No restraint or
attention to accuracy was necessary here. And if his voice in his honest
excitement would have sounded a little cockney in Arabella's cultured
ears, Cecilia Cricklander did not notice it. On the contrary, she
thought the whole thing was the finest-sounding harangue she had ever
heard in her life.
He went on to say that he could not live without her, and implored her
to throw over John Derringham and promise to be his wife.
"He thinks you are madly in love with him, darling," he said, knowing
this would sting, "and will stand any of his airs. Let him see you are
not. Give him the snub he deserves for deserting you, and fling his
dismissal in his face."
Cecilia Cricklander reddened and thrilled, too. Here, at all events, was
warmth. But she was not won yet. So she looked down, as if too full of
emotion to speak. She must gain time to consider what this would mean,
and, if worth while, how to lay her plans.
Should the scheme contain certain elevation for herself and certain
humiliation for John Derringham, then there was something worthy of
consideration in it, for undoubtedly Percy Hanbury-Green suited her the
better of the two, as far as just the men themselves were concerned.
Pages:
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398