登陆注册
15732900000087

第87章

He told them of the dangerous times they lived in, and the awful conduct of the House of Lords in connection with divorce. They were all soldiers--he said--in the trenches under the poisonous gas of the Prince of Darkness, and must be manful. The purpose of marriage was children, not mere sinful happiness.

An imp danced in Holly's eyes--Val's eyelashes were meeting.

Whatever happened; he must not snore. Her finger and thumb closed on his thigh till he stirred uneasily.

The discourse was over, the danger past. They were signing in the vestry; and general relaxation had set in.

A voice behind her said:

"Will she stay the course?"

"Who's that?" she whispered.

"Old George Forsyte!"

Holly demurely scrutinized one of whom she had often heard. Fresh from South Africa, and ignorant of her kith and kin, she never saw one without an almost childish curiosity. He was very big, and very dapper; his eyes gave her a funny feeling of having no particular clothes.

"They're off!" she heard him say.

They came, stepping from the chancel. Holly looked first in young Mont's face. His lips and ears were twitching, his eyes, shifting from his feet to the hand within his arm, stared suddenly before them as if to face a firing party. He gave Holly the feeling that he was spiritually intoxicated. But Fleur! Ah! That was different. The girl was perfectly composed, prettier than ever, in her white robes and veil over her banged dark chestnut hair; her eyelids hovered demure over her dark hazel eyes. Outwardly, she seemed all there.

But inwardly, where was she? As those two passed, Fleur raised her eyelids--the restless glint of those clear whites remained on Holly's vision as might the flutter of caged bird's wings.

In Green Street Winifred stood to receive, just a little less composed than usual. Soames' request for the use of her house had come on her at a deeply psychological moment. Under the influence of a remark of Prosper Profond, she had begun to exchange her Empire for Expressionistic furniture. There were the most amusing arrangements, with violet, green, and orange blobs and scriggles, to be had at Mealard's. Another month and the change would have been complete.

Just now, the very "intriguing" recruits she had enlisted, did not march too well with the old guard. It was as if her regiment were half in khaki, half in scarlet and bearskins. But her strong and comfortable character made the best of it in a drawing-room which typified, perhaps, more perfectly than she imagined, the semi-bolshevized imperialism of her country. After all, this was a day of merger, and you couldn't have too much of it! Her eyes travelled indulgently among her guests. Soames had gripped the back of a buhl chair; young Mont was behind that "awfully amusing" screen, which no one as yet had been able to explain to her. The ninth baronet had shied violently at a round scarlet table, inlaid under glass with blue Australian butteries' wings, and was clinging to her Louis-Quinze cabinet; Francie Forsyte had seized the new mantel-board, finely carved with little purple grotesques on an ebony ground;George, over by the old spinet, was holding a little sky-blue book as if about to enter bets; Prosper Profond was twiddling the knob of the open door, black with peacock-blue panels; and Annette's hands, close by, were grasping her own waist; two Muskhams clung to the balcony among the plants, as if feeling ill; Lady Mont, thin and brave-looking, had taken up her long-handled glasses and was gazing at the central light shade, of ivory and orange dashed with deep magenta, as if the heavens had opened. Everybody, in fact, seemed holding on to something. Only Fleur, still in her bridal dress, was detached from all support, flinging her words and glances to left and right.

The room was full of the bubble and the squeak of conversation.

Nobody could hear anything that anybody said; which seemed of little consequence, since no one waited for anything so slow as an answer.

Modern conversation seemed to Winifred so different from the days of her prime, when a drawl was all the vogue. Still it was "amusing,"which, of course, was all that mattered. Even the Forsytes were talking with extreme rapidity--Fleur and Christopher, and Imogen, and young Nicholas's youngest, Patrick. Soames, of course, was silent;but George, by the spinet, kept up a running commentary, and Francie, by her mantel-shelf. Winifred drew nearer to the ninth baronet. He seemed to promise a certain repose; his nose was fine and drooped a little, his grey moustaches too; and she said, drawling through her smile:

"It's rather nice, isn't it?"

His reply shot out of his smile like a snipped bread pellet "D'you remember, in Frazer, the tribe that buries the bride up to the waist?"He spoke as fast as anybody! He had dark lively little eyes, too, all crinkled round like a Catholic priest's. Winifred felt suddenly he might say things she would regret.

"They're always so amusing--weddings," she murmured, and moved on to Soames. He was curiously still, and Winifred saw at once what was dictating his immobility. To his right was George Forsyte, to his left Annette and Prosper Profond. He could not move without either seeing those two together, or the reflection of them in George Forsyte's japing eyes. He was quite right not to be taking notice.

"They say Timothy's sinking;" he said glumly.

"Where will you put him, Soames?"

同类推荐
  • 投元郎中

    投元郎中

    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。
  • 安徽咨议局章程

    安徽咨议局章程

    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。
  • 左文襄公奏牍

    左文襄公奏牍

    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。
  • 维摩经抄

    维摩经抄

    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。
  • 秘本种子金丹

    秘本种子金丹

    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。
热门推荐
  • 伪二次位面

    伪二次位面

    我是一个永远十六岁的少女赤雨凌(→少年赤冥熠)。明明生活在一个忙碌的家庭里,可是因为一次意外,我像穿越小说的主角一样,来到了另一个世界。这个世界并不特殊,除了杀人不犯法的点,但是,之后我发现,这个世界几乎就是个ACG世界。后来,又一次意外,我从少女变成了少年,而且还没做手术……
  • 我的野蛮搭档

    我的野蛮搭档

    [花雨授权]救了一个人有了一份工作,对她来说未尝不是一件好事。但是……如果是对着一个脾气极坏、本性残暴的人,她可要好好考虑一下。首先从改造他开始,没想到这个野蛮人竟用这种方法对付她,放马过来,鹿死谁手还不知道呢。
  • 武炼玄天

    武炼玄天

    神又如何,魔又怎样。我便是我,我便是魔。我为魔!
  • 神之放逐者

    神之放逐者

    创世之初,太古时代,人神共居大地,直到两个少年的羁绊,引出了神族与人族宿命的决战。战纹和羽本是一对无忧无虑的神族兄弟,却因神族皇室的身份,被迫卷入神皇之位的争夺战中,羽凭借智谋,辅佐哥哥战纹成为神皇太子之后,也揭开了自己的身世之谜,被自己真实身份和使命所困扰的羽,选择自我放逐,而战纹成为新一代神皇。十几年后,羽重现皇都,昔日肝胆相照的兄弟,终于走上了那条注定你死我活的战斗中。而那时,魔族崛起,浩劫即将席卷整个世界……
  • 找到自己的北极星

    找到自己的北极星

    我们很多人在生活中往往迷失了自己的方向,难以找到自己的“北极星”。其实,在那迷茫的夜空,只要你撩开树叶,在云层飘散之后,你会发现自己的北极星依然在夜空中闪耀。本书作者贝克博士现为美国著名生活设计专家及杂志编辑,曾担任过当今顶尖领导学家约翰·科特的研究助理。本书将通过一系列自我训练,帮你全面了解并找到自己的北极星,过上自己本应过上的幸福生活。
  • 樱花落下的那一刹那,下了雪

    樱花落下的那一刹那,下了雪

    樱花在寒冷的北国落下了,他曾经答应她要一起看樱花落下的那一刹那,可是他没有,她一直在等待着他,可是他,却成了遥不可及的明星——王俊凯,他再也不是以前那个王嵩嵩了,再也不是了。
  • 狱狂

    狱狂

    这是一处神秘莫测、危机四伏的地方,这里是强者的天下。这里没有法律和规则,要想在这里生存,唯一的保证就是“拳头”。在这里,只要你的拳头够硬、够狠,你可以得到你任何想得到的东西,除了“自由”。市井小子金城,时运不济,英雄救美不成,反被打入闻名丧胆的“炼狱”之中。没想到,因祸得福,与“龙凤天玉”人玉合一,再获天纵奇学“彩虹神功”,终成一代狂人“狱狂”。天有不测风云。异星突变,风云再起,到底谁能力挽狂澜?书中自有分晓。
  • 深海迷航

    深海迷航

    一张羊皮卷,开启了前往深海的航道。一颗红珍珠,揭开了尘封于黑暗之中的历史。当我们拿到宝藏,兴奋地欢呼之时,却不知自己早已迷失在无限的深海之中。
  • 暖婚蜜爱

    暖婚蜜爱

    颜无忧:我单身,缺个男朋友结婚。安枕:我不单身,缺个女朋友形婚。身为一名大龄漫画师,颜无忧终于疯狂了一把,相亲第二天就领了证!而且这个男神老公上得了厅堂,下的了厨房,拿得起手术刀,还暖得了床!颜无忧,“……你不是是个Gay吗?”“被你掰直了!”而除此之外,颜无忧还在这极品暖男老公身上发现了一个天大的秘密……
  • 玉箓资度早朝仪

    玉箓资度早朝仪

    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。