“My dear Grant,” she laughed, “I don’t care a bit how you set the course of your yacht or where you go to. What I should really like to know is why you don’t hold my hand?”
“I am placing a great restraint upon myself,” he assured her. “My captain is on the left-hand side of the bridge there, and my first officer on the right.”
“Why you have a room with all these silly little windows, I can’t imagine,” she complained. “I am feeling unusually gracious this afternoon. It was really very sweet of you to arrange this party and to let me bring Cornelius Blunn. He was most anxious to meet Lord Yeovil.”
“I wonder why?” Grant remarked. “He appears to hate politics and most serious matters.”
“He does, but he loves men,” she explained. “Men, and women, too, for that matter. A new type interests him. He has more friends than any man I ever met, and the number of his women acquaintances is scandalous.”
“He seems quite a simple person. I should never have believed that he was the Cornelius Blunn one reads so much about,—the great capitalist, the huge speculator, the man who controls the brains of so many great enterprises.”
“Mostly newspaper talk,” she observed carelessly. “He holds the majority of the shares in a great many of these companies by inheritance, but he takes no active part in their management. I wonder what Lord Yeovil thought of his suggestion that America ought to be asked again to join the Pact5 of Nations.”
Grant’s expression was one of bland6 indifference7.
“I have no idea what Lord Yeovil’s own views on the matter may be,” he confessed. “We seldom talk politics. How does a man like your friend Blunn, now, get on with politicians, say of the type of Prince Lutrecht?”
“Well, they are entirely8 different,” she said thoughtfully. “Lutrecht is a born statesman. He comes from a stock of diplomatists. He would never have the broad views of Cornelius Blunn.”
“This matter of America, for instance?” Grant hazarded.
“How should I know anything about it,” she queried9, a little impatiently, “and why do we waste time talking politics? You’re not nearly so nice as you were yesterday. Have you nothing more interesting to say?”
“And if I have, what would be the use?”
His tone seemed full of bitterness, his glance was certainly reproachful. She leaned towards him and took his hand boldly.
“Can’t I make up, just a little. Grant?” she whispered.
“Do you want to?” he demanded.
“I think so.”
“And then go back—to Berlin?”
“Who knows?” she sighed. “You yourself have had proof that I am a creature of impulse. When I feel strongly enough I have no will.”
There was a knock at the door. A steward10 brought in a message scribbled11 on a piece of paper. Grant glanced at it and nodded.
“We had better go down,” he said, turning to Gertrude. “The captain wants to consult me about the course. I have promised Lord Yeovil that he shall be back at ten o’clock. And I have an appointment myself later.”
“What sort of an appointment?” she asked a little jealously.
“Nothing of any moment,” he assured her.
They descended12 the steps, Grant pausing to speak for a few moments with the captain.
“I’m tired of all these people,” Gertrude declared abruptly13. “Take me into your music room and I’ll play to you.”
He shook his head. Lymane was glowering14 at them from the rail, and Rose Lancaster was sitting alone.
“Alas15!” he murmured. “You must remember that I am a host.”
“I shall flirt16 with Arthur Lymane,” she threatened.
“You’ve done that already,” he answered drily.
“Nonsense, I’ve only trifled with him,” she laughed. “He’s a nice boy but conceited17. Walks in his master’s shadow and fancies himself a diplomatist. He is as some one once said of a war time Prime Minister,—full of small reticences and bubbling over with ingenuous18 disclosures.”
“How did you discover that?”
“When I talk to him I have to pretend to be interested in politics,” she replied evasively. “There is nothing else he can talk about.”
Susan cut out of the rubber and Rose Lancaster took her place. Grant crossed over and sank into a chair by the former’s side.
“Any luck?” he enquired19.
“Thirty francs, thanks to Mr. Blunn. He’s a daring caller but he plays the cards wonderfully.”
“A most interesting character,” he remarked.
“Father seems to like him,” she agreed. “The only German he ever has liked.”
“And you?”
“I like him, too, or rather I think I do,” she replied, after a moment’s hesitation20. “There are just odd moments when he gives me rather a quaint4 impression of insincerity. I dare say that’s fancy. Grant, you’re giving us a wonderful day.”
“I want it to be,” he answered. “It’s very nice to get you all here, and I fancy it must be rather a relief to your father to be right away for a few hours. No messages or cables possible. Hullo!”
He looked up at the masthead. Susan followed his example. There was a little crackling of blue fire there.
“I’m afraid I spoke21 too soon,” he pointed22 out. “The wireless23 is evidently working. I meant to have had it disconnected.”
Lord Yeovil, who was playing a hand, paused for a moment and looked up curiously24.
“I should like to have been Prime Minister to Queen Elizabeth,” he grumbled25. “One might have had a chance of a few hours’ holiday then.”
“Not you, Dad,” Susan exclaimed. “You’d have found making love to her all the time much more strenuous26 than law-making.”
“My knowledge of history is slight,” her father rejoined, “but I don’t fancy that Queen Elizabeth showed much amorous27 interest in elderly widowers28.”
The Marconi operator presented a message to Lord Yeovil. He tore it open, nodded, and waited till the young man had retired29. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he glanced across towards Gertrude, who was leaning against the rail, with Lymane by her side.
“My news is official,” he said, “but there is, I imagine, no secrecy30 about it. It will probably interest you, Princess.”
“Me!” Gertrude exclaimed, looking genuinely surprised.
“It is a cable from Berlin,” Lord Yeovil continued, “which Andrews has wirelessed on to me. ‘Baron Katina left this morning with cabled credentials31 to take Naga’s place here. I am informed that he is accompanied by Prince von Diss.’”
“Otto! My husband!” Gertrude cried.
Lord Yeovil assented32.
“Is your husband, by any chance, a Japanese scholar, Princess?” he asked.
“He understands Japanese,” she replied. “He learnt it at Tokyo years ago. He has been over there once or twice since on missions.”
“That probably explains the matter,” Lord Yeovil pointed out. “Katina has the reputation of being a great diplomatist, but he has only just commenced the study of European languages. The Prince is probably coming with him as interpreter.”
Gertrude’s face was, for a moment, scarcely beautiful. She was looking across at Grant. Susan intercepted33 the glance and laughed, for her, a little maliciously34.
“What a catastrophe35!” she murmured.
A steward handed round cocktails36. Blunn looked at the beautiful glasses, with their slight frosting, and rose to his feet, as he accepted one.
“To my friend and host,” he said, addressing Grant. “I drink to you fervently37, sir. You are the prince of hosts. Three minutes ago I felt that slight uneasy sensation, that faint but insistent38 desire for alcoholic39 sustenance40, which sometimes prompts me at about seven o’clock to press the bell for my own butler, or if I am in an hotel or at my club, to make certain suggestions to the waiter. The feeling comes and within three minutes it is gratified. Wonderful!”
He raised his glass to his lips and drained it.
“Have another,” Grant invited; “there’s a shakerful behind.”
“I will,” Mr. Blunn assented, without hesitation. “I like your cocktails, sir, I like the time and manner in which they are served. I like everything about them. It is indeed a very happy day. I am going two ‘no trumps41.’”
Gertrude raised her glass.
“Well,” she said, “I suppose I must drink to the end of my grass-widowhood.”
She looked across at Grant. He smiled inscrutably.
“You anticipate,” he reminded her. “The Prince cannot arrive until the morning after to-morrow.”
She paused.
“In that case,” she decided42, “I shall drink to something else.”
Dinner, served as they crept at half-speed towards the harbour, was a wonderful meal. Grant’s chef, who had ransacked43 Monte Carlo on the previous day and motored over to Nice to collect the materials for one of his favourite sauces, had surpassed himself. Every one except Gertrude seemed in the highest possible spirits. Cornelius Blunn, growing pinker with every course, sat like an overgrown and over-filled child,—sometimes witty44, sometimes ingenuous, always amusing. Rose Lancaster on one side and Susan on the other were admirable and appreciative45 foils for his gallantries. Gertrude, on Grant’s right, was a little silent and intense; Lymane, on her other side, sulky and inclined to be melodramatic. He was continually endeavouring to inveigle46 his neighbour into a whispered conversation which she, as persistently47, discouraged. She declined altogether to take him seriously.
“My dear man,” she protested, “don’t you understand the situation? I cannot flirt with you any longer. My husband will be here within a few hours. I must bring myself into the necessary state of mind to receive him. It is a calamity48, perhaps, but it must be borne.”
“You have the whole of to-morrow,” he muttered.
“It will take me the whole of to-morrow to find myself,” she assured him. “Here have I been encouraging Mr. Slattery and, at any rate, listening to you, with all the licence of a fairly respectable but susceptible49 grass widow. Otto is very jealous and I am a very dutiful wife. I have little more than twenty-four hours to forget you both. I must be left entirely alone. I have promised to dine with Mr. Slattery to-morrow night, and a promise is a thing I never break. I warn him, however, that it will be—well—”
“I rather understood,” Lymane interrupted bitterly, “that you were dining with me and coming somewhere to dance afterwards.”
“That was the night after, my friend,” she replied. “And, alas! there’s nothing in the least modern about Otto. I’ll give everyone fair warning that while he is here I shall not be allowed to dine or flirt with any one. To-morrow night is my last evening of freedom. Don’t be surprised. Grant, if I lead you a terrible dance.”
“Why should they have a dinner to themselves?” Cornelius Blunn exclaimed, turning to Rose Lancaster. “I will give a dinner party to-morrow night. I invite everybody. I have some other friends, over at Nice. I will wire for them. Prince Lutrecht and his wife shall come. I will spend the whole of to-morrow arranging it. I cannot equal this festival but I will see what can be done. Accept quickly, please, every one of you.”
There was a little affirmative chorus. Cornelius Blunn looked across at Gertrude. She set her lips and shook her head.
“I shall not give up my own dinner,” she declared, defiantly50, “and I decline to let Mr. Slattery off.”
“Very well,” Blunn acquiesced51 good-humouredly. “I shall either alter the date of mine or it shall be an opposition52. I shall probably have refinements53 which have never been thought of before. I shall have the roof removed from the Hotel de Paris for a quarter of an hour only and presents dropped down from aeroplanes for every one. I shall have Mademoiselle Lebrun from Nice to sing to us and Coquinet to tell us stories. I shall—”
“Don’t give it all away,” Gertrude interrupted. “If you are trying to tempt54 me, I am quite firm. If you give your dinner to-morrow night, I shall dine with Mr. Slattery.”
“My attitude towards your husband in this matter,” Blunn declared, “will be one of pained but remorseful55 silence.”
“So long as it really is silence,” Gertrude laughed.
“I have ordered coffee and liqueurs on deck,” Grant announced. “We are just entering the bay and the moon is up. You ladies may need your wraps but it is quite warm.”
They trooped up the companionway. Grant looked for Susan, but she had hurried on with young Lancaster. On deck they found that they were already headed for the narrow opening between the red and green lamps of the harbour. The great sweep of the bay was outlined by a glittering arc of lights; the towering hillside in the background was bespangled with little points of fire. The Casino flared56 out in front. The moon, yellower and fuller at every moment, seemed to give a note almost of artificiality to the little scene; they could even hear the sound of music from the open windows of the Concert Room. Susan and Lancaster found their way into the bows and stood watching the phosphorus. Lymane brought coffee to Gertrude where she sat close to the rail.
“Do you really mean it about to-morrow?” he asked.
“Of course I do. Why not?”
“You were not engaged to dine with Grant Slattery,” he complained. “You made that up.”
“What if I did?” she answered coolly. “Mr. Slattery is an old friend, he is very amusing and he talks about things that interest me.”
“Don’t I?” he demanded.
“To be quite frank, you don’t,” she confessed. “You are very young, you know, and you think because you are private secretary to the Prime Minister that you have to wrap yourself in a mantle57 of impenetrable reserve. I’m positively58 ill at ease talking to you. I am so afraid that I shall ask something which will provoke one of your diplomatic replies.”
He leaned a little nearer to her.
“Come out to supper with me to-night,” he begged,
“And I’ll talk about anything you like in the world.”
“Supper, to-night,” she repeated, a little dubiously59. “But shan’t we be tired?”
“No,” he answered eagerly, “you can rest for two or three hours. Let me call for you, say, at twelve o’clock.”
She considered the matter for a moment. Then she nodded.
“Well, you can come and see me at twelve o’clock, anyway,” she agreed. “You’re a very nice boy, and I didn’t really mean to be angry with you. You remember our bargain?”
“Rather!” he answered rapturously.
She looked over her shoulder. Grant had descended from the bridge and was coming down the deck. For once the young man was quick to understand.
“I shan’t say a word about it, of course,” he assured her.
She laughed back at him.
“I see there are hopes for you, after all,” she declared.
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收听单词发音
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1
nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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pact
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| n.合同，条约，公约，协定 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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glowering
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| v.怒视( glower的现在分词 ) | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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flirt
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| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
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conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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widowers
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| n.鳏夫( widower的名词复数 ) | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 | |
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fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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alcoholic
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| adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者 | |
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40
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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41
trumps
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| abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造 | |
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42
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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ransacked
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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44
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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45
appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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46
inveigle
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| v.诱骗 | |
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47
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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48
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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49
susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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50
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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51
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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53
refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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54
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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55
remorseful
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| adj.悔恨的 | |
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56
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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57
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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58
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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