Prev | Current Page 204 | Next

Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips), 1866-1946

"The Yellow Crayon"

"
"Meaning that you, the medieval knight, have carried me off, the
distressed maiden, on your shoulder."
"Having confounded my enemy," he continued, smiling, "by an
embarrassing situation, a little argument, and the distant view
of a policeman's helmet."
"This," she remarked, with a little satisfied sigh as she selected
an ortolan, "is a very satisfactory place to be carried off to.
And you," she added, leaning across the table and touching his
fingers for a moment tenderly, "are a very delightful knight-errant."
He raised the fingers to his lips--the waiter had left the room.
She blushed, but yielded her hand readily enough.
"Victor," she murmured, "you would spoil the most faithless woman
on earth for all her lovers. You make me very impatient."
"Impatience, then," he declared, "must be the most infectious of
fevers. For I too am a terrible sufferer."
"If only the Prince," she said, "would be reasonable."
"I am afraid," Mr. Sabin answered, "that from him we have not much
to hope for."
"Yet," she continued, "I have fulfilled all the conditions. Reginald
Brott remains the enemy of our cause and Order. Yet some say that
his influence upon the people is lessened. In any case, my work is
over. He began to mistrust me long ago. To-day I believe that
mistrust is the only feeling he has in connection with me.


Pages:
192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216