登陆注册
5170900000065

第65章

They were in the breakfast-room, a small, charming apartment, light and airy, and with many windows, one end opening upon the house conservatory.Jadwin was in his frock coat, which later he would wear to church.

The famous gardenia was in his lapel.He was freshly shaven, and his fine cigar made a blue haze over his head.Laura was radiant in a white morning gown.Anewly cut bunch of violets, large as a cabbage, lay on the table before her.

The whole scene impressed itself sharply upon Page's mind--the fine sunlit room, with its gay open spaces and the glimpse of green leaves from the conservatory, the view of the smooth, trim lawn through the many windows, where an early robin, strayed from the park, was chirruping and feeding; her beautiful sister Laura, with her splendid, overshadowing coiffure, her pale, clear skin, her slender figure; Jadwin, the large, solid man of affairs, with his fine cigar, his gardenia, his well-groomed air.And then the little accessories that meant so much--the smell of violets, of good tobacco, of fragrant coffee; the gleaming damasks, china and silver of the breakfast table; the trim, fresh-looking maid, with her white cap, apron, and cuffs, who came and went; the thoroughbred setter dozing in the sun, and the parrot dozing and chuckling to himself on his perch upon the terrace outside the window.

At the bottom of the lawn was the stable, and upon the concrete in front of its wide-open door the groom was currying one of the carriage horses.While Page addressed herself to her fruit and coffee, Jadwin put down his paper, and, his elbows on the arms of his rattan chair, sat for a long time looking out at the horse.By and by he got up and said:

"That new feed has filled 'em out in good shape.Think I'll go out and tell Jarvis to try it on the buggy team." He pushed open the French windows and went out, the setter sedately following.

Page dug her spoon into her grape-fruit, then suddenly laid it down and turned to Laura, her chin upon her palm.

"Laura," she said, "do you think I ought to marry--a girl of my temperament?""Marry?" echoed Laura.

"Sh-h!" whispered Page."Laura--don't talk so loud.

Yes, do you?"

"Well, why not marry, dearie? Why shouldn't you marry when the time comes? Girls as young as you are not supposed to have temperaments."But instead of answering Page put another question:

"Laura, do you think I am womanly?"

"I think sometimes, Page, that you take your books and your reading too seriously.You've not been out of the house for three days, and I never see you without your note-books and text-books in your hand.You are at it, dear, from morning till night.Studies are all very well--""Oh, studies!" exclaimed Page."I hate them.Laura, what is it to be womanly?""To be womanly?" repeated Laura."Why, I don't know, honey.It's to be kind and well-bred and gentle mostly, and never to be bold or conspicuous--and to love one's home and to take care of it, and to love and believe in one's husband, or parents, or children--or even one's sister--above any one else in the world.""I think that being womanly is better than being well read," hazarded Page.

"We can be both, Page," Laura told her."But, honey, Ithink you had better hurry through your breakfast.If we are going to church this Easter, we want to get an early start.Curtis ordered the carriage half an hour earlier.""Breakfast!" echoed Page."I don't want a thing." She drew a deep breath and her eyes grew large."Laura,"she began again presently, "Laura...Landry Court was here last night, and--oh, I don't know, he's so silly.

But he said--well, he said this--well, I said that Iunderstood how he felt about certain things, about 'getting on,' and being clean and fine and all that sort of thing you know; and then he said, 'Oh, you don't know what it means to me to look into the eyes of a woman who really understands.'""_Did_ he?" said Laura, lifting her eyebrows.

"Yes, and he seemed so fine and earnest.Laura, wh--"Page adjusted a hairpin at the back of her head, and moved closer to Laura, her eyes on the floor."Laura--what do you suppose it did mean to him--don't you think it was foolish of him to talk like that?""Not at all," Laura said, decisively."If he said that he meant it--meant that he cared a great deal for you.""Oh, I didn't mean that!" shrieked Page."But there's a great deal more to Landry than I think we've suspected.He wants to be more than a mere money-getting machine, he says, and he wants to cultivate his mind and understand art and literature and that.And he wants me to help him, and I said I would.So if you don't mind, he's coming up here certain nights every week, and we're going to--I'm going to read to him.

We're going to begin with the 'Ring and the Book.'"In the later part of May, the weather being unusually hot, the Jadwins, taking Page with them, went up to Geneva Lake for the summer, and the great house fronting Lincoln Park was deserted.

Laura had hoped that now her husband would be able to spend his entire time with her, but in this she was disappointed.At first Jadwin went down to the city but two days a week, but soon this was increased to alternate days.Gretry was a frequent visitor at the country house, and often he and Jadwin, their rocking-chairs side by side in a remote corner of the porch, talked "business" in low tones till far into the night.

"Dear," said Laura, finally, "I'm seeing less and less of you every day, and I had so looked forward to this summer, when we were to be together all the time.""I hate it as much as you do, Laura," said her husband.

同类推荐
  • 太上洞玄灵宝法身制论

    太上洞玄灵宝法身制论

    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。
  • 明伦汇编人事典忧乐部

    明伦汇编人事典忧乐部

    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。
  • 佛说莲华面经

    佛说莲华面经

    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。
  • 太上神咒延寿妙经

    太上神咒延寿妙经

    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。
  • 庄子

    庄子

    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
  • 妙医圣手

    妙医圣手

    一场意外的遭遇,让医学生林阳从此能够看见鬼,并从鬼魂身上获得医术、君子四艺以及武术等等知识和能力!从此,岳飞、吕布、项霸王;苏轼、李白、张仲景……历史上的名鬼甘愿为他效命!他的人生,注定与众不同,精彩万分!针药治人,符箓渡鬼,尽显医者慈悲;以手为笔,沾魂作墨,沟通天地阴阳!这,就是林阳的大道!(欢迎各位书友加群,五志的小黑屋:168330720)
  • 绘魔游侠传

    绘魔游侠传

    洛都西部是一片无际的荒野,作为这个这个国家居住条件最严峻地区之一,这里常年难见人影,与荒土作伴的唯有萧瑟的尘风和栖息此地的各类异兽。不过,就算是在这人迹罕至的边土也是有着某些让人有理由驻足于此的东西。
  • 关于幸运的格言(经典格言)

    关于幸运的格言(经典格言)

    名人名言是古今中外仁人志士的精辟妙语!名人名言,集丰富的内涵、深刻的哲理、简练的语言于一身。读名人名言,如同和名人名家做面对面的沟通与交流,就好像聆听圣贤智慧的谆谆教导。《关于幸运的格言》让我们从一个新的角度理解了幸运是什么,幸运不是上天给的,而是我们自己创造出来的。本书以名人的口说出了关于幸运的真谛,道出了幸与不幸有时只是由于自己某一瞬间的决定造成的。
  • 凤天婉华

    凤天婉华

    没有任何主角光环和特殊技能的温婉同学意外加入了穿越大潮,成为了一个小国公主,而且亲妈是王后,同胞哥哥是太子,穿越后的日子过得简直不要太舒心!然而,温婉发现她成年后是需要联姻的,那这是不是意味着她要宫斗!?她一个只看过几部宫斗剧的什么也不会的人,能斗得过人家?于是,我们的婉公主开始了勤奋好学之路。先是跟着她便宜父王情敌——鬼医,学医学毒,差点把她父王气死。又跟着她师兄学习武功,这次又差点自己被人给拐跑了。最后什么都学会后,不想再去联姻,开始积极的反抗命运,但是一切真能如她所愿吗?阅读提示:本文有些慢热,无论是情节发展还是感情发展。宫斗情节并不多,而且得等到小说中期
  • 阿閦佛国经

    阿閦佛国经

    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。
  • 欢喜娘子:腹黑相公快认栽

    欢喜娘子:腹黑相公快认栽

    他,裴家大庄的继承人,俊美温润如璞玉,却又腹黑似灰狼,双腿之疾掩尽一身光华;她,教书夫子的掌上珠,身边人的开心果,却心思单纯如白兔,没心没肺让人又爱又恨。当小白兔遇上大灰狼,是谁吃定谁?当欢喜娘子对上腹黑相公,又是谁认栽?!“相公,你觉得奴家聪明机智么?”“嗯。”“相公果然诚实!”“为夫怕说了实话,今晚你又让为夫打地铺。”“……今晚不许踏进房门。”“……”当晚,某灰狼翻窗入房。【轻松小宠文,1v1,QQ群:609877592】
  • 格局

    格局

    一个2.5亿的工程被看成“一点破事”,任凭站长如何坚持原则,代表群众心声却也扭转不了工程招标的结局。看似荒唐的故事包含着严酷的真实,甚至有些悲壮……上篇上午快十点的时候,叶草然正在办公室跟党委书记何玉成絮叨,办公室主任莫根峰打着手机匆匆忙忙走了进来,“叶站长,卢处长他们已经过了省界了,你看咱们是不是该动身了?”叶草然看看何玉成:“怎么着,书记,出发?”“出发吧。”何玉成跟莫根峰说:“家里的那几辆车都派去,通知在家的站领导也都跟着去。另外,跟车站派出所的姜所长说一下,请他们给派一辆最好的警车,返回的时候在前边鸣笛开道。”
  • 太上洞玄济众经

    太上洞玄济众经

    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。
  • 花痴皇后

    花痴皇后

    云为衣,玉为颜,美男如花,江山为谁倾?绝世的他对我说:“笑颜如花,眉眼似画,翩若轻云,娟娟二八好年华!”癫狂的他对我说:“春水如神,芙蓉如面,比花花解语,比玉玉生香!”而我穿越后的口号是:不花那么多,只花一点点!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 好人歌

    好人歌

    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。