登陆注册
4279400000057

第57章

"Let go!" said Ann Veronica, through her teeth, strenuously inflicting agony, and he cried out sharply and let go and receded a pace.

"NOW!" said Ann Veronica. "Why did you dare to do that?"Part 3

Each of them stared at the other, set in a universe that had changed its system of values with kaleidoscopic completeness.

She was flushed, and her eyes were bright and angry; her breath came sobbing, and her hair was all abroad in wandering strands of black. He too was flushed and ruffled; one side of his collar had slipped from its stud and he held a hand to the corner of his jaw.

"You vixen!" said Mr. Ramage, speaking the simplest first thought of his heart.

"You had no right--" panted Ann Veronica.

"Why on earth," he asked, "did you hurt me like that?"Ann Veronica did her best to think she had not deliberately attempted to cause him pain. She ignored his question.

"I never dreamt!" she said.

"What on earth did you expect me to do, then?" he asked.

Part 4

Interpretation came pouring down upon her almost blindingly; she understood now the room, the waiter, the whole situation. She understood. She leaped to a world of shabby knowledge, of furtive base realizations. She wanted to cry out upon herself for the uttermost fool in existence.

"I thought you wanted to have a talk to me," she said.

"I wanted to make love to you.

"You knew it," he added, in her momentary silence.

"You said you were in love with me," said Ann Veronica; "I wanted to explain--""I said I loved and wanted you." The brutality of his first astonishment was evaporating. "I am in love with you. You know I am in love with you. And then you go--and half throttle me. .

. . I believe you've crushed a gland or something. It feels like it.""I am sorry," said Ann Veronica. "What else was I to do?"For some seconds she stood watching him. and both were thinking very quickly. Her state of mind would have seemed altogether discreditable to her grandmother. She ought to have been disposed to faint and scream at all these happenings; she ought to have maintained a front of outraged dignity to veil the sinking of her heart. I would like to have to tell it so. But indeed that is not at all a good description of her attitude. She was an indignant queen, no doubt she was alarmed and disgusted within limits; but she was highly excited, and there was something, some low adventurous strain in her being, some element, subtle at least if base, going about the rioting ways and crowded insurgent meeting-places of her mind declaring that the whole affair was after all--they are the only words that express it--a very great lark indeed. At the bottom of her heart she was not a bit afraid of Ramage. She had unaccountable gleams of sympathy with and liking for him. And the grotesquest fact was that she did not so much loathe, as experience with a quite critical condemnation this strange sensation of being kissed. Never before had any human being kissed her lips. . . .

It was only some hours after that these ambiguous elements evaporated and vanished and loathing came, and she really began to be thoroughly sick and ashamed of the whole disgraceful quarrel and scuffle.

He, for his part, was trying to grasp the series of unexpected reactions that had so wrecked their tete-a-tete. He had meant to be master of his fate that evening and it had escaped him altogether. It had, as it were, blown up at the concussion of his first step. It dawned upon him that he had been abominably used by Ann Veronica.

"Look here," he said, "I brought you here to make love to you.""I didn't understand--your idea of making love. You had better let me go again.""Not yet," he said. "I do love you. I love you all the more for the streak of sheer devil in you. . . . You are the most beautiful, the most desirable thing I have ever met in this world. It was good to kiss you, even at the price. But, by Jove! you are fierce! You are like those Roman women who carry stilettos in their hair.""I came here to talk reasonably, Mr. Ramage. It is abominable--""What is the use of keeping up this note of indignation, Ann Veronica? Here I am! I am your lover, burning for you. I mean to have you! Don't frown me off now. Don't go back into Victorian respectability and pretend you don't know and you can't think and all the rest of it. One comes at last to the step from dreams to reality. This is your moment. No one will ever love you as I love you now. I have been dreaming of your body and you night after night. I have been imaging--""Mr. Ramage, I came here-- I didn't suppose for one moment you would dare--""Nonsense! That is your mistake! You are too intellectual. You want to do everything with your mind. You are afraid of kisses.

You are afraid of the warmth in your blood. It's just because all that side of your life hasn't fairly begun."He made a step toward her.

"Mr. Ramage," she said, sharply, "I have to make it plain to you.

I don't think you understand. I don't love you. I don't. Ican't love you. I love some one else. It is repulsive. It disgusts me that you should touch me."He stared in amazement at this new aspect of the situation. "You love some one else?" he repeated.

"I love some one else. I could not dream of loving you."And then he flashed his whole conception of the relations of men and women upon her in one astonishing question. His hand went with an almost instinctive inquiry to his jawbone again. "Then why the devil," he demanded, "do you let me stand you dinners and the opera--and why do you come to a cabinet particulier with me?"He became radiant with anger. "You mean to tell me" he said, "that you have a lover? While I have been keeping you!

Yes--keeping you!"

同类推荐
  • Seventeen

    Seventeen

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上洞玄灵宝真文要解上经

    太上洞玄灵宝真文要解上经

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十七史蒙求

    十七史蒙求

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 吴逆始末记

    吴逆始末记

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 后西游记

    后西游记

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 冰山男孩是木头

    冰山男孩是木头

    等候,我不想用迷雾把我的心遮住,让你凝望了半天,感受的是一片模糊。我不是冰,是心冷…………
  • 丽白楼诗话

    丽白楼诗话

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 万道唯心

    万道唯心

    在世界的尽头,有无上巨龙在战斗,有绝世强者在厮杀......青山少年,凭借魔王的封印走出大青山,步入强者的世界。在顺境中化身成神,在逆境中化身成魔。
  • 这样做女人最旺夫

    这样做女人最旺夫

    “旺夫运”这个话题女人讨论的很多,但相关书籍极少。只要是结了婚的女人,无论是家庭主妇,还是打工白领,都希望有“旺夫运”,能够帮老公兴旺发达,但是把命运寄托于虚无缥缈的幻想,不如实实在在地做点事情,来改变自己,改变家庭的命运。这样,才能婚姻更牢固,更长久,经济更长达,感情更深厚。女人,就是要学会利用自己的一切资本,潜移默化地“旺夫”、“旺家”、“旺自己”!
  • 焰罗王供行法次第

    焰罗王供行法次第

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 爱是天时地利的迷信

    爱是天时地利的迷信

    《爱是天时地利的迷信》从文学角度来阐释林夕歌词的美韵,那些经久不衰的歌词在一代又一代的歌迷心中,早就意味着爱的心声与美的领悟。
  • 8号女主角

    8号女主角

    8号,是她的编号,面对一个“多情”的男友,她该怎么应对呢?大学里的学业、师生情、友情、爱情、亲情,蓝格格和具靛青有着怎样的经历?
  • 明实录仁宗实录

    明实录仁宗实录

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 浣花汐

    浣花汐

    重生前,她是被呵护的大家闺秀,自认为深宅是美好安全的,只苦心钻研琴棋书画,最终输在心计上,不仅家毁人亡,连唾手可得的爱情也错过了。她带着记忆重生,学医学武,十六岁回到那个罪恶的深宅。这一世,她不再是幻想美好的单纯少女,而是攻于心计、步步为营,一步步让自己走向巅峰的浣花汐!(浣花是女主的封号,汐是女主的名字)本文属于宫斗宅斗文,女主聪明、男主腹黑,女人心计、官场阴谋俱全,四十章后开始带入阴谋。希望大家耐心阅读。第一次写文,请大家多多支持。
  • 人人都要有逻辑思维

    人人都要有逻辑思维

    有些人智商不低,学历不低,情商也不低,但就是办事效率不高,说话啰嗦拖沓,被人莫名其妙地说服了,甚至有理时也莫名其妙输了。这是为什么呢?口才不好?不完全是。能力差也不完全是。其根源是逻辑思维能力差。因为办事没逻辑,效率自然低下;因为说话没逻辑,自然无法简洁明了表达;因为思辨没有逻辑,遇事就不可避免地随着别人的思路走——无论愿意不愿意都那样。在现实社会中,社会竞争激烈,要想赢得一席之地,除了拼智力、拼学历、拼背景、拼努力之外,如果你拼了逻辑思维能力,你将会迅速投影而出。