"
"That is not very grateful to me," said Mrs. Tristram, "who introduced
you last year to every creature I know."
"So you did; I had quite forgotten. But I thought you wanted me to
forget," said Newman, with that tone of simple deliberateness which
frequently marked his utterance, and which an observer would not have
known whether to pronounce a somewhat mysteriously humorous affection of
ignorance or a modest aspiration to knowledge; "you told me you disliked
them all."
"Ah, the way you remember what I say is at least very flattering. But
in future," added Mrs. Tristram, "pray forget all the wicked things and
remember only the good ones. It will be easily done, and it will not
fatigue your memory. But I forewarn you that if you trust my husband to
pick out your rooms, you are in for something hideous."
"Hideous, darling?" cried Tristram.
"To-day I must say nothing wicked; otherwise I should use stronger
language."
"What do you think she would say, Newman?" asked Tristram. "If she
really tried, now? She can express displeasure, volubly, in two or three
languages; that's what it is to be intellectual. It gives her the start
of me completely, for I can't swear, for the life of me, except in
English. When I get mad I have to fall back on our dear old mother
tongue.
Pages:
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121