The Rubicon. Benson Edward Frederic

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СКАЧАТЬ elaborately across the room, and snapping a bracelet on to her comely wrist.

      "Ah! Eva, you are before me. Percy has come. I didn't expect him till to-morrow."

      "I'm glad," said Eva listlessly.

      "Such a lovely evening," continued Mrs. Grampound with a strong determination to be particularly neutral, and entirely unconscious of her talk with Eva before dinner. "Look at those exquisite tints, dear. The blue so tender as to be green," she quoted with a fine disregard of accuracy.

      "Yes, it's beautiful," said Eva, not turning her head. "Ah! Percy, it's good to see you."

      Eva got up and walked across to meet the newcomer. Percy was a favourite of hers, from the time he had teased her about her dolls onward.

      "How long are you going to stop?" she continued. "Percy, stop here a long time; I want you."

      "I can't," he said. "I'm going off to Scotland on the 12th, to the Davenports. I promised Reggie."

      "Who's Reggie?"

      "Reggie? Reggie Davenport. He's a friend of mine. I'm very fond of him. Haven't you ever seen him. He falls in love about once a fortnight. He's very amusing."

      "He must be rather a fool," said Eva.

      "Oh, but he's a nice fool. Really, he is very nice. He's so dreadfully young."

      "Well, you're not very old, my lord," said Eva.

      "But Reggie is much the youngest person I ever saw. He'll never grow old."

      "Ah! well," said Eva. "I expect he's very happy."

      The gong had sounded some minutes, when Mr. Martin shuffled in. He wore a somewhat irregular white tie and grey socks, and was followed almost immediately by Mr. Grampound.

      Eva had already written a little note to Lord Hayes, and told her maid to enclose a three-and-six-penny postal order. She had also expressed a vague hope, so as not to block her avenues, that they would meet again soon. Her chief desire was to obtain a respite; the whole thing had been too sudden and she wished to think it over. Meantime, it was nice to see Percy again.

      "What have you been doing with yourself?" she asked. "I notice that whenever young men go away in novels, they always fall in love before they get back, or get married, or make their fortunes or lose them. How many of these things have you done?"

      "None of them," said Percy; "though I've been to Monte Carlo, I did not play there. It doesn't seem to me at all amusing."

      "I suppose you haven't got the gambling instinct," said Eva; "that's a great defect. You know none of the joy of telling your cabman that you will give him a shilling extra if he catches a train. It's equivalent to saying, 'I bet you a shilling you don't;' only he doesn't pay if he loses, and you do. But that's immaterial. The joy lies in the struggle with time and space."

      "Do you mean that you like to keep things in uncertainty as long as possible?" asked her father, looking at her.

      Their eyes met, and they understood each other. Eva looked at him a moment, and then dropped her eyes.

      "Yes; I'm sure I do."

      "Even when you have all the data ready, do you like not deciding?"

      "Oh! one never knows if one has all the data; something fresh may always turn up. For instance – "

      "Well?"

      "I was thinking just before dinner that I didn't know what in the world I should do with myself all the autumn, and now you see Percy's arrived. I shall play about with him."

      "I go away in two days," said Percy.

      "Oh! well, I daresay something else will turn up. I am like Mr. Micawber."

      "No, not all," said Mr. Grampound; "he was always doing his best to make things turn up."

      Mrs. Grampound remarked that things were always turning up when you expected them least, and Percy hoped that his gun would turn up, because no one could remember where it was.

      The evening was so warm that Eva and her mother sat outside on the terrace after dinner, waiting for the others to join them. Mr. Grampound never sat long over his wine, and in a few minutes the gentlemen followed them. Eva was rather restless, and strolled a little way down the gravel path, and, on turning, found that her father had left the others and was walking toward her.

      "Come as far as the bottom of the lawn, Eva," he said; "I should like a little talk with you."

      They went on in silence for some steps, and then her father said, —

      "I heard from Lord Hayes to-day. Your mother told me that you could guess what it was about."

      She picked up a tennis-ball that was lying on the edge of the grass.

      "How wet it is!" she said. "Yes, I suppose I know what he wrote about."

      "Your mother and I, naturally, have your happiness very much at heart," said he, "and we both agree that this is a very sure and clear chance of happiness for you. It is a great match, Eva."

      Eva as a child had always rather feared her father and at this moment she found her childish fear rising again in her mind. Tall, silent, rather scornful-looking men may not always command affection, but they usually inspire respect. Her old fear for her father had grown into very strong respect, but she felt now that the converse transformation was very possible.

      "You would wish me to marry him?" she asked.

      "I wish you to consider it very carefully. I have seen a good deal of the world, so I also wish you to consider what I say to you about it. I have thought about it, and I have arrived at the very definite conclusion I have told you. I shall write to him to-night, and, with your consent, will tell him that he may come and ask you in person in a few days' time. You know my wishes on the subject, and your mother's. Meanwhile, dear Eva, I must congratulate you on the very good fortune which has come in your way."

      He bent from his great height and kissed her.

      "I don't wish to force you in any way," he said, "and I don't wish you to say anything to me to-night about it. Think it over by yourself. I needn't speak of his position and wealth, because, though, of course, they are advantages, you will rate them at their proper value. But I may tell you that I am a very poor man, and that I know what these things mean."

      "I should not marry him for those reasons," said Eva.

      "There is no need for you to tell me that," said he. "But it is right to tell you that I can leave you nothing. In the same way I hope that any foolish notions you may have got about love, from the trash you may have read in novels, will not stand in your way either. I will leave the matter in the hands of your own good sense."

      His words had an unreasonable mastery over Eva, for her father never spoke idly. He was quite aware of the value of speech, but knew that it is enhanced by its rarity. "No one pays any attention to a jabbering fool," he had said once to his wife, à propos of a somewhat voluble woman who had been staying in the house, and of whose abilities he and his wife entertained very contrary opinions. Eva had seldom heard him express his philosophy of life at such length, and she fully appreciated the weight it was intended to convey.

      CHAPTER II

      Lord СКАЧАТЬ