|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 31
Presently the sound of the woman's voice came to him distinctly
in the warm night air. "Well, he looks at us as one of the old
lions or tigers may have looked at the Christian martyrs!"
These were the words he heard, in the familiar accent of
Miss Daisy Miller.
"Let us hope he is not very hungry," responded the ingenious Giovanelli.
"He will have to take me first; you will serve for dessert!"
Winterbourne stopped, with a sort of horror, and, it must be added,
with a sort of relief. It was as if a sudden illumination had been
flashed upon the ambiguity of Daisy's behavior, and the riddle had
become easy to read. She was a young lady whom a gentleman need
no longer be at pains to respect. He stood there, looking at her--
looking at her companion and not reflecting that though he saw
them vaguely, he himself must have been more brightly visible.
He felt angry with himself that he had bothered so much about
the right way of regarding Miss Daisy Miller. Then, as he was going
to advance again, he checked himself, not from the fear that he was doing
her injustice, but from a sense of the danger of appearing unbecomingly
exhilarated by this sudden revulsion from cautious criticism.
He turned away toward the entrance of the place, but, as he did so,
he heard Daisy speak again.
"Why, it was Mr. Winterbourne! He saw me, and he cuts me!"
What a clever little reprobate she was, and how smartly she played
at injured innocence! But he wouldn't cut her. Winterbourne came
forward again and went toward the great cross. Daisy had got up;
Giovanelli lifted his hat. Winterbourne had now begun to think
simply of the craziness, from a sanitary point of view, of a delicate
young girl lounging away the evening in this nest of malaria.
What if she WERE a clever little reprobate? that was no reason
for her dying of the perniciosa. "How long have you been here?"
he asked almost brutally.
Daisy, lovely in the flattering moonlight, looked at him a moment.
Then--"All the evening," she answered, gently. * * * "I never saw
anything so pretty."
"I am afraid," said Winterbourne, "that you will not think
Roman fever very pretty. This is the way people catch it.
I wonder," he added, turning to Giovanelli, "that you,
a native Roman, should countenance such a terrible indiscretion."
"Ah," said the handsome native, "for myself I am not afraid."
"Neither am I--for you! I am speaking for this young lady."
Giovanelli lifted his well-shaped eyebrows and showed his brilliant teeth.
But he took Winterbourne's rebuke with docility. "I told the signorina it
was a grave indiscretion, but when was the signorina ever prudent?"
"I never was sick, and I don't mean to be!" the signorina declared.
"I don't look like much, but I'm healthy! I was bound to see the Colosseum
by moonlight; I shouldn't have wanted to go home without that;
and we have had the most beautiful time, haven't we, Mr. Giovanelli?
If there has been any danger, Eugenio can give me some pills.
He has got some splendid pills."
"I should advise you," said Winterbourne, "to drive home as fast
as possible and take one!"
"What you say is very wise," Giovanelli rejoined.
"I will go and make sure the carriage is at hand."
And he went forward rapidly.
Daisy followed with Winterbourne. He kept looking at her;
she seemed not in the least embarrassed. Winterbourne said nothing;
Daisy chattered about the beauty of the place. "Well, I
HAVE seen the Colosseum by moonlight!" she exclaimed.
"That's one good thing." Then, noticing Winterbourne's silence,
she asked him why he didn't speak. He made no answer;
he only began to laugh. They passed under one of the
dark archways; Giovanelli was in front with the carriage.
Here Daisy stopped a moment, looking at the young American.
"DID you believe I was engaged, the other day?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter what I believed the other day,"
said Winterbourne, still laughing.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|