登陆注册
5242300000064

第64章 CHAPTER XXIII. ON THE TRAIL(2)

"That is positively the most unkind thing I have ever heard you say," the Duchess declared. "Come along, you good people. Jules has promised me a new omelet, on condition that we sit down at precisely half-past one. If we are five minutes late, he declines to send it up."They took their places at the round table which had been reserved for the Duchess of Devenham,--not very far, Penelope remembered, from the table at which they had sat for dinner a little more than a fortnight ago. The recollection of that evening brought her a sudden realization of the tragedy which seemed to have taken her life into its grip. Again the Prince sat by her side.

She watched him with eyes in which there was a gleam sometimes almost of horror. Easy and natural as usual, with his pleasant smile and simple speech, he was making himself agreeable to one of the older ladies of the party, to whom, by chance, no one had addressed more than a word or so. It was always the same--always like this, she realized, with a sudden keen apprehension of this part of the man's nature. If there was a kindness to be done, a thoughtful action, it was not only he who did it but it was he who first thought of it. The papers during the last few days had been making public an incident which he had done his best to keep secret. He had signalized his arrival in London, some months ago, by going overboard from a police boat into the Thames to rescue a half-drunken lighterman, and when the Humane Society had voted him their medal, he had accepted it only on condition that the presentation was private and kept out of the papers. It was not one but fifty kindly deeds which stood to his credit. Always with the manners of a Prince--gracious, courteous, and genial--never a word had passed his lips of evil towards any human being. The barriers today between the smoking room and the drawing room are shadowy things, and she knew very well that he was held in a somewhat curious respect by men, as a person to whom it was impossible to tell a story in which there was any shadow of indelicacy. The ways of the so-called man of world seemed in his presence as though they must be the ways of some creature of a different and a lower stage of existence. A young man whom he had once corrected had christened him, half jestingly, Sir Galahad, and certainly his life in London, a life which had to bear all the while the test of the limelight, had appeared to merit some such title. These thoughts chased one another through her mind as she looked at him and marvelled. Surely those other things must be part of a bad nightmare! It was not possible that such a man could be associated with wrong-doing--such manner of wrong-doing!

Even while these thoughts passed through her brain, he turned to talk to her, and she felt at once that little glow of pleasure which the sound of his voice nearly always evoked.

"I am looking forward so much," he said, "to my stay at Devenham.

You know, it will not be very much longer that I shall have the opportunity of accepting such invitations.""You mean that the time is really coming when we shall lose you?"she asked suddenly.

"When my work is finished, I return home," he answered. "I fancy that it will not be very long now.""When you do leave England," she asked after a moment's pause, "do you go straight to Japan?"He bowed.

"With the Continent I have finished," he said. "The cruiser which His Majesty has sent to fetch me waits even now at Southampton.""You speak of your work," she remarked, "as though you had been collecting material for a book."He smiled.

"I have been busy collecting information in many ways," he said,--"trying to live your life and feel as you feel, trying to understand those things in your country, and in other countries too, which seem at first so strange to us who come from the other side of the East.""And the end of it all?" she asked.

His eyes gleamed for a moment with a light which she did not understand. His smile was tolerant, even genial, but his face remained like the face of a sphinx.

"It is for the good of Japan I came," he said, "for her good that I have stayed here so long. At the same time it has been very pleasant. I have met with great kindness."She leaned a little forward so as to look into his face. The impassivity of his features was like a wall before her.

"After all," she said, "I suppose it is a period of probation.

You are like a schoolboy already who is looking forward to his holidays. You will be very happy when you return.""I shall be very happy indeed," he admitted simply. "Why not?" Iam a true son of Japan, and, for every true son of his country, absence from her is as hard a thing to be borne as absence from one's own family."Somerfield, who was sitting on her other side, insisted at last upon diverting her attention.

"Penelope," he declared, lowering his voice a little, "it isn't fair. You never have a word to say to me when the Prince is here."She smiled.

"You must remember that he is going away very soon, Charlie," she reminded him.

"Good job, too!" Somerfield muttered, sotto voce.

"And then," Penelope continued, with the air of not having heard her companion's last remark, "he possesses also a very great attraction. He is absolutely unlike any other human being I ever met or heard of."Somerfield glanced across at his rival with lowering brows.

同类推荐
  • 张文襄幕府纪闻

    张文襄幕府纪闻

    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。
  • The Golden Dog

    The Golden Dog

    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。
  • 海国四说

    海国四说

    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。
  • 亦玉堂稿

    亦玉堂稿

    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。
  • 老子指略

    老子指略

    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
  • 离婚后她成了万人迷

    离婚后她成了万人迷

    老公财大气粗,却另有所爱,守活寡三年,齐羽汐要离婚,结果被陆沐风虐得体无完肤。初恋被绑架,陆沐风用齐羽汐的命换回初恋的命。她改头换面回到他的身边,虐渣男惩贱女,狠狠出了口恶气。就在齐羽汐得意的时候,陆沐风抓住她。齐羽汐惊得面如死灰:“你……你是什么时候知道的?”陆沐风深情的说:“脸可以变,习惯可以变,但是你身上的香味儿却不会变,老婆,五年了,回家吧!”
  • 大嫂谣

    大嫂谣

    我从城里回来的那天,映山红把一座山开得亮堂堂的,五月的阻光也好得没法说。可我大嫂却在这一天走了。我先去的是二哥家,今年轮到父亲跟二哥住。父亲一个人在屋里,正在扫地。他已经老得不成样子了,我站在门口喊他,他将左手握成拳头,反过去顶住腰部,再把腰像折尺一样慢慢打开,然后才看见是我。他说幺儿呢,你回来了?我说爸,我回来了。
  • Self Help

    Self Help

    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。
  • 关鬼门

    关鬼门

    手掌鬼军,关鬼门。千里奔袭,鬼门洞开,真的是天可怜我审乐,鬼物入体,系统登场,那就让我手持系统,兑换组建鬼军,还这世间一个朗朗乾坤!
  • 撒旦来袭之乖乖就范

    撒旦来袭之乖乖就范

    本文甜宠,男主冷血无情,唯爱女主。——亲眼目睹自己父母惨死,他就没有心了。从此化身为地狱的撒旦,为了嗜血而生。原以为会一直这么下去,可是遇到了她。像是命中注定那么一般,心泛起了波澜。那么既然如此,她,自己势在必得!——简介无能,跳坑无悔。
  • 新白娘子传奇之穿越版

    新白娘子传奇之穿越版

    【女频一组C班签约作品】此书很烂,慎入!
  • 英雄联盟之永耀传奇

    英雄联盟之永耀传奇

    相似的世界,不同的限韩令。如日中天的ig痛失肉鸡,ts两员大将。面对风云涌动的s8,他们还能像历史中一样爆冷拿下lpl的第一座丰碑吗?华夏一个普通的房间。一个17岁意气风发的天才路人王,对着直播间两百万粉丝亮了亮洁白的牙齿。眼眸中闪烁着银光。“兄弟们,我要打职业!!!”ps:一个少年的电竞梦!
  • 城市器物

    城市器物

    中国历来有“诗的国度”之称,诗歌能让人们感受到最好和最美的中国文化元素。德国作家歌德就特别欣赏中国诗词,他喜欢中国古典诗词所展示的山水花鸟和姑娘明朗的笑声,神往中国迷人的典故、古老的格言,尤为崇尚中国诗歌中流露出来的道德和情操。每一次欣赏好的诗词,都是一次重新发现的航行。李永才先生这部诗集《城市器物》,用自己的心迹引领读者走过城市与乡村,在时光与岁月的车辙中找寻自我的归属,体会生命的从容。正如诗人所说“从诗歌中获得一种恒久的力量”
  • 重生逆天狂女

    重生逆天狂女

    当忠诚和信任变成杀她的利器,她有幸成为新型实验的第一只小白鼠。她,玉情,第一高手死不瞑目重获新生。七岁的女孩再次睁眼,一切从此改变。冷静暗藏嘲讽的睿智眼眸睥睨天下,唇角轻轻浅浅的淡然微笑冷酷无情。异能提早苏醒,神秘戒指空间奇异开启,注定了她此生的不凡!开公司,倒珠宝,修异能,只为成为人上之人!精彩片段:“亲爱的,听说奥莉新出了一批钻戒?人家特意去买了一只,送给你。”办公桌前,某超越了性别界限的男人,双手撑住桌子,身子前倾,一双桃花眼含情脉脉的盯着某个工作狂女人。某女人手下的笔轻轻一划,流利的签下自己的名字!“艹,这是给爷留了多少文件!”“情情~好不好嘛?”男人见女人不理他,红唇微微嘟起,两个拐了不知多少个字的弯儿从嘴里吐出来。某女手中的笔微微一顿,好看的眉毛微微拢起,一双大眼看向男人,轻轻眨了眨,“你刚刚说什么?”
  • 不能猜测

    不能猜测

    深黑色的夜晚,鲜红色的世界。谁也看不到谁,一个与另一个。“你在哪里呢?”