"Why not? You've no one else in view at the moment. Everyone will envy you, and say sweet things to your face and nasty things behind your back. If you won't—I leave you to explain things to your people and the regiment and the wives of the regiment." "Why not? You've no one else in view at the moment. Everyone will envy you, and say sweet things to your face and nasty things behind your back. If you won't—I leave you to explain things to your people and the regiment and the wives of the regiment." "I can't!" "I can't!" "Precisely! Then why worry? What does our engagement demand of us? Civility and excessive courtesy in our bearing towards each other before people. And please"—he caught his breath sharply—"when we are alone we will have no horrible hypocrisy, no feminine flim-flam, no playing up and pretty lies and coquetries and deceits; nothing but the plain unvarnished truth and bare honesty; as we have no interest in each other, we can at least pay each other the compliment of behaving as if we were two men." "Precisely! Then why worry? What does our engagement demand of us? Civility and excessive courtesy in our bearing towards each other before people. And please"—he caught his breath sharply—"when we are alone we will have no horrible hypocrisy, no feminine flim-flam, no playing up and pretty lies and coquetries and deceits; nothing but the plain unvarnished truth and bare honesty; as we have no interest in each other, we can at least pay each other the compliment of behaving as if we were two men." "But," I began, dazed. He absolutely carries you off your feet. "But," I began, dazed. He absolutely carries you off your feet. "Come on," he said curtly. "Come on," he said curtly. We went through a sort of old-fashioned honeysuckle and jasmine pergola and came opposite a broad stoep, all hung with baskets of pink geraniums and ferns and pink Japanese lanterns with electric lights inside, and white wicker armchairs and big pink silk cushions and white tables. We went through a sort of old-fashioned honeysuckle and jasmine pergola and came opposite a broad stoep, all hung with baskets of pink geraniums and ferns and pink Japanese lanterns with electric lights inside, and white wicker armchairs and big pink silk cushions and white tables.
Prev.
Back
Top