Part 18 (2/2)
He turned to her and smiled his blandest smile
”Under the circumstances,” he said, ”the best I could expect”
Still s, he smoothed his coat and squared his shoulders
”Our littleto its close”
XI
The sun had finally broken through the clouds, and already its rays were slanting into the roo the shadows of the vines outside dance fitfully on the wall by the fire; and the shadows of the elht over the rain soaked leaves, and the rank, daentle sunshi+ne of an autumn afternoon, soft and kindly, and yet a little bleak
”Yes,” said my father, ”it is nearly over It turns into a simple matter, after all I wonder, Mademoiselle, will you be sorry? Will you ever recall our weeks on the high-road? I shall, I think And the Inn in Britanny, with Brutus up the road, and Ned Aiken swearing at the post boys At least ere living life And the _Eclipse_--I told you they would never beat us on a ard tack I told you, Mademoiselle, the majority of mankind were very simple people”
”And you still feel so?” she asked him
”Now more than ever,” said my father ”I had al the dozens outside, but they all have the brains of school boys No wonder the world reat”
And he wound the handkerchief around his hand again
”The captain has arranged to sell the paper?” asked Mademoiselle
”Exactly,” said my father ”The price has been fixed, and I shall deliver it rows a little darker I a”
”No,” said Made”
”You are pale,to me ”I trust you are not hurt?”
I shook my head
”It is only your pride? You will be better soon Coood losers We have always knohen the gaentleet the paper Why not make the best of it? You have tried, and tried not unskilfully, but you see now that the right man cannot alin--a useful lesson, is it not? I do not ask you to like h of me, I hope, to hate me And yet--let us be philosophical
Be seated,in the Madeira, and the noon meal”
I did not reply, and he stood for aon the fire, which gave off a brisk crackling fro doubtfully, until o,” my father directed ”Mademoiselle, permit me”
He pointed out an armchair beside the fire ”And you, my son, opposite
So” From the side pocket of his coat he drew a silver mounted pistol, which he exa it back, ”let us be tranquil Is there any reason to bear ill will simply because we each stand on an opposite side of a question of ethics? If you had only been to the wars, how differently you would see it There hundreds of men stab each other with the best will in the world, none of the crudeness of personal aniood nature In a little tiain You have seen erous, recklessIndeed, I have so few that I shall have recourse to violence, my son, if you do not assuh to make any further excitement quite superfluous Have patience An hour or so ”
There fell a silence while he stood iust of wind blen the chimney, and scattered a cloud of dust over the hearth The rafters creaked Somewhere in the stillness a door sla it on matic calm aroused in me a new emotion I had hated it and wondered at it before, and now in spite of e of pity For nature had intended it to be an expressive face, sensitive and quick to mirror each perception and emotion Was it pride that had turned it into a ht that burned within, or had the light burned out and left it ?” said Mademoiselle