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King of the Castle
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“Of course,” said Claude warmly; “and he’s quite worthy of it. I like Mr Trevithick very, very much.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Mary, in a mock tragic tone, as she flung her cousin’s hands away, “you’ll make me hate you.”
“Mary, you ought to have been an actress.”
“You mean I ought to have been a man and an actor, Claudie. Oh, how I could have played Richard the Third.”
“Hush!”
“Oh, they can’t hear. They’re talking of bills and bonds and lading. I heard them. But Claude, oh! and you professing to love Chris Lisle.”
“I never professed anything of the kind,” cried Claude indignantly.
“Your eyes did; and all the time uncle is engaging you to Mr Glyddyr.”
“Mary! For shame!”
“And in spite of this double-dealing, you must want Mr Trevithick, too?”
“Do you wish to make me angry?”
“Do you wish to make me jealous?”
“Jealous? Absurd!”
“Of course,” cried Mary sharply. “What should a poor little miserable like I am know of love or jealousy or heartaches, and the rest of it?”
“My dear coz,” whispered Claude, placing an arm round her, “I shall never understand you.”
“There isn’t much of me, Claude. It oughtn’t to take you long.”
“But it does,” said Claude playfully. “I never know when you are serious and when you are teasing. I have not the most remote idea of what you mean now.”
“Then I’ll tell you. He’s in love.”
“Who is?”
“Mr Trevithick.”
“Mary!”
“There you go. No: not with you. Of course, it would be quite natural if the great big fellow, coming here every now and then, had fallen in love with his client’s beautiful daughter. But the foolish goose has fallen in love with some one else.”
“Mary, dear, how do you know? With whom?”
“Ah! Of course, you would never guess – with poor Mary Dillon.”
“Oh, Mary, darling! But has he really told you so?”
“I should like to see him dare.”
“Yes,” said Claude quietly; “I suppose that is what most girls would like.”
“Don’t, Claude dearest; pray don’t. My sedate and lovely cousin trying to make jokes. Oh! this is too delicious. But it won’t do, Claudie; it is not in your way at all. I am a natural, born female jester – a sort of Josephine Miller; but – you! oh, it is too ridiculous.”
“Now, tell me seriously, what does this mean?” said Claude, taking the girl’s hands.
“What I told you, darling. Big, clever, serious Mr Trevithick, the learned lawyer, is in love – with me.”
“Mary, you must be serious now. But how do you know?”
“How do I know?” cried Mary, with a curl of the lip. “How does a woman know when a man loves her?”
“By his telling her so, I suppose; and you say Mr Trevithick has not told you.”
“Didn’t you know Chris Lisle loved you before he dared to tell – I mean, to give you instructions in the art of catching salmon?”
Claude was silent.
“No, of course you did not, dear,” said Mary mockingly. “As if it was not only too easy to tell.”
“But, Mary dear, this is too serious to trifle about. You have not given him any encouragement?”
“Only been as sharp and disagreeable to him as I could.”
“But how has he shown it?”
“Lots of ways. Held my poor little tiny hand in his great big ugly paw, where it looked like a splash of cream in a trencher, and forgot to let it go when he was talking to me; looked down at me as if he were hungry, and I was something good to eat – like an ogre who wanted to pick my bones; sighed like the wind in Logan cave, and when I dragged my hand away, all crushed and crumpled up, and without a bit of feeling left in it, he begged my pardon, and looked ashamed of himself.”
“And what did you say?”
“I? I said, ‘Oh!’”
“That all?”
“No; I said, ‘you’ve quite spoiled that hand, Mr Trevithick,’ and then the monster looked frightened of me.”
“I am very sorry – no, very glad, Mary,” said Claude thoughtfully, and looking her surprise.
“Which, dear?”
There was a tap at the door, and Sarah Woodham entered.
“Master wished me to tell you that Mr Trevithick will not stay for dinner, Miss Claude, and said would you come down.”
“Directly, Sarah,” said Claude, rising. “You will not come, Mary?” she whispered.
“Indeed, but I shall.”
Другие электронные книги автора George Fenn
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Книга дельная. Без воды, приводятся реальные кейсы и способы их разрешения. Много практичных полезных советов и методик. Кое-что уже испробовала в дел...
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