He
had begun the attempt some minutes before Madonna left the studio;
having found it useless to offer any explanations to his inattentive
guest of the meaning of the girl's signs and gestures with the slate
and tobacco-pouch. He had persevered in his hospitable endeavor all
through the whispered dialogue which had just passed between Zack and
himself; and he had now filled the glass nearly to the brim, when it
suddenly occurred to him that he had put sherry in at the top of the
tumbler, after having begun with brandy at the bottom; also that he had
altogether forgotten some important ingredient which he was, just then,
perfectly incapable of calling to mind.
"Here, Mat!" cried Zack. "Come and mix yourself something hot. Blyth's
been trying to do it for you, and can't."
Mat, who had been staring more and more vacantly into the fire all this
time, turned round again at last towards his friends at the supper
table. He started a little when he saw that Madonna was no longer in
the room--then looked aside from the door by which she had departed, to
the bureau. He had been pretty obstinately determined to get possession
of the Hair Bracelet from the first: but he was doubly and trebly
determined now.
"It's no use looking about for the young lady," said Zack; "you behaved
so clumsily and queerly, that you frightened her out of the room.
Pages:
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536