'
"'Come and watch the dancing, dear,' said Christine nervously. It
was scarcely a part of their strategy that Roger should come in
and find the old lady backing her fancy at the PETITS CHEVAUX
table.
"'Just wait while I put five francs on number eight,' said the
aunt, and in another moment her money was lying on the table. The
horses commenced to move round, it was a slow race this time, and
number eight crept up at the finish like some crafty demon and
placed his nose just a fraction in front of number three, who had
seemed to be winning easily. Recourse had to be had to
measurement, and the number eight was proclaimed the winner. The
aunt picked up thirty-five francs. After that the Brimley
Bomefields would have had to have used concerted force to get her
away from the tables. When Roger appeared on the scene she was
fifty-two francs to the good; her nieces were hovering forlornly
in the background, like chickens that have been hatched out by a
duck and are despairingly watching their parent disporting herself
in a dangerous and uncongenial element. The supper-party which
Roger insisted on standing that night in honour of his aunt and
the three Miss Brimley Bomefields was remarkable for the
unrestrained gaiety of two of the participants and the funereal
mirthlessness of the remaining guests.
Pages:
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167