Part 34 (1/2)
At long length ca hooves Then voices, the high, trilling laugh of Cli unconcernedly
”What an actor!” said Harlequin under his breath to Polichinelle, and Polichinelle nodded glooe, head high, chin thrust forward, eyes dancing with laughter; she expressed triuance Her cheeks were flushed, and there was some disorder in the mass of nut-brown hair that crowned her head In her left hand she carried an enorer a diaence the eyes of all
Her father sprang to meet her with an unusual display of paternal tenderness ”At last, my child!”
He conducted her to the table She sank into a chair, a little wearily, a little nervelessly, but the slanced across at Scarary, scowling stare, who detected so as of fear in the hazel eyesof her lids
Andre-Louis, however, still went on eating stolidly, without so much as a look in her direction Gradually the company ca, just so surely would there be no scene as long as they renal by rising and withdrawing, and within two hter, and Andre-Louis And then, at last, Andre-Louis set down knife and fork, washed his throat with a draught of Burgundy, and sat back in his chair to consider Climene
”I trust,” said he, ”that you had a pleasant ride, mademoiselle”
”Most pleasant, monsieur” Impudently she strove to emulate his coolness, but did not coe that jewel at this distance
It should be worth at least a couple of hundred louis, and that is a formidable sum even to so wealthy a nobleman as M de La Tour d'Azyr
Would it be i your husband, to ask you, iven hih, a queer ,” said Clinantly
”Ah! Then the jewel is in the nature of a payment in advance”
”My God, man, you're not decent!” M Binet protested
”Decent?” Andre-Louis' se upon M
Binet such a fulmination of contempt that the old scoundrel shi+fted uncomfortably in his chair ”Did you mention decency, Binet? Al that I detest above all others!” Slowly his glance returned to Climene, who sat with elbows on the table, her chin cupped in her pal between scorn and defiance ”Mademoiselle,” he said, slowly, ”I desire you purely in your own interests to consider whither you are going”
”I am well able to consider it for myself, and to decide without advice froot your answer,” chuckled Binet ”I hope you like it”
Andre-Louis had paled a little; there was incredulity in his great soard her Of M Binet he took no notice
”Surely, ly, with open eyes and a full understanding of what you do, you would exchange an honourable wifehood for for the thing that such men as M de La Tour d'Azyr esture, and swung to his daughter ”You hear him, the mealy-e with him would be the ruin of you He would always be there the inconvenient husband--to irl”
She tossed her lovely head in agreein to find him tiresome with his silly jealousies,” she confessed ”As a husband I am afraid he would be impossible”
Andre-Louis felt a constriction of the heart But--always the actor--he showed nothing of it He laughed a little, not very pleasantly, and rose
”I bow to your choice, ret it?” cried M Binet He was laughing, relieved to see his daughter at last rid of this suitor of whom he had never approved, if we except those few hours when he really believed hiret? That she accepted the protection of a nobleives her a jeorth as much as an actress earns in a year at the Coot up, and advanced towards Andre-Louis His mood became conciliatory ”Come, come, my friend, no rancour now What the devil! You wouldn't stand in the girl's way? You can't really blaht what it ht that under the protection of such a gentlehts which she may not reach? Don't you see the wonderful luck of it? Surely, if you're fond of her, particularly being of a jealous temperament, you wouldn't wish it otherwise?”
Andre-Louis looked at hiain ”Oh, you are fantastic,” he said ”You are not real” He turned on his heel and strode to the door
The action, andM