Very well, if she preferred the second and
third movements of the Moonlight Sonata, which she had seriously taken
in hand, to Georgie's company, why, he would offer himself and his
great news elsewhere. But he determined not to bring it out at once;
that sort of thing must be kept till he said it was time to go away.
Then he would bring it out, and depart in the blaze of Success.
He had brought a pretty piece of embroidery with him to occupy himself
with, for his work had fallen into sad arrears during August, and he
settled himself comfortably down close to the light, so that at the
cost of very little eye-strain, he need not put on his spectacles.
"Any news?" he asked, according to the invariable formula. Mrs Weston
caught the Colonel's eye. She was not proposing to bring out her
tremendous interrogation just yet.
"Poor Mrs Antrobus. Toothache!" she said. "I was in the chemist's this
morning and who should come in but Miss Piggy, and she wanted a drop of
laudanum and had to say what it was for, and even then she had to sign
a paper. Very unpleasant, I call it, to be obliged to let a chemist
know that your mother has a toothache. But there it was, tell him she
had to, or go away without any laudanum. I don't know whether Mr
Doubleday wasn't asking more than he should, just out of
inquisitiveness, for I don't see what business it is of his. I know
what I should have said: 'Oh, Mr Doubleday, I want it to make laudanum
tartlets, we are all so fond of laudanum tartlets.
Pages:
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192