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The Streets of Ascalon
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"Isn't she built for two?"
"Well, I suppose she could get off the ground with you and me – "
"All right; let's try her?"
"Jim! I won't let you," said his wife.
"Don't be silly, Molly. Rix and I are not going up if she won't take us – "
"I forbid you to try! It's senseless!"
Her husband laughed and finished his whisky and soda. Then twirling his motor goggles around his fingers he stood looking at Strelsa.
"You're a pretty little peach," he said sentimentally, "and I'm sorry Molly is here or – "
"Do you care?" laughed Strelsa, looking around at him over her shoulder. "I don't mind being adored by you, Jim."
"Don't you, sweetness?"
"Indeed I don't."
Wycherly started toward her: Langly Sprowl, who neither indulged in badinage nor comprehended it in others, turned a perfectly expressionless face on his host, who said:
"You old muffin head, did you ever smile in your life? You'd better try now because I'm going to take your best girl away from you!"
Which bored Sprowl; and he turned his lean, narrow head away as a sleek and sinister dog turns when laughed at.
Strelsa slipped clear of the piano and vanished, chased heavily by Wycherly.
Molly said: "It's time to dress, good people. Langly, your man is upstairs with your outfit. Come, Chrysos, dear – Rix, have you everything you want?" she added in a low voice as he stood aside for her to pass: "Have you everything, Ricky?"
"Nothing," he said.
"The little minx! Is it Langly?"
"Yes."
"Oh, dear, oh, dear!" And, aloud: "Jim! Do let Langly try out the Stinger to-morrow."
Her husband, who had given up his search for Strelsa, said that Sprowl was welcome.
People scattered to their respective quarters; Quarren walked slowly to his. Sprowl, passing with his mincing, nervous stride, said: "How's little Dankmere?"
"All right," replied Quarren briefly.
"Cheap little beggar," commented Sprowl.
"He happens to be my partner," said the other.
"He suits your business no doubt," said Sprowl with a contempt he took no pains to conceal – a contempt which very plainly included Quarren as well as the Earl and the picture business.
Arrived at his door he glanced around to stare absently at Quarren. The latter said, pleasantly:
"I don't suppose you meant to be offensive, Sprowl; you simply can't help it; can you?"
"What?"
"I mean, you can't help being a bounder. It's just in you, isn't it?"
For a moment Sprowl's hatchet face was ghastly; he opened his mouth to speak, twice, then jerked open his door and disappeared.
CHAPTER X
Quarren had been at Witch-Hollow three days when Dankmere called him on the long-distance telephone.
"Do you want me to come back?" asked the young fellow. "I don't mind if you do; I'm quite ready to return – "
"Not at all, my dear chap," said his lordship. "I fancied you might care to hear how matters are going in the Dankmere Galleries."
"Of course I do, but I rather hoped nothing in particular would happen for a week or so – "
"Plenty has. You know those experts of yours, Valasco, Drayton-Quinn, and that Hollander Van Boschoven. Well, they don't get on. Each has come to me privately, and in turn, and told me that the others were no good – "
"Your rôle is to remain amiable and non-committal," said Quarren. "Let them talk – "
"Valasco and Drayton-Quinn won't speak, and Van Boschoven has notified me that he declines to come to the house as long as either of the others are there."
"Very well; arrange to have them there on different days."
"I don't think Valasco will come back at all."
"Why not?"
"Because – the fact is – I believe I practically – so to speak – hit him."
"What!"
"Fact, old chap."
"Why?"
"Well, he asked me if I knew more about anything than I did about pictures. I didn't catch his drift for about an hour – but then it came to me, and I got up out of my chair and walked over and punched his head. I don't think he'll come back, do you?"
"No, I don't. What else have you been doing?" said Quarren angrily.
"Nothing. One picture – the Raeburn portrait – has a bad hole in it."
"How did it happen?"
"Well, I suppose she could get off the ground with you and me – "
"All right; let's try her?"
"Jim! I won't let you," said his wife.
"Don't be silly, Molly. Rix and I are not going up if she won't take us – "
"I forbid you to try! It's senseless!"
Her husband laughed and finished his whisky and soda. Then twirling his motor goggles around his fingers he stood looking at Strelsa.
"You're a pretty little peach," he said sentimentally, "and I'm sorry Molly is here or – "
"Do you care?" laughed Strelsa, looking around at him over her shoulder. "I don't mind being adored by you, Jim."
"Don't you, sweetness?"
"Indeed I don't."
Wycherly started toward her: Langly Sprowl, who neither indulged in badinage nor comprehended it in others, turned a perfectly expressionless face on his host, who said:
"You old muffin head, did you ever smile in your life? You'd better try now because I'm going to take your best girl away from you!"
Which bored Sprowl; and he turned his lean, narrow head away as a sleek and sinister dog turns when laughed at.
Strelsa slipped clear of the piano and vanished, chased heavily by Wycherly.
Molly said: "It's time to dress, good people. Langly, your man is upstairs with your outfit. Come, Chrysos, dear – Rix, have you everything you want?" she added in a low voice as he stood aside for her to pass: "Have you everything, Ricky?"
"Nothing," he said.
"The little minx! Is it Langly?"
"Yes."
"Oh, dear, oh, dear!" And, aloud: "Jim! Do let Langly try out the Stinger to-morrow."
Her husband, who had given up his search for Strelsa, said that Sprowl was welcome.
People scattered to their respective quarters; Quarren walked slowly to his. Sprowl, passing with his mincing, nervous stride, said: "How's little Dankmere?"
"All right," replied Quarren briefly.
"Cheap little beggar," commented Sprowl.
"He happens to be my partner," said the other.
"He suits your business no doubt," said Sprowl with a contempt he took no pains to conceal – a contempt which very plainly included Quarren as well as the Earl and the picture business.
Arrived at his door he glanced around to stare absently at Quarren. The latter said, pleasantly:
"I don't suppose you meant to be offensive, Sprowl; you simply can't help it; can you?"
"What?"
"I mean, you can't help being a bounder. It's just in you, isn't it?"
For a moment Sprowl's hatchet face was ghastly; he opened his mouth to speak, twice, then jerked open his door and disappeared.
CHAPTER X
Quarren had been at Witch-Hollow three days when Dankmere called him on the long-distance telephone.
"Do you want me to come back?" asked the young fellow. "I don't mind if you do; I'm quite ready to return – "
"Not at all, my dear chap," said his lordship. "I fancied you might care to hear how matters are going in the Dankmere Galleries."
"Of course I do, but I rather hoped nothing in particular would happen for a week or so – "
"Plenty has. You know those experts of yours, Valasco, Drayton-Quinn, and that Hollander Van Boschoven. Well, they don't get on. Each has come to me privately, and in turn, and told me that the others were no good – "
"Your rôle is to remain amiable and non-committal," said Quarren. "Let them talk – "
"Valasco and Drayton-Quinn won't speak, and Van Boschoven has notified me that he declines to come to the house as long as either of the others are there."
"Very well; arrange to have them there on different days."
"I don't think Valasco will come back at all."
"Why not?"
"Because – the fact is – I believe I practically – so to speak – hit him."
"What!"
"Fact, old chap."
"Why?"
"Well, he asked me if I knew more about anything than I did about pictures. I didn't catch his drift for about an hour – but then it came to me, and I got up out of my chair and walked over and punched his head. I don't think he'll come back, do you?"
"No, I don't. What else have you been doing?" said Quarren angrily.
"Nothing. One picture – the Raeburn portrait – has a bad hole in it."
"How did it happen?"
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Последний отзыв
Книга дельная. Без воды, приводятся реальные кейсы и способы их разрешения. Много практичных полезных советов и методик. Кое-что уже испробовала в дел...
Далее