登陆注册
5230100000034

第34章 CHAPTER XIII(1)

To understand Kitty at this moment one must be able to understand the Irish; and nobody does or can or will. Consider her twenty-four years, her corpuscular inheritance, the love of drama and the love of adventure. Imagine possessing sound ideas of life and the ability to apply them, and spiritually always galloping off on some broad highway - more often than not furnished by some engaging scoundrel of a novelist - and you will be able to construct a half tone of Kitty Conover.

That civilization might be actually on its deathbed, that positively half of the world was starving and dying and going mad through the reaction of the German blight touched her in a detached way. She felt sorry, dreadfully sorry, for the poor things; but as she could not help them she dismissed them from her thoughts every morning after she had read the paper, the way most of us do here in these United States. You cannot grapple with the misery of an unknown person several thousand miles away.

That which had taken place during the past twenty-four hours was to her a lark, a blindman's buff for grown-ups. It was not in her to tremble, to shudder, to hesitate, to weigh this and to balance that. Irish curiosity. Perhaps in the original that immortal line read: "The Irish rush in where angels fear to tread," and some proofreader had a particular grudge against the race.

When the elevator reached the seventeenth floor, the passengers surged forth. All except Kitty, who tarried.

"We don't carry to the eighteenth, miss.

"I am Miss Conover," she replied. "I dared not tell you until we were alone."

"I see." The boy nodded, swept her with an appraising glance, and sent the elevator up to the loft.

"You understand? If any one inquires about me, you don't remember."

"Yes, miss. The boss's orders."

"And if any one does inquire you are to report at once."

"That, too."

The boy rolled back the door and Kitty stepped out upon a Laristan runner of rose hues and cobalt blue. She wondered what it cost Cutty to keep up an establishment like this. There were fourteen rooms, seven facing the north and seven facing the west, with glorious vistas of steam-wreathed roofs and brick Matterhorns and the dim horizon touching the sea. Fine rugs and tapestries and furniture gathered from the four ends of the world; but wholly livable and in no sense atmospheric of the museum. Cutty had excellent taste.

She had visited the apartment but twice before, once in her childhood and again when she was eighteen. Cutty had given a dinner in honour of her mother's birthday. She smiled as she recalled the incident.

Cutty had placed a box of candles at the side of her mother's plate and told her to stick as many into the cake as she thought best.

"Hello!" said Cutty, emerging from one of the doors. "What the dickens have you been up to? My man has just telephoned me that he lost track of you in Wanamaker's."

Kitty explained, delighted.

"Well, well! If you can lose a man such as I set to watch you, you'll have no trouble shaking the others."

"It was Karlov, Cutty."

"How did you learn?"

"Searched the morgue and found a half tone of him. Positively Karlov. How is the patient?"

"Harrison says he's pulling round amazingly. A tough skull. He'll be up for his meals in no time."

"How do you do it?" she asked with a gesture.

"Do what?"

"Manage a place like this? In a busy office district. It's the most wonderful apartment in New York. Riverside has nothing like it. It must cost. like sixty."

"The building is mine, Kitty. That makes it possible. An uncle who knew I hated money and the responsibilities that go with it, died and left it to me."

"Why, Cutty, you must be rich!"

"I'm sorry. What can I do? I can't give it away."

"But you don't have to work!"

"Oh, yes, I do. I'm that kind. I'd die of a broken heart if I had to sit still. It's the game."

"Did mother know?"

"Yes."

With the toe of a snug little bronze boot Kitty drew an outline round a pattern in the rug.

"Love is a funny thing," was her comment.

"It sure is, old-timer. But what put the thought into your head?"

"I was thinking how very much mumsy must have been in love with father."

"But she never knew that I loved her, Kitty."

"What's that got to do with it? If she had wanted money you wouldn't have had the least chance in the world."

"Probably not! But what would you have done in your mother's place?"

"Snapped you up like that!" Kitty flashed back.

"You cheerful little - little - "

"Liar. Say it!" Kitty laughed. "But am I a cheerful little liar?

I don't know. It would be an awful temptation. Somebody to wait on you; heaps of flowers when you wanted them; beautiful gowns and thingummies and furs and limousines. I've often wondered what I should do if I found myself with love and youth on one side and money and attraction on the other. I've always been in straitened circumstances. I never spent a dollar in all my days when I didn't think I ought to have held back three or four cents of it. You can't know, Cutty, what it is to be poor and want beautiful things and good times. Of course. I couldn't marry just money. There would have to be some kind of a man to go with it. Someone interesting enough to make me forget sometimes that I'd thrown away a lover for a pocket-book."

"Would you marry me, Kitty?"

"Are you serious?"

"Let's suppose I am"

"No. I couldn't marry you, Cutty I should always be having my mother's ghost as a rival."

"But supposing I fell in love with you?"

"Then I'd always be doubting your constancy. But what queer talk!"'

"Kitty, you're a joy,! Lordy, my luck in dropping in to see you yesterday!"

"And a little whippersnapper like me calling a great man like you Cutty!"

"Well, if it embarrasses you, you might switch to papa once in a while."

Kitty's laughter rang down the corridor. "I'll remember that whenever I want to make you mad. Who's here?"

"Nobody but Harrison and the nurse. Both good citizens, and I've taken them into my confidence to a certain extent. You can talk freely before them."

"Am I to see the patient?"

同类推荐
  • A Drama on the Seashore

    A Drama on the Seashore

    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。
  • 曾子

    曾子

    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。
  • 妇科百辩

    妇科百辩

    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。
  • 佛说长者子懊恼三处经

    佛说长者子懊恼三处经

    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。
  • 粤逆纪略

    粤逆纪略

    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
  • 心的出路

    心的出路

    《心的出路》献给那些正遭遇生活的困扰,想要改变生活现状,却不知道怎样改变,如何选择的人希望此书能让你明白,那些令你无法前行的镣铐其实是你自己假象出来的只有明白这一症结所在,你才能找到解决你情感纠结问题的最佳方法鼓起勇气,为拥有一个更有意义和更加美好的人生而努力奋斗。
  • 每天读一点民俗文化常识

    每天读一点民俗文化常识

    本书从民族风俗、节庆庙会、楹联妙对、民居建筑、特色服饰、姓氏生肖、图腾信仰、曲苑杂技、武术舞蹈、传统技艺、坊间传说十一个方面,介绍了中国传统民俗文化常识,具有知识性、趣味性和娱乐性,让读者在轻松愉悦的阅读中领略民俗文化的独特魅力。
  • 死太监当爹了

    死太监当爹了

    师傅说她今年命不好!死老头,乌鸦嘴,真被说中了:一场海难将她卷入了无边的漩涡!她有时候觉得自己运气好到爆棚!居然狗血地遇上了穿越这等好事,还好死不死地砸在郑和的床上!虾米!这太监…居然是假的?!她发誓,她只是一不小心摸到了太监本应不存在的宝贝而已…再发誓,她摸第二遍只是想证明自己没有摸错而已…坑爹的货,就因为那“一不小心”,命运竟然奇妙地将她与郑和牵扯到了一起,从此之后,真半仙与伪太监的狗血情路随着下西洋一路展开…一路坑蒙拐骗,吃喝玩乐样样占全,因为老娘一手绝活,谁怕谁?除了偶尔掐指算算,闹闹小场,发发神威,其实生活无比惬意!只是,尼玛,老娘是你什么人,居然给我定了这破规矩?美男不让看,美食尽情尝,虾米!还得负责给死太监生个娃?◆◇◆◇◆◇【惩罚篇】某半仙做错事,郑和罚其跪佛堂自省。晚上郑和问道:“面佛一日可有觉悟?”某半仙答:“有。”郑和问:“能悟出我佛在想什么?”某半仙答:“想动动......”【生娃篇】某女怀了娃,与郑和府上的仆人打赌生男生女。仆人赌夫人肚子定是大胖小子。某女坚持说是女孩。待临产之日,众多的仆人聚集在产房外,皆捏拳屏气。就在郑和焦急不安之中,忽听里面某女的惨叫声:我要重新下注,稳婆说我的肚子一个顶俩!注:1、本文大量各色养眼帅哥涌出,宠文加结局一对一。2、小说虚构,背景明朝,资料各路搜集,纠真党绕行。3、最后闪泪求动力,封面下方的加入书架,亲们费点小力点下哦。
  • 嫡女权谋天下

    嫡女权谋天下

    为他七年筹谋苦心经营,换来的是他与庶姐的联手算计,君临天下之时她得到的是死牢酷刑折磨至死与满门被灭的下场。重活一世,她发誓必定让那些欠她的人血债血偿。只是……前世那个被她害死的摄政王今世怎么成了纨绔子弟,动不动就调戏她呢,果真是报应不爽么?珍爱生命,远离摄政王……--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 家长是孩子的心理辅导师

    家长是孩子的心理辅导师

    孩子的健康是家长最关心的问题。成熟的家长会面对现实,用科学的知识和方法武装自己,帮助孩子身体和心理都能健康成长。本书曾在北京德育科研网、北京中小学生家长学校网和《现代教育报》连续刊载,点击率高,可读性强,提供了家庭心理健康教育的有效方法,每节还有“亲子活动”和“温馨提示”帮助家长解读家庭教育,感悟丰富人生,从容解决家庭教育中遇到的各种心理问题,并供家庭教育研究者参考。
  • 神欲轮回

    神欲轮回

    命运,是掌握在自己手里的。虽然蓦然回首,发现自己原来一直没有摆脱命运的枷锁,那就不再以之为枷锁,继续掌握自己的命运吧。
  • 大悲妙云禅师语录

    大悲妙云禅师语录

    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。
  • 金刚峰楼阁一切瑜伽瑜只经

    金刚峰楼阁一切瑜伽瑜只经

    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。
  • 卫国英雄:冯子材(青少版)

    卫国英雄:冯子材(青少版)

    每次看中国地图,我都深为祖国的地大物博、山河壮美和历史悠久自豪。中华民族是在波澜壮阔的历史进程中形成的,这个过程充满了血与火的战斗、生与死的考验。面对侵略敢于战斗,面对强敌敢于亮剑,方显英雄本色。卫国英雄是中华民族的脊梁,是中国人民的骄傲。他们用实际行动证明:中华民族不可侮,中国人民不可欺。
  • 闺墨萃珍

    闺墨萃珍

    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。