登陆注册
25463700000047

第47章

Blanche flirted, in fact, more or less with all men, but her opportunity for playing her harmless batteries upon Bernard were of course exceptionally large. The poor fellow was perpetually under fire, and it was inevitable that he should reply with some precision of aim.

It seemed to him all child's play, and it is certain that when his back was turned to his pretty hostess he never found himself thinking of her.

He had not the least reason to suppose that she thought of him--excessive concentration of mind was the last vice of which he accused her.

But before the winter was over, he discovered that Mrs. Gordon Wright was being talked about, and that his own name was, as the newspapers say, mentioned in connection with that of his friend's wife. The discovery greatly disgusted him; Bernard Longueville's chronicler must do him the justice to say that it failed to yield him an even transient thrill of pleasure.

He thought it very improbable that this vulgar rumor had reached Gordon's ears; but he nevertheless--very naturally--instantly made up his mind to leave the house. He lost no time in saying to Gordon that he had suddenly determined to go to California, and that he was sure he must be glad to get rid of him. Gordon expressed no surprise and no regret.

He simply laid his hand on his shoulder and said, very quietly, looking at him in the eyes--"Very well; the pleasantest things must come to an end."

It was not till an hour afterwards that Bernard said to himself that his friend's manner of receiving the announcement of his departure had been rather odd. He had neither said a word about his staying longer nor urged him to come back again, and there had been (it now seemed to Bernard) an audible undertone of relief in the single sentence with which he assented to his visitor's withdrawal. Could it be possible that poor Gordon was jealous of him, that he had heard this loathsome gossip, or that his own observation had given him an alarm?

He had certainly never betrayed the smallest sense of injury; but it was to be remembered that even if he were uneasy, Gordon was quite capable, with his characteristic habit of weighing everything, his own honor included, in scrupulously adjusted scales, of denying himself the luxury of active suspicion.

He would never have let a half suspicion make a difference in his conduct, and he would not have dissimulated; he would simply have resisted belief. His hospitality had been without a flaw, and if he had really been wishing Bernard out of his house, he had behaved with admirable self-control. Bernard, however, followed this train of thought a very short distance. It was odious to him to believe that he could have appeared to Gordon, however guiltlessly, to have invaded even in imagination the mystic line of the marital monopoly; not to say that, moreover, if one came to that, he really cared about as much for poor little Blanche as for the weather-cock on the nearest steeple.

He simply hurried his preparations for departure, and he told Blanche that he should have to bid her farewell on the following day.

He had found her in the drawing-room, waiting for dinner.

She was expecting company to dine, and Gordon had not yet come down.

She was sitting in the vague glow of the fire-light, in a wonderful blue dress, with two little blue feet crossed on the rug and pointed at the hearth. She received Bernard's announcement with small satisfaction, and expended a great deal of familiar ridicule on his project of a journey to California. Then, suddenly getting up and looking at him a moment--"I know why you are going," she said.

"I am glad to hear my explanations have not been lost."

"Your explanations are all nonsense. You are going for another reason.

"

"Well," said Bernard, "if you insist upon it, it 's because you are too sharp with me."

"It 's because of me. So much as that is true." Bernard wondered what she was going to say--if she were going to be silly enough to allude to the most impudent of fictions; then, as she stood opening and closing her blue fan and smiling at him in the fire-light, he felt that she was silly enough for anything. "It 's because of all the talk--it 's because of Gordon.

You need n't be afraid of Gordon."

"Afraid of him? I don't know what you mean," said Bernard, gravely.

Blanche gave a little laugh.

"You have discovered that people are talking about us--about you and me.

I must say I wonder you care. I don't care, and if it 's because of Gordon, you might as well know that he does n't care. If he does n't care, I don't see why I should; and if I don't, I don't see why you should!"

"You pay too much attention to such insipid drivel in even mentioning it."

"Well, if I have the credit of saying what I should n't--to you or to any one else--I don't see why I should n't have the advantage too.

Gordon does n't care--he does n't care what I do or say. He does n't care a pin for me!"

She spoke in her usual rattling, rambling voice, and brought out this declaration with a curious absence of resentment.

"You talk about advantage," said Bernard. "I don't see what advantage it is to you to say that."

"I want to--I must--I will! That 's the advantage!" This came out with a sudden sharpness of tone; she spoke more excitedly.

"He does n't care a button for me, and he never did!

I don't know what he married me for. He cares for something else--he thinks of something else. I don't know what it is--I suppose it 's chemistry!"

These words gave Bernard a certain shock, but he had his intelligence sufficiently in hand to contradict them with energy.

"You labor under a monstrous delusion," he exclaimed.

"Your husband thinks you fascinating."

This epithet, pronounced with a fine distinctness, was ringing in the air when the door opened and Gordon came in.

He looked for a moment from Bernard to his wife, and then, approaching the latter, he said, softly--"Do you know that he leaves us to-morrow?"

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 神武逆天

    神武逆天

    演绎武道巅峰!等级划分:武者、武师、武王、武皇、武宗、入圣镜、武圣、武神。
  • 我家的妖精大人们

    我家的妖精大人们

    李沐白推开家门,便看到一群奇形怪状的家伙坐在自家客厅里。一个白胡子的老头干咳了一声,用力敲了敲桌子。“肃静肃静,现在开始第七届妖族全族代表大会,后面来的自己找位置坐”李沐白愣了一秒,几乎怀疑自己走错了地方“卧槽!你们谁啊?跑到我家里来干嘛?谁允许你们进来的?还动我的茶叶……靠!那是我刚买的啊!你们信不信我报警啊?!”莫名其妙的闯入了一群上古大妖开会的会场,然后又莫名其妙的被选成了所谓的妖族之主,李沐白表示很蛋疼。拜托,既然是妖族之主,好歹也送两个猫耳娘兔耳娘之类的美女侍从吧?你这什么美女都不送,还说是妖王……妖个棒槌啊
  • 全球游戏狂欢

    全球游戏狂欢

    欢迎来到全球游戏。这是一个来源于第九艺术的狂欢,也是一个全球玩家的游戏狂欢,同时,也很真实。
  • 古城街头的红色足迹

    古城街头的红色足迹

    本书用以事说史的形式叙述从1919年的五四运动到1949年临海解放这30年中,发生在临海城区的革命斗争故事。全书分为:临海城区革命斗争史综述、红色足迹、人物传略、附录四部分。
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 宠卿入骨:奸佞妖妃狠撩人

    宠卿入骨:奸佞妖妃狠撩人

    身为大魏国女扮男装的黑化祭司大人,苏郁卿表示只想做佞臣,不做忠臣!然,这新上任的皇帝为何总要盯着她???难道是她佞的太明显了?陆寂白孤傲冷清的眸子睨着苏郁卿,道:“掰弯了朕,还想拍拍屁股走人不成???”前世为荣国公府的贵女千金,被人陷害,亲眼见着被诛了九族,三千多人的血汇聚成河,重活一世,成了当朝女扮男装的祭司大人,然天不亡我,为何不要仇人之血,祭奠我荣国公三千亡魂!!!
  • 万剑成神

    万剑成神

    神剑大陆,万族林立,强者如云。曾今的剑道天才,现在的卑微剑奴。永不屈服的少年,意外因为一把神剑融入体内,历经千锤百炼,重入剑道,直上云霄,成为妖孽一样的存在。热血残酷的对决,顶尖高手的碰撞,剑道强者的秦风,仗剑天涯,翻江倒海,上天入地,主宰万界!一切尽在万剑成神!
  • 诗之道

    诗之道

    写写诗、种种田、做做饭、逗逗妖……我有诗一首,陪你到白头。
  • 富世绘

    富世绘

    叶檀作序推荐说:“这本图书是中国新富阶层生动的镜像,读这些文字更像看一部关于中国新富阶层的纪录片。不同主角的“出生”、成长,甚至八卦娱乐到剪光头发,从个人悲欢到群体浮沉都跃然纸上。”这是一本个性鲜明的中国富人“浮世绘”,它选取的更多是中国快速造富之后,作为个体富人的剧烈适应或者被适应的过程描述和分析。整本书的写作,除有趣的富裕阶层故事外,调侃里亦有严肃的观察,松散的故事里有严密的财富逻辑。”
  • 爵少的迷糊妻

    爵少的迷糊妻

    冥爵辰,商业界的风云人物,叱咤风云,一个活在顶端的帝王。遇到她之前性格冰凉,心狠手辣,有重度洁癖的他视女人为毒蝎,遇到她之后,摇身一变为宠妻奴。“总裁,夫人想要种花”“把后花园重新改造,世界上的花种拿去给夫人挑”“总裁,夫人被欺负了”“把那个人剁了喂狗”“总裁,夫人跑路了”“什么?我亲自去”“冥爵辰,我要和你离婚”某女哭着吼道,某男当没听见……“小筱,跑路是要付出代价的”一场腹黑总裁的追爱过程展开,又会有怎么样的结果。冥爵辰:宁可负了全世界,可又怎舍得负你。 欢迎加入群聊[群聊号码:935418085]