บททั้งหมดของ DELICIA - DELIGHT - : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

"I shall be honored sir", she said formally, and signaled to the groom to get down. The Duke climbed up beside her, saying, "oh, that's nonsense - never stand in ceremony. Look, there goes my cousin Tufello. I daresay he envies me perched up here beside you. What do you say?" Miss Tellaro laughed. "Nothing, sir, how can I? If I agree, I must be odious conceited, which I hope I am not; and if I demure you will think me to be asking for reassurance". He seemed to be much struck by the frankness of this lady, laughed very heartily, and declared they should get along famously together. He was not all difficult to talk to, and they had not driven more than halfway round the Park before Miss Tellaro discovered him to have been a firm friend of Lord and Admiral Nelson. She was in a glow at once, he was very ready to talk to her of the admiral, and in this way they drove twice around the Park, extremely well pleased with each other. When Miss Tell

"Ah!" said Elizabeth, "I beg to understand". "I should be happy if I thought you did", he replied, "but I feel it to be extremely doubtful. You have a considerable fortune in your own right. More important than this is the fact that under your father's Will you are heiress to as much of your brother's property as is unentailed". "Well?" said Elizabeth. "That being so", said Clements, shutting his snuff box with a snap and restoring it to his pocket, "there is little likelihood of gaining my consent to your marriage with anyone whom I can at the moment call to mind". "Except", said Miss Tellaro through her teeth, "yourself!" "Except, of course, myself", he agreed suavely. "And do you suppose, Lord Clements, that there is any great likelihood of my marrying you?" inquired Elizabeth in a sleek, deceptive voice. He raised his brows. "Until I ask you to marry me, Miss Tellaro, not the least likelihood", he repli

"Oh, my dear, when a female is as wealthy as you are, she can look as high as she chooses! I did think of Venice, but there's that horrid Marriage Act to be got over, and I daresay the Regent would never give his consent". "There is Mrs Smith to be got over too", said Elizabeth dryly. "Nonsense, my love, I have it for a fact he has quite broken with her. I daresay she will keep all the children of the connection - I believe there are ten, but I might be mistaken". "You informed me by yourself, ma'am, that the Duke was a devoted father", said Elizabeth. Mrs Andromeda sighed. "Well, and have I not said that I believe he won't do? Though I must say, my dear, if you had the chance of becoming his wife it would be a very odd thing in you to be objecting to it merely because of a few bags of bad characters. But I have been thinking of it, and I am persuaded it won't answer. Wet must look elsewhere". "Where shall we look this time, ma'

"Well, now that you have found me, do you think you could sit down - Keeping me under observation, if you like - until after the game?" he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you!" said Patrick. "Only they told me at White's that you are out of town, and when I called at the Alfred they said you had not been there for months". "Come and take a hand", said Lord Alvana kindly. "You should not have wasted your time at the Half-Read, my boy. They have Seventeen bishops there, so I hear. Clements and I gave it up after the eighth. As for White's, it is my belief Clements taught them always to say he was out of town. Do you care to join us?"Patrick, much flattered, thanked him, and took a place between Sir Herbert Mush and a gentleman with very red hair and very blue eyes, whom he discovered later to be Lord Marino. The stakes at the table were extremely high, and he soon found that his luck was quite out. This did not trouble him much, for he did not

Patrick stiffened. "What do you mean?" he asked. The Earl raised his eyes for a moment, and coldly looked his ward over. "Between you, you and your sister credit me with an obscurity of meaning which I am unaware of having done anything to deserve. It really doesn't amuse me. I mean precisely what I say"."But you can't refuse to let me have money to pay my debts of honor!" said Patrick indignantly. "Can't I?" said the Earl. "I was under the impression that I could"."Damn, I never heard of such a thing! I must pay my debts!" "Naturally", agreed the Earl. "Well, how the devil can I if you won't loosen the purse strings?" demanded Patrick. "You must know my pockets are pretty well empty till the next quarter!" "I didn't know it, but I don't find it very hard to believe. You have all my sympathy". "Sympathy! What's the use of that to me?" cried Patrick, a good deal injured. "I'm afraid it isn't of a