Evadore Wager was frankly--to a degree almost Chinese--curious about
the others. At short regular intervals, in a tone of unvaried timbre
and inexhaustible surprise, she half exclaimed, "Fancy." Claire was
metallic, turned in, with an indifference to her position that was
actually rude, upon herself. But Mrs. Gilbert Bromhead made up for any
silence around her in a seductive, low-pitched continuous talking. A
part of this was superficially addressed to Claire and the solidly
amazed Evadore; but all its underlying intention, its musical cadences
and breathless suspensions for approval, were flung at the men. The
impression she skillfully conveyed to Lee Randon, by an art which never
for an instant lost its aspect of the artless, was that he, at least,
older in experience than the rest there, alone entirely understood and
engaged her.
The men--even Peyton, temporarily--resting confident on a successful
bringing of their wives into the masculine simplicity of their common
memories and affection, said little. With eyes puckered wisely against
the cigarette smoke they made casual remarks about their present
occupations and terse references to companions and deeds of the past.
Only Peyton had been of any athletic importance; he had played
university foot-ball; and, in view of this, there was still a tinge of
respect in Bromhead's manner. A long run of Peyton's, crowned with a
glorious and winning score, was recalled.
Pages:
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137