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- Мари Корелли
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- Стр. 173/279
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I
had
to
be
greeted
,
complimented
,
flattered
,
and
congratulated
on
my
approaching
marriage
by
scores
of
hypocrites
who
nearly
shook
my
hand
off
in
their
enthusiasm
for
my
wealth
.
Had
I
become
suddenly
poor
,
I
thought
grimly
,
not
one
of
them
would
have
lent
me
a
sovereign
!
The
guests
kept
on
arriving
in
shoals
,
and
when
there
were
about
three
or
four
hundred
assembled
,
a
burst
of
exquisite
music
sounded
,
and
a
procession
of
pages
in
scarlet
and
gold
,
marching
two
by
two
appeared
,
carrying
trays
full
of
the
rarest
flowers
tied
up
in
bouquets
,
which
they
offered
to
all
the
ladies
present
.
Exclamations
of
delight
arose
on
every
side
--
exclamations
which
were
for
the
most
part
high-pitched
and
noisy
--
for
the
'
swagger
set
'
have
long
ceased
to
cultivate
softness
of
voice
or
refinement
of
accent
--
and
once
or
twice
the
detestable
slang
word
,
'
ripping
'
escaped
from
the
lips
of
a
few
dashing
dames
,
reputed
to
be
'
leaders
'
of
style
.
Repose
of
manner
,
dignity
and
elegance
of
deportment
,
however
,
are
no
longer
to
be
discovered
among
the
present
'
racing
'
duchesses
and
gambling
countesses
of
the
bluest
blue
blood
of
England
,
so
one
does
not
expect
these
graces
of
distinction
from
them
.
The
louder
they
can
talk
,
and
the
more
slang
they
can
adopt
from
the
language
of
their
grooms
and
stable-boys
,
the
more
are
they
judged
to
be
'
in
the
swim
'
and
'
up
to
date
.
'
I
speak
,
of
course
,
of
the
modern
scions
of
aristocracy
.
There
are
a
few
truly
'
great
ladies
'
left
,
whose
maxim
is
still
'
noblesse
oblige
,
'
--
but
they
are
quite
in
the
minority
and
by
the
younger
generation
are
voted
either
'
old
cats
'
or
'
bores
.
'
Many
of
the
'
cultured
'
mob
that
now
swarmed
over
my
grounds
had
come
out
of
the
sheerest
vulgar
curiosity
to
see
what
'
the
man
with
five
millions
'
could
do
in
the
way
of
entertaining
--
others
were
anxious
to
get
news
,
if
possible
,
of
the
chances
of
'
Phosphor
'
winning
the
Derby
,
concerning
which
I
was
discreetly
silent
.
But
the
bulk
of
the
crowd
wandered
aimlessly
about
,
staring
impertinently
or
enviously
at
each
other
,
and
scarcely
looking
at
the
natural
loveliness
of
the
gardens
or
the
woodland
scenery
around
them
.
The
brainlessness
of
modern
society
is
never
so
flagrantly
manifested
as
at
a
garden-party
,
where
the
restless
trousered
and
petticoated
bipeds
move
vaguely
to
and
fro
,
scarcely
stopping
to
talk
civilly
or
intelligently
to
one
another
for
five
minutes
,
most
of
them
hovering
dubiously
and
awkwardly
between
the
refreshment-pavilion
and
the
band-stand
.
In
my
domain
they
were
deprived
of
this
latter
harbour
of
refuge
,
for
no
musicians
could
be
seen
,
though
music
was
heard
--
beautiful
wild
music
which
came
first
from
one
part
of
the
grounds
and
then
from
another
,
and
to
which
few
listened
with
any
attention
.
All
were
,
however
,
happily
unanimous
in
their
enthusiastic
appreciation
of
the
excellence
of
the
food
provided
for
them
in
the
luxurious
luncheon
tents
of
which
there
were
twenty
in
number
.
Men
ate
as
if
they
had
never
eaten
in
their
lives
before
,
and
drank
the
choice
and
exquisite
wines
with
equal
greed
and
gusto
.
One
never
entirely
realises
the
extent
to
which
human
gourmandism
can
go
till
one
knows
a
few
peers
,
bishops
and
cabinet-ministers
,
and
watches
those
dignitaries
feed
ad
libitum
.
Soon
the
company
was
so
complete
that
there
was
no
longer
any
need
for
me
to
perform
the
fatiguing
duty
of
'
receiving
'
;
and
I
therefore
took
Sibyl
in
to
luncheon
,
determining
to
devote
myself
to
her
for
the
rest
of
the
day
.
She
was
in
one
of
her
brightest
and
most
captivating
moods
--
her
laughter
rang
out
as
sweetly
joyous
as
that
of
some
happy
child
--
she
was
even
kind
to
Diana
Chesney
,
who
was
also
one
of
my
guests
,
and
who
was
plainly
enjoying
herself
with
all
the
verve
peculiar
to
pretty
American
women
,
who
consider
flirtation
as
much
of
a
game
as
tennis
.
The
scene
was
now
one
of
great
brilliancy
,
the
light
costumes
of
the
women
contrasting
well
with
the
scarlet
and
gold
liveries
of
the
seemingly
innumerable
servants
that
were
now
everywhere
in
active
attendance
.
And
,
constantly
through
the
fluttering
festive
crowd
,
from
tent
to
tent
,
from
table
to
table
,
and
group
to
group
,
Lucio
moved
--
his
tall
stately
figure
and
handsome
face
always
conspicuous
wherever
he
stood
,
his
rich
voice
thrilling
the
air
whenever
he
spoke
.
His
influence
was
irresistible
,
and
gradually
dominated
the
whole
assemblage
--
he
roused
the
dull
,
inspired
the
witty
,
encouraged
the
timid
,
and
brought
all
the
conflicting
elements
of
rival
position
,
character
and
opinion
into
one
uniform
whole
,
which
was
unconsciously
led
by
his
will
as
easily
as
a
multitude
is
led
by
a
convincing
orator
.
I
did
not
know
it
then
,
but
I
know
now
,
that
metaphorically
speaking
,
he
had
his
foot
on
the
neck
of
that
'
society
'
mob
,
as
though
it
were
one
prostrate
man
;
--
that
the
sycophants
,
liars
and
hypocrites
whose
utmost
idea
of
good
is
wealth
and
luxurious
living
,
bent
to
his
secret
power
as
reeds
bend
to
the
wind
--
and
that
he
did
with
them
all
whatsoever
he
chose
--
as
he
does
to
this
very
day
!
God
!
--
if
the
grinning
,
guzzling
sensual
fools
had
only
known
what
horrors
were
about
them
at
the
feast
!
--
what
ghastly
ministers
to
pleasurable
appetite
waited
obediently
upon
them
!
--
what
pallid
terrors
lurked
behind
the
gorgeous
show
of
vanity
and
pride
!
But
the
veil
was
mercifully
down
--
and
only
to
me
has
it
since
been
lifted
!
Luncheon
over
,
the
singing
of
mirthful
voices
,
tuned
to
a
kind
of
village
roundelay
,
attracted
the
company
,
now
fed
to
repletion
,
towards
the
lawn
at
the
back
of
the
house
,
and
cries
of
delight
were
raised
as
the
Maypole
came
into
view
,
I
myself
joining
in
the
universal
applause
,
for
I
had
not
expected
to
see
anything
half
so
picturesque
and
pretty
.
The
pole
was
surrounded
by
a
double
ring
of
small
children
--
children
so
beautiful
in
face
and
dainty
in
form
,
that
they
might
very
well
have
been
taken
for
little
fairies
from
some
enchanted
woodland
.
The
boys
were
clad
as
tiny
foresters
,
in
doublets
of
green
,
with
pink
caps
on
their
curly
locks
--
the
girls
were
in
white
,
with
their
hair
flowing
loosely
over
their
shoulders
,
and
wreaths
of
May-blossom
crowning
their
brows
.
As
soon
as
the
guests
appeared
on
the
scene
,
these
exquisite
little
creatures
commenced
their
dance
,
each
one
taking
a
trail
of
blossom
or
a
ribbon
pendant
from
the
May-pole
,
and
weaving
it
with
the
others
into
no
end
of
beautiful
and
fantastic
designs
.
I
looked
on
,
as
amazed
and
fascinated
as
anyone
present
,
at
the
wonderful
lightness
and
ease
with
which
these
children
tripped
and
ran
;
--
their
tiny
twinkling
feet
seemed
scarcely
to
touch
the
turf
--
their
faces
were
so
lovely
--
their
eyes
so
bright
,
that
it
was
a
positive
enchantment
to
watch
them
.
Each
figure
they
executed
was
more
intricate
and
effective
than
the
last
,
and
the
plaudits
of
the
spectators
grew
more
and
more
enthusiastic
,
till
presently
came
the
finale
,
in
which
all
the
little
green
foresters
climbed
up
the
pole
and
clung
there
,
pelting
the
white-robed
maidens
below
with
cowslip-balls
,
knots
of
roses
,
bunches
of
violets
,
posies
of
buttercups
,
daisies
and
clover
,
which
the
girl-children
in
their
turn
laughingly
threw
among
the
admiring
guests
.
The
air
grew
thick
with
flowers
,
and
heavy
with
perfume
,
and
resounded
with
song
and
laughter
;
--
and
Sibyl
,
standing
at
my
side
,
clapped
her
hands
in
an
ecstasy
.
"
Oh
,
it
is
lovely
--
lovely
!
"
she
cried
--
"
Is
this
the
prince
's
idea
?
"
Then
as
I
answered
in
the
affirmative
,
she
added
,
"
Where
,
I
wonder
,
did
he
find
such
exquisitely
pretty
little
children
!
"
As
she
spoke
,
Lucio
himself
advanced
a
step
or
two
in
front
of
the
other
spectators
and
made
a
slight
peremptory
sign
.
The
fairy-like
foresters
and
maidens
,
with
extraordinary
activity
,
all
sprang
away
from
the
May-pole
,
pulling
down
the
garlands
with
them
,
and
winding
the
flowers
and
ribbons
about
themselves
so
that
they
looked
as
if
they
were
all
tied
together
in
one
inextricable
knot
--
this
done
,
they
started
off
at
a
rapid
run
,
presenting
the
appearance
of
a
rolling
ball
of
blossom
,
merry
pipe-music
accompanying
their
footsteps
,
till
they
had
entirely
disappeared
among
the
trees
.
"
Oh
do
call
them
back
again
!
"
entreated
Sibyl
,
laying
her
hand
coaxingly
on
Lucio
's
arm
--
"
I
should
so
like
to
speak
to
two
or
three
of
the
prettiest
!
"
