Скорбь сатаны/The Tribulation of Satan (Мари Корелли). Страница 126 из 279

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His

eyes

flashed

.

"

Often

!

But

I

have

never

till

now

made

a

public

appearance

at

St

James

's

Court

costume

and

'

company

manners

'

make

a

difference

to

the

looks

of

most

men

--

and

I

doubt

--

yes

,

I

very

much

doubt

,

whether

,

even

with

his

reputed

excellent

memory

for

faces

,

the

Prince

really

knew

me

to-day

for

what

I

am

!

"

It

must

have

been

about

a

week

or

ten

days

after

the

Prince

of

Wales

's

Levée

that

I

had

the

strange

scene

with

Sibyl

Elton

I

am

about

to

relate

;

a

scene

that

left

a

painful

impression

on

my

mind

and

should

have

been

sufficient

to

warn

me

of

impending

trouble

to

come

had

I

not

been

too

egotistical

to

accept

any

portent

that

presaged

ill

to

myself

.

Arriving

at

Lord

Elton

's

house

one

evening

,

and

ascending

the

stairs

to

the

drawing-room

as

was

now

my

usual

custom

,

unannounced

and

without

ceremony

,

I

found

Diana

Chesney

there

alone

and

in

tears

.

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"

Why

,

what

's

the

matter

?

"

I

exclaimed

in

a

rallying

tone

,

for

I

was

on

very

friendly

and

familiar

terms

with

the

little

American

--

"

You

,

of

all

people

in

the

world

,

having

a

private

'

weep

'

!

Has

our

dear

railway

papa

'

bust

up

'

?

"

She

laughed

,

a

trifle

hysterically

.

"

Not

just

yet

,

you

bet

!

"

she

answered

,

lifting

her

wet

eyes

to

mine

and

showing

that

mischief

still

sparkled

brightly

in

them

--

"

There

's

nothing

wrong

with

the

funds

as

far

as

I

know

.

I

've

only

had

a

--

--

well

,

a

sort

of

rumpus

here

with

Sibyl

.

"

"

With

Sibyl

?

"

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"

Yes

,

"

--

and

she

rested

the

point

of

her

little

embroidered

shoe

on

a

footstool

and

looked

at

it

critically

--

"

You

see

it

's

the

Catsup

's

'

At

Home

'

to-night

,

and

I

'm

invited

and

Sibyl

's

invited

;

Miss

Charlotte

is

knocked

up

with

nursing

the

Countess

,

and

of

course

I

made

sure

that

Sibyl

would

go

.

Well

,

she

never

said

a

word

about

it

till

she

came

down

to

dinner

,

and

then

she

asked

me

what

time

I

wanted

the

carriage

.

I

said

'

Are

n't

you

going

too

?

'

and

she

looked

at

me

in

that

provoking

way

of

hers

--

you

know

!

--

a

look

that

takes

you

in

from

your

topmost

hair

to

your

shoe-edge

--

and

answered

'

Did

you

think

it

possible

!

'

Well

,

I

flared

up

,

and

said

of

course

I

thought

it

possible

--

why

should

n't

it

be

possible

?

She

looked

at

me

in

the

same

way

again

and

said

--

'

To

the

Catsups

?

with

you

!

'

Now

,

you

know

,

Mr

Tempest

,

that

was

real

downright

rudeness

,

and

more

than

I

could

stand

so

I

just

gave

way

to

my

mind

.

'

Look

here

,

'

I

said

--

'

though

you

are

the

daughter

of

an

Earl

,

you

need

n't

turn

up

your

nose

at

Mrs

Catsup

.

She

is

n't

half

bad

--

I

do

n't

speak

of

her

money

--

but

she

's

a

real

good

sort

,

and

has

a

kind

heart

,

which

it

appears

to

me

is

more

than

you

have

.

Mrs

Catsup

would

never

treat

me

as

unkindly

as

you

do

.

'

And

then

I

choked

--

I

could

have

burst

out

in

a

regular

yell

,

if

I

had

n't

thought

the

footman

might

be

outside

the

door

listening

.

And

Sibyl

only

smiled

,

that

patent

ice-refrigerator

smile

of

hers

,

and

asked

--

'

would

you

prefer

to

live

with

Mrs

Catsup

?

'

Of

course

I

told

her

no

--

nothing

would

induce

me

to

live

with

Mrs

Catsup

,

and

then

she

said

--

'

Miss

Chesney

,

you

pay

my

father

for

the

protection

and

guarantee

of

his

name

and

position

in

English

social

circles

,

but

the

companionship

of

my

father

's

daughter

was

not

included

in

the

bargain

.

I

have

tried

to

make

you

understand

as

distinctly

as

I

can

that

I

will

not

be

seen

in

society

with

you

--

not

because

I

dislike

you

--

far

from

it

--

but

simply

because

people

would

say

I

was

acting

as

your

paid

companion

.

You

force

me

to

speak

plainly

,

and

I

am

sorry

if

I

offend

.

As

for

Mrs

Catsup

,

I

have

only

met

her

once

,

and

she

seemed

to

me

very

common

and

ill-bred

.

Besides

I

do

not

care

for

the

society

of

tradespeople

.

'

And

with

that

she

got

up

and

sailed

out

--

and

I

heard

her

order

the

carriage

for

me

at

ten

.

It

's

coming

round

directly

,

and

just

look

at

my

red

eyes

!

It

's

awfully

hard

on

me

--

I

know

old

Catsup

made

his

pile

out

of

varnish

,

but

varnish

is

as

good

as

anything

else

in

the

general

market

.

And

--

--

and

--

--

it

's

all

out

now

,

Mr

Tempest

--

and

you

can

tell

Sibyl

what

I

've

said

if

you

like

;

I

know

you

're

in

love

with

her

!

"

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