The Essential Writings of Marie Belloc Lowndes. Marie Belloc Lowndes

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ What an agreeable difference her presence would make to his existence as he went slowly down into the shadows! He shuddered a little—the thought of old age, of real old age, becoming suddenly, vividly repugnant.

      Thank God, Letty was very much younger than himself. When he was eighty she would be sixty-three. He tried to put away that thought, the thought that some day he would be infirm, as well as old.

      He looked up from his book.

      How odd to think that Letty had never been in this room, where he had spent so much of his life from boyhood onwards! He longed to show her some of the things he had here—family miniatures, old political caricatures, some of his favourite books—they would all interest her.

      He was glad he had arranged that she should have, on this visit, his dear mother's room. When he had married—close on fifty years ago—his parents had been alive, and later his wife, as the new Lady St. Amant, had not cared to take over her predecessor's apartments. She had been very little here, for soon, poor woman, she had become an invalid—a most disagreeable, selfish invalid. He told himself that after all he had had a certain amount of excuse for—well, for the sort of existence he had led so long. If poor Adelaide had only died twenty years earlier, and he had married Letty—ah, then, he would indeed have become an exemplary character! Yet he had been faithful to Letty—in his fashion....

      No other woman had even approached near the sanctuary where the woman of whom now, to-night, he was able to think as his future wife, had at once become so securely enthroned. It had first been a delicious, if a dangerous, relationship, and, later, a most agreeable friendship. During the last few months she had become rather to his surprise very necessary to him, and these last few days he had felt how pleasant it would be to have Letty always here, at the Abbey, either in his company, or resting, reading, or writing in the room where everything still spoke to him of the long-dead mother who had been so dear to him.

      Of course they would wait till Oliver and Laura were married—say, till some time in February or March: and then, when those two rather tiresome younger people were disposed of, they, he and Letty, would slip up quietly to London, and, in the presence of perhaps two or three old friends, they would be made man and wife.

      He reflected complacently that nothing in his life would be changed, save that Letty would be there, at the Abbey, as she had been the last few days, always ready to hear with eager interest anything he had to say, always with her point of view sufficiently unlike his own to give flavour, even sometimes a touch of the unexpected, to their conversation.

      A knock at the door, and his valet came in, and walked close up to the bed.

      "It's a telephone message, my lord. From Sir Angus Kinross—private to your lordship."

      "Yes. What is the message?"

      Lord St. Amant felt a slight tremor of discomfort sweep over him. What an odd time to send a trunk-call through—at close on midnight.

      "Sir Angus has been trying to get on for some time, my lord; there was a fault on the line. Sir Angus would be much obliged if you would meet him at your lordship's rooms at one o'clock to-morrow. He says he's sorry to trouble your lordship to come up to London, but it's very important. He came himself to the telephone, my lord. He asked who I was. I did offer to fetch your lordship, but he said there was no occasion for that—if I would deliver the message myself."

      "All right, Barrett."

      "Sir Angus begs your lordship not to tell any one that your business to-morrow is with him."

      "I quite understand that."

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/7QAsUGhvdG9zaG9wIDMuMAA4QklNA+0AAAAAABAASAAAAAEA AQBIAAAAAQAB/+IMWElDQ19QUk9GSUxFAAEBAAAMSExpbm8CEAAAbW50clJHQiBYWVogB84AAgAJ AAYAMQAAYWNzcE1TRlQAAAAASUVDIHNSR0IAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1IUCAgAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY3BydAAAAVAAAAAz ZGVzYwAAAYQAAABsd3RwdAAAAfAAAAAUYmtwdAAAAgQAAAAUclhZWgAAAhgAAAAUZ1hZWgAAAiwA AAAUYlhZWgAAAkAAAAAUZG1uZAAAAlQAAABwZG1kZAAAAsQAAACIdnVlZAAAA0wAAACGdmlldwAA A9QAAAAkbHVtaQAAA/gAAAAUbWVhcwAABAwAAAAkdGVjaAAABDAAAAAMclRSQwAABDwAAAgMZ1RS QwAABDwAAAgMYlRSQwAABDwAAAgMdGV4dAAAAABDb3B5cmlnaHQgKGMpIDE5OTggSGV3bGV0dC1Q YWNrYXJkIENvbXBhbnkAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS c1JHQiBJRUM2MTk2Ni0yLjEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAFhZWiAAAAAAAADzUQABAAAAARbMWFlaIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABYWVogAAAA AAAAb6IAADj1AAADkFhZWiAAAAAAAABimQAAt4UAABjaWFlaIAAAAAAAACSgAAAPhAAAts9kZXNj AAAAAAAAABZJRUMgaHR0cDovL3d3dy5pZWMuY2gAAAAAAAAAAAAAABZJRUMgaHR0cDovL3d3dy5p ZWMuY2gAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZGVzYwAA AAAAAAAuSUVDIDYxOTY2LTIuMSBEZWZhdWx0IFJHQiBjb2xvdXIgc3BhY2UgLSBzUkdCAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAuSUVDIDYxOTY2LTIuMSBEZWZhdWx0IFJHQiBjb2xvdXIgc3BhY2UgLSBzUkdCAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAALFJlZmVyZW5jZSBWaWV3aW5nIENvbmRpdGlvbiBp biBJRUM2MTk2Ni0yLjEAAAAAAAAAAAAAACxSZWZlcmVuY2UgVmlld2luZyBDb25kaXRpb24gaW4g SUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB2aWV3AAAAAAATpP4AFF8uABDP FAAD7cwABBMLAANcngAAAAFYWVogAAAAAABMCVYAUAAAAFcf521lYXMAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAKPAAAAAnNpZyAAAAAAQ1JUIGN1cnYAAAAAAAAEAAAAAAUACgAPABQAGQAeACMA KAAtADIANwA7AEAARQBKAE8AVABZAF4AYwBoAG0AcgB3AHwAgQCGAIsAkACVAJoAnwCkAKkArgCy ALcAvADBAMYAywDQANUA2wDgAOUA6wDwAPYA+wEBAQcBDQETARkBHwElASsBMgE4AT4BRQFMAVIB WQFgAWcBbgF1AXwBgwGLAZIBmgGhAakBsQG5AcEByQHRAdkB4QHpAfIB+gIDAgwCFAIdAiYCLwI4 AkECSwJUAl0CZwJxAnoChAKOApgCogKsArYCwQLLAtUC4ALrAvUDAAMLAxYDIQMtAzgDQwNPA1oD ZgNyA34DigOWA6IDrgO6A8cD0wPgA+wD+QQGBBMEIAQtBDsESARVBGMEcQR+BIwEmgSoBLYExATT BOEE8AT+BQ0FHAUrBToFSQVYBWcFdwWGBZYFpgW1BcUF1QXlBfYGBgYWBicGNwZIBlkGagZ7BowG nQavBsAG0QbjBvUHBwcZBysHPQdPB2EHdAeGB5kHrAe/B9IH5Qf4CAsIHwgyCEYIWghuCIIIlgiq CL4I0gjnCPsJEAklCToJTwlkCXkJjwmkCboJzwnlCfsKEQonCj0KVApqCoEKmAquCsUK3ArzCwsL Igs5C1ELaQuAC5gLsAvIC+EL+QwSDCoMQwxcDHUMjgynDMAM2QzzDQ0NJg1ADVoNdA2ODakNww3e DfgOEw4uDkkOZA5/DpsOtg7SDu4PCQ8lD0EPXg96D5YPsw/PD+wQCRAmEEMQYRB+EJsQuRDXEPUR ExExEU8RbRGMEaoRyRHoEgcSJhJFEmQShBKjEsMS4xMDEyMTQxNjE4MTpBPFE+UUBhQnFEkUahSL FK0UzhTwFRIVNBVWFXgVmxW9FeAWAxYmFkkWbBaPFrIW1hb6Fx0XQRdlF4kXrhfSF/cYGxhAGGUY ihivGNUY+hkgGUUZaxmRGbcZ3RoEGioaURp3Gp4axRrsGxQbOxtjG4obshvaHAIcKhxSHHscoxzM HPUdHh1HHXAdmR3DHeweFh5AHmoelB6+HukfEx8+H2kflB+/H+ogFSBBIGwgmCDEIPAhHCFIIXUh oSHOIfsiJyJVIoIiryLdIwojOCNmI5QjwiPwJB8kTSR8JKsk2iUJJTglaCWXJccl9yYnJlcmhya3 JugnGCdJJ3onqyfcKA0oPyhxKKIo1CkGKTgpaymdKdAqAio1KmgqmyrPKwIrNitpK50r0SwFLDks biyiLNctDC1BLXYtqy3hLhYuTC6CLrcu7i8kL1ovkS/HL/4wNTBsMKQw2zESMUoxgjG6MfIyKjJj Mpsy1DMNM0YzfzO4M/E0KzRlNJ402DUTNU01hzXCNf02NzZyNq426TckN2A3nDfXOBQ4UDiMOMg5 BTlCOX85vDn5OjY6dDqyOu87LTtrO6o76DwnPGU8pDzjPSI9YT2hPeA+ID5gPqA+4D8hP2E/oj/i QCNAZECmQOdBKUFqQaxB7kIwQnJCtUL3QzpDfUPARANER0SKRM5FEkVVRZpF3kYiRmdGq0bwRzVH e0fASAVIS0iRSNdJHUljSalJ8Eo3Sn1KxEsMS1NLmkviTCpMcky6TQJNSk2TTdxOJU5uTrdPAE9J T5NP3VAnUHFQu1EGUVBRm1HmUjFSfFLHUxNTX1OqU/ZUQlSPVNtVKFV1VcJWD1ZcVqlW91dEV5JX 4FgvWH1Yy1kaWWlZuFoHWlZaplr1W0VblVvlXDVchlzWXSddeF3JXhpebF69Xw9fYV+zYAVgV2Cq YPxhT2GiYfViSWKcYvBjQ2OXY+tkQGSUZOllPWWSZedmPWaSZuhnPWeTZ+loP2iWaOxpQ2maafFq SGqfavdrT2una/9sV2yvbQhtYG25bhJua27Ebx5veG/RcCtwhnDgcTpxlXHwcktypnMBc11zuHQU dHB0zHUodYV14XY+dpt2+HdWd7N4EXhueMx5KnmJeed6RnqlewR7Y3vCfCF8gXzhfUF9oX4BfmJ+ wn8jf4R/5YBHgKiBCoFrgc2CMIKSgvSDV4O6hB2EgITjhUeFq4YOhnKG14c7h5+IBIhpiM6JM4m СКАЧАТЬ