Mrs. Makely bustled up to the bedside with her energetic, patronizing
cheerfulness. "Ah, Mrs. Camp, I am glad to see you looking so well this
morning. I've been meaning to run over for several days past, but I
couldn't find a moment till this morning, and I knew you didn't object to
Sunday visits." She took the invalid's hand in hers, and, with the air of
showing how little she felt any inequality between them, she leaned over
and kissed her, where Mrs. Camp sat propped against her pillows. She had a
large, nobly moulded face of rather masculine contour, and at the same
time the most motherly look in the world. Mrs. Makely bubbled and babbled
on, and every one waited patiently till she had done, and turned and said,
toward the Altrurian: "I have ventured to bring my friend, Mr. Homos, with
me. He is from Altruria." Then she turned to me and said: "Mr. Twelvemough
you know already through his delightful books"; but, although she paid me
this perfunctory compliment it was perfectly apparent to me that in the
esteem of this disingenuous woman the distinguished stranger was a far
more important person than the distinguished author.
Pages:
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155