登陆注册
19498700000037

第37章 CHAPTER XVI(3)

Miltoun came in to lunch, but from his face and manner nothing could be guessed. He was a thought more talkative than usual, and spoke of Brabrook's speech--some of which he had heard. He looked at Courtier meaningly, and after lunch said to him:

"Will you come round to my den?"

In that room, the old withdrawing-room of the Elizabethan wing--where once had been the embroideries, tapestries, and missals of beruffled dames were now books, pamphlets, oak-panels, pipes, fencing gear, and along one wall a collection of Red Indian weapons and ornaments brought back by Miltoun from the United States. High on the wall above these reigned the bronze death-mask of a famous Apache Chief, cast from a plaster taken of the face by a professor of Yale College, who had declared it to be a perfect specimen of the vanishing race.

That visage, which had a certain weird resemblance to Dante's, presided over the room with cruel, tragic stoicism. No one could look on it without feeling that, there, the human will had been pushed to its farthest limits of endurance.

Seeing it for the first time, Courtier said:

"Fine thing--that! Only wants a soul."

Miltoun nodded:

"Sit down," he said.

Courtier sat down.

There followed one of those silences in which men whose spirits, though different, have a certain bigness in common--can say so much to one another:

At last Miltoun spoke:

"I have been living in the clouds, it seems. You are her oldest friend. The immediate question is how to make it easiest for her in face of this miserable rumour!"Not even Courtier himself could have put such whip-lash sting into the word 'miserable.'

He answered:

"Oh! take no notice of that. Let them stew in their own juice. She won't care."Miltoun listened, not moving a muscle of his face.

"Your friends here," went on Courtier with a touch of contempt, "seem in a flutter. Don't let them do anything, don't let them say a word.

Treat the thing as it deserves to be treated. It'll die."Miltoun, however, smiled.

"I'm not sure," he said, "that the consequences will be as you think, but I shall do as you say.""As for your candidature, any man with a spark of generosity in his soul will rally to you because of it.""Possibly," said Miltoun. "It will lose me the election, for all that."Then, dimly conscious that their last words had revealed the difference of their temperaments and creeds, they stared at one another.

"No," said Courtier, "I never will believe that people can be so mean!""Until they are."

"Anyway, though we get at it in different ways, we agree."Miltoun leaned his elbow on the mantelpiece, and shading his face with his hand, said:

"You know her story. Is there any way out of that, for her?"On Courtier's face was the look which so often came when he was speaking for one of his lost causes--as if the fumes from a fire in his heart had mounted to his head.

"Only the way," he answered calmly, "that I should take if I were you.""And that?"

"The law into your own hands."

Miltoun unshaded his face. His gaze seemed to have to travel from an immense distance before it reached Courtier. He answered:

"Yes, I thought you would say that."

同类推荐
  • 台宗十类因革论

    台宗十类因革论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 蕲黄四十八砦纪事

    蕲黄四十八砦纪事

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Murat

    Murat

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 净慈要语

    净慈要语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 逢故人

    逢故人

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 枪神之路:葵年代记

    枪神之路:葵年代记

    何为枪神?爬上No.1就是神!为何而战?为了荣誉而战!NONONO!对于菜鸟来说这样的要求实在太高了!但是呢,小葵,有她自己的枪神之路。不是只有男生才会泼洒热血,不是只有男生才能奋战到底!巾帼不让须眉!她的游戏生涯就要开始喽!
  • 太阳雨里的爱情

    太阳雨里的爱情

    那些年你有没有承诺或被承诺过?那么最后,那些承诺实现了么。
  • 苍凉的萌生

    苍凉的萌生

    颓灰的世界,被吞噬的不是熹微的日光,是一片苍凉的萌生!
  • THE CLASS STRUGGLES IN FRANCE

    THE CLASS STRUGGLES IN FRANCE

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 校霸:紫瞳废少

    校霸:紫瞳废少

    这是一部校园玄幻小说,废柴的中学生文凌因为体内上古神兽之灵的觉醒,一步步逆袭成为校霸。一路走来,不弃的兄弟,不离的爱情,不散的友情。希望书友们能喜欢,先在这而谢谢大家的喜欢
  • 红尘深渊

    红尘深渊

    父亲的离世,母亲的病重,还有一个年幼的弟弟,靠着一份工资伶仃兼职生存的她,被逼无奈,只能去她平时认为红灯区工作。一次的错位,差点让她清白尽失。好在那时,她期待的英雄出现。不止帮助她度过难关,给了她母亲的治疗费,还给她介绍工作.....她喜欢她。然而凡尘俗世,纷扰斗争,她的这份喜欢,这份爱又能否实现呢?"
  • 嫡女狂妃:傍个太子斗天下

    嫡女狂妃:傍个太子斗天下

    她,一朝穿越成为相府不受宠的嫡女!空有倾城之貌却名为不祥之人,骨肉至亲皆视她为眼中钉,就连贩夫走卒都不愿攀之若鹜。弃女强势归来,斗姨娘,败显贵,活的风生水起。本想安稳度日,却偶遇良人,用尽一生才华助他登上太子之位。大业将成,才知痴心错付。赤子之情竟为他人做了嫁衣。那人笑言为还她恩情只废其功,毁其容,挑其手筋脚筋却留其性命。街头行乞之时,她望着皇家祭天的队伍,心中起誓,必将天下夺回,活的万民敬仰!情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 风雷印记

    风雷印记

    炜焱不断的提升功力,想要破解带来无边痛苦的,在体内对撞的风之力和雷之力,以及自己眉心处北斗七星印记的秘密。
  • 谋爱成婚

    谋爱成婚

    她对他情深如海,却等来一纸代孕协议,还用她好友的命逼她签字,唐悠一怒之下,弃他而去。再次出现,她是他对手医学院从国外聘请回来的骨科专家。顾少霆闻讯赶来,她如看陌生人般笑的嫣然:“顾院长是在等我?”男人目光却燃烧着火:“不仅等你,还一直在找你!”她如听到天大笑话:“找我?代孕?”他为一个女人的腿和她纠缠不清。“知道我今天为什么出现在这里,那你也该明白自己怎么做!”她一口回绝:“这怕要让顾院长失望了。”话落,她整个人都压在车上,她看他的眼神依旧陌生:“怎么?打算用强的?”
  • 九品仙帝

    九品仙帝

    少年陆羽,丹田被废,三年来备受屈辱,尝尽世间世态炎凉。一次偶然,得到上古大妖迦楼罗的传承,以金翅大鹏的精血洗练肉身,成就堪比神兽的体魄。修炼失传万年的上古奇功,步步登仙!