The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars by Maurice DeKobra

Author:Maurice DeKobra [Dekobra, Maurice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Neversink Library
ISBN: 9781612190594
Publisher: Melville House
Published: 2012-09-25T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

MOST UNWELCOME VISITORS

GRISELDA ALSO TURNED PALE. BUT SHE QUICKLY regained her self-possession. Some inexplicable emotion came over me. I contemplated her tiny aquiline nose, her rougeless lips, her deep blue eyes and her bare white arms, slightly bronzed by the Mediterranean sun.

Mr. and Mrs. Maughan had discreetly moved away. Griselda sat down opposite me in a huge armchair and asked with an indifferent politeness which I found most disconcerting:

“What are you doing here, my dear? I thought you were in London.”

I told her briefly what had transpired since my departure from New York.

She listened to me without apparent interest and finally remarked, “In other words, you have become the knight errant of Lady Diana Wynham?”

“At least, I do my best to be of service to her.”

“You are absolutely right. It would hardly be proper for the Prince Séliman to accept favors from so heralded a beauty without giving something in exchange.”

“Griselda, you are quite mistaken. Lady Wynham is not and never will be my mistress.”

The Princess displayed no great regard for my affirmation. She only smiled sarcastically and remarked, “Without any doubt, you are the strangest individual I have ever met. You are a combination of the sublime and the ridiculous, if you will forgive me for saying so. A distinguished gentleman at noon—a clown at midnight—you excel in every capacity! Here you are moving heaven and earth for the sake of a woman who is not even yours. To my mind, that isn’t logic.”

“Sometimes, Griselda, it is dangerous to challenge logic, that angular old maid with flat hips. And, another thing, don’t forget that my curious behavior is a little bit your fault.”

“Oh!”

“Yes! You have treated me with extraordinary cruelty. When I left America, I took nothing except a melancholy sketch of Lake Placid on an April afternoon. Do you remember what you did? My last letter, torn into little pieces and dedicated to a springtime breeze. My poor effort mutilated! A perfect picture of the death of my hope! Do you realize that you sent away a broken man, a virtual suicide? Not knowing and caring less what would happen, the veriest chance took me to London. Having nothing else to attend to, I accepted the position of secretary, counsel, and mentor to an extremely important member of the smart set. I know you will say that there are positions more suitable to a man of my rank. Unquestionably! But that is no excuse for trying to break my spirit. Every man, no matter how weak, hopes to do something great some day, and to leave his mark on history’s crowded page. A wandering student of nature, I was amused to observe British Society through the yellow glasses of an unprejudiced aristocrat. Comfortably cradled on the Ocean of Snobbery, I had only one ambition: to wait until Fate would throw us together again. And now my wish has come true. I have rediscovered you, Griselda, more seductive than ever, and I admit frankly that you upset me terribly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.