything;it's the last thing I'm doin'.""It must be d-d expensive. I should want more reason than that."Monsieur Prosper Profond raised his eyebrows, and puffed out a heavy lower lip.

"I'm an easy-goin' man," he said.

"Were you in the War?" asked Val.

"Ye-es. I've done that too. I was gassed; it was a small bit unpleasant." He smiled with a deep and sleepy air of prosperity, as if he had caught it from his name.

Whether his saying "small" when he ought to have said "little" was genuine mistake or affectation Val could not decide; the fellow was evidently capable of anything.

Among the ring of buyers round the Mayfly filly who had won her race, Monsieur Profond said:

"You goin' to bid?"

Val nodded. With this sleepy Satan at his elbow, he felt in need of faith. Though placed above the ultimate blows of Providence by the forethought of a grand-father who had tied him up a thousand a year to which was added the thousand a year tied up for Holly by her grand-father, Val was not flush of capital that he could touch, having spent most of what he had realised from his South African farm on his establishment in Sussex. And very soon he was thinking: 'Dash it! she's going beyond me!' His limit-six hundred-was exceeded; he dropped out of the bidding. The Mayfly filly passed under the hammer at seven hundred and fifty guineas. He was turning away vexed when the slow voice of Monsieur Profond said in his ear:

"Well, I've bought that small filly, but I don't want her; you take her and give her to your wife."Val looked at the fellow with renewed suspicion, but the good humour in his eyes was such that he really could not take offence.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 跨越时空:少女情怀总是湿

    跨越时空:少女情怀总是湿

    一个专情温柔美如画,他宁可将江山转手相让,宁可被伤得千疮百孔也不愿失去那个人。一个无情冷血,他的容貌能令万人倾倒,能使世间的美艳而失色。他原以为只有他能改变别人,不想有一日被一个小人物改变了一生。
  • 圣帝域鲲鹏

    圣帝域鲲鹏

    本该灭绝的龙族却为何再次现世,三位天帝离奇失踪,三大险地神秘消失,十二天道星印传承现世,妖族,魔族,巫族,暗黑族纷纷崛起,人族示弱,且看叶天如何力挽狂澜!
  • 割据之路

    割据之路

    看古代历史人物,多为时势造英雄,而穿越者证明,英雄也可造时势。海城县处于奉天与辽东半岛之间,是日本人自旅顺北上,侵占东北全境的咽喉要道,在这个小县城,官府、日本人和土匪勾结,欺凌百姓,夺占财产,周家店的周家,为求自保,成立民团,故事便从这里开始……
  • 霸爱总裁

    霸爱总裁

    一个小邋遢的,小单纯,还有点小白痴的女人!很糊涂的爬上冷酷总裁的床,从此天翻地覆,每晚,还要被他打包上床她只不过是不小心的看别人一眼,给人家一个纯纯的“分手吻”,他竟然就气急败坏脸色铁青头顶冒烟的脱下她的小裤裤,先狠狠的用力的死命的赏她一顿“竹笋肉丝”,打得她屁屁“开花”,再温柔的深情的体贴的左拥右抱上亲下吻,安抚她受伤的小小心灵。
  • 最强阵法师

    最强阵法师

    “我不甘心,难道上天真的嫉妒天才吗”一位来自异界阵法世家的天才阵法师在死之前愤怒的咆哮,死后他的灵魂,因为愤怒的原因进化成了神奇降落在一个平凡的少年身上,从此这位平凡的少年踏上了强者之路。
  • 星座传说-死亡篇

    星座传说-死亡篇

    作者独白:我原本是黑暗世界里的恶魔,一直为人们创造着漂浮的美梦。料想我这阴暗的心灵都知道适可而止,连懒得人们却无休止的索取。这种黑暗之下,因为多了一点慈悲,输掉一切。我是犯错误的魔鬼,因为可怜一份苦苦追求爱情,却从未得到回报的人,得到惩罚,到恶魔手下做助手,为他在死亡图书馆记录每个人的人生,通过死亡九星虫记录每个人发生的事。却没有想到大人的出世历练改变了一切。星座传说-死亡篇由此开始。
  • 论神器的可使用性

    论神器的可使用性

    传说中的仙器遗落在四方,何人能够使用仙器?仙器将给人世间带来怎样的改变?看一个小和尚和小道士的寻找仙器的路途,以及他们看到的一个个故事。
  • 李天王秘史

    李天王秘史

    托塔天王李靖封神之中被儿子虐,西游之中被猴子虐,一代天王竟如此不堪。现代佛家密宗高手穿越而来,誓要改变自己顶级龙套的命运。可是却发现这神话世界远没有自己想像的那样简单,那么他还能够如愿以偿吗?感谢腾讯文学书评团提供书评支持!
  • tfboys之假如没有我

    tfboys之假如没有我

    经过一次感情,她似乎成熟了不少。她将自己封锁在自己的内心。遇到他打破了一切,经过一些事。让她和他发生了变化,但…………
  • 尘埃天地

    尘埃天地

    隔断岁月之河,弹指指尖诸天万界毁灭,一眨眼万古踌躇,一念之间诸天神灵陨落……大千世界最初始的地方走着一扇门连接着这片星空之外的世界……原来这世界只是一粒尘埃,这只是一个被遗弃和诅咒的世界……在这里的一切都只不过是为了走向更为辽阔的世界……