Then there was lunch to be thought of. She would not be there
probably, but still he had a faint hope.
She was not there, nor were any preparations made for her; but when
one is twenty-three and hungry, even if deeply in love, one must
eat. The English people had the next table beyond the sacred one of
the lady. The girl was pretty and young, and laughing. But what a
doll! thought Paul. What a meaningless wax doll! Not worth--not worth
a moment's glancing at.
And the pink and white fluffy girl was saying to herself: "There is
Paul Verdayne again. I wish he remembered he had met me at the De
Courcys', though we weren't introduced. I must get Percy to scrape up
a conversation with him. I wish mamma had not made me wear this green
alpaca to-day." But Paul's blue eyes gazed through and beyond her, and
saw her not. So all this prettiness was wasted.
And directly after lunch he returned to his sitting room. The tiger
would probably have arrived, and he wanted to further examine it. Yes,
it was there. He pulled it out and spread it over the floor. What a
splendid creature--it reminded him in some way of her--his lady.
Then he went into his bedroom and fetched a pair of scissors, and
proceeded to kneel on the floor and pare away the pinked-out black
cloth which came beyond the skin.
Pages:
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68