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- Мари Корелли
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- Стр. 164/279
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I
smiled
indulgently
,
and
assured
him
,
not
without
a
touch
of
satire
in
my
tone
,
that
I
was
convinced
all
clergymen
were
honest
and
unselfish
--
and
then
I
sent
my
servant
to
bow
him
out
with
all
possible
politeness
.
And
that
very
day
I
remember
,
I
drank
at
my
luncheon
Chateau
Yquem
at
twenty-five
shillings
a
bottle
.
I
enter
into
these
apparently
trifling
details
because
they
all
help
to
make
up
the
sum
and
substance
of
the
deadly
consequences
to
follow
--
and
also
because
I
wish
to
emphasize
the
fact
that
in
my
actions
I
only
imitated
the
example
of
my
compeers
.
Most
rich
men
to-day
follow
the
same
course
as
I
did
--
and
active
personal
good
to
the
community
is
wrought
by
very
few
of
them
.
No
great
deed
of
generosity
illumines
our
annals
.
Royalty
itself
leads
no
fashion
in
this
--
the
royal
gifts
of
game
and
cast-off
clothing
sent
to
our
hospitals
are
too
slight
and
conventional
to
carry
weight
.
The
'
entertainments
for
the
poor
'
got
up
by
some
of
the
aristocrats
at
the
East
end
,
are
nothing
,
and
less
than
nothing
.
They
are
weak
sops
to
our
tame
'
lion
couchant
'
offered
in
doubtful
fear
and
trembling
.
For
our
lion
is
wakeful
and
somewhat
restive
--
there
is
no
knowing
what
may
happen
if
the
original
ferocity
of
the
beast
is
roused
.
A
few
of
our
over-rich
men
might
considerably
ease
the
load
of
cruel
poverty
in
many
quarters
of
the
metropolis
if
they
united
themselves
with
a
noble
unselfishness
in
the
strong
and
determined
effort
to
do
so
,
and
eschewed
red-tapeism
and
wordy
argument
.
But
they
remain
inert
;
--
spending
solely
on
their
own
personal
gratification
and
amusement
--
and
meanwhile
there
are
dark
signs
of
trouble
brooding
.
The
poor
,
as
the
lean
and
anxious
curate
said
,
will
not
always
be
patient
!
I
must
not
here
forget
to
mention
,
that
through
some
secret
management
of
Rimânez
,
my
name
,
much
to
my
own
surprise
,
appeared
on
the
list
of
competitors
for
the
Derby
.
How
,
at
so
late
an
hour
,
this
had
been
effected
,
I
knew
no
more
than
where
my
horse
'
Phosphor
'
came
from
.
It
was
a
superb
animal
,
but
Rimânez
,
whose
gift
to
me
it
was
,
warned
me
to
be
careful
as
to
the
character
of
the
persons
admitted
into
the
stables
to
view
it
,
and
to
allow
no
one
but
the
horse
's
own
two
attendants
to
linger
near
it
long
on
any
pretext
.
Speculation
was
very
rife
as
to
what
'
Phosphor
's
'
capabilities
really
were
;
the
grooms
never
showed
him
off
to
advantage
during
exercise
.
I
was
amazed
when
Lucio
told
me
his
man
Amiel
would
be
the
jockey
.
"
Good
heavens
!
--
not
possible
!
"
I
exclaimed
.
"
Can
he
ride
?
"
"
Like
the
very
devil
!
"
--
responded
my
friend
with
a
smile
:
"
He
will
ride
'
Phosphor
'
to
the
winning-post
.
"
I
was
very
doubtful
in
my
own
mind
of
this
;
a
horse
of
the
Prime
Minister
's
was
to
run
,
and
all
the
betting
was
on
that
side
.
Few
had
seen
'
Phosphor
,
'
and
those
few
,
though
keen
admirers
of
the
animal
's
appearance
,
had
little
opportunity
of
judging
its
actual
qualities
,
thanks
to
the
careful
management
of
its
two
attendants
,
who
were
dark-faced
,
reticent-looking
men
,
somewhat
after
Amiel
's
character
and
complexion
.
I
myself
was
quite
indifferent
as
to
the
result
of
the
contest
.
I
did
not
really
care
whether
'
Phosphor
'
lost
or
won
the
race
.
I
could
afford
to
lose
;
and
it
would
be
little
to
me
if
I
won
,
save
a
momentary
passing
triumph
.
There
was
nothing
lasting
,
intellectual
or
honourable
in
the
victory
--
there
is
nothing
lasting
,
intellectual
or
honourable
in
anything
connected
with
racing
.
However
,
because
it
was
'
fashionable
'
to
be
interested
in
this
particular
mode
of
wasting
time
and
money
,
I
followed
the
general
'
lead
,
'
for
the
sake
of
'
being
talked
about
,
'
and
nothing
more
.
Meanwhile
,
Lucio
,
saying
little
to
me
concerning
it
,
was
busy
planning
the
betrothal-fête
at
Willowsmere
,
and
designing
all
sorts
of
'
surprise
'
entertainments
for
the
guests
.
Eight
hundred
invitations
were
sent
out
;
and
society
soon
began
to
chatter
volubly
and
excitedly
on
the
probable
magnificence
of
the
forthcoming
festival
.
Eager
acceptances
poured
in
;
only
a
few
of
those
asked
were
hindered
from
attending
by
illness
,
family
deaths
or
previous
engagements
,
and
among
these
latter
,
to
my
regret
,
was
Mavis
Clare
.
She
was
going
to
the
sea-coast
to
stay
with
some
old
friends
,
and
in
a
prettily-worded
letter
explained
this
,
and
expressed
her
thanks
for
my
invitation
,
though
she
found
herself
unable
to
accept
it
.
How
curious
it
was
that
when
I
read
her
little
note
of
refusal
I
should
experience
such
a
keen
sense
of
disappointment
!
She
was
nothing
to
me
--
nothing
but
a
'
literary
'
woman
who
,
by
strange
chance
,
happened
to
be
sweeter
than
most
women
unliterary
;
and
yet
I
felt
that
the
fête
at
Willowsmere
would
lose
something
in
brightness
lacking
her
presence
.
I
had
wanted
to
introduce
her
to
Sibyl
,
as
I
knew
I
should
thus
give
a
special
pleasure
to
my
betrothed
--
however
,
it
was
not
to
be
,
and
I
was
conscious
of
an
inexplicable
personal
vexation
.
In
strict
accordance
with
the
promise
made
,
I
let
Rimânez
have
his
own
way
entirely
with
regard
to
all
the
arrangements
for
what
was
to
be
the
ne
plus
ultra
of
everything
ever
designed
for
the
distraction
,
amusement
and
wonderment
of
listless
and
fastidious
'
swagger
'
people
,
and
I
neither
interfered
,
nor
asked
any
questions
,
content
to
rely
on
my
friend
's
taste
,
imagination
and
ingenuity
.
I
only
understood
that
all
the
plans
were
being
carried
out
by
foreign
artists
and
caterers
--
and
that
no
English
firms
would
be
employed
.
I
did
venture
once
to
inquire
the
reason
of
this
,
and
got
one
of
Lucio
's
own
enigmatical
replies
:
--
"
Nothing
English
is
good
enough
for
the
English
,
"
--
he
said
--
"
Things
have
to
be
imported
from
France
to
please
the
people
whom
the
French
themselves
angrily
designate
as
'
perfide
Albion
.
'
You
must
not
have
a
'
Bill
of
Fare
'
;
you
must
have
a
'
Menu
'
;
and
all
your
dishes
must
bear
French
titles
,
otherwise
they
will
not
be
in
good
form
.
