"
"In that case," said Pendleton, a little disconsolately, "the eatables
will be very welcome. But I hope we won't have to stay long enough to
finish them."
"Perhaps," said Ashton-Kirk, "I've let you in for too hard a task in
this, Pen?"
The other rose up instantly.
"You couldn't give me too much to do in this matter," declared he,
earnestly. "I would do it alone if you were not here, and I had brains
enough, Kirk. The thing must _end_. If it goes on much longer and I
keep seeing those infernal insinuations in the papers, I'll go
completely off my chump."
There was a little silence; then Ashton-Kirk said:
"I never knew that you were--ah--this way, old chap, until the other
day. How long has it been going on?"
"Why, for years, I think," answered Pendleton. "Being very distantly
related, Edyth and I saw quite a deal of each other when she was a
slip of a girl. And she was a stunner, Kirk, even then. Kid-like, I
fancied I'd get it all over with when the proper time came; but
somehow I never got around to it. She turned out to be a dickens of a
strong character, you see; and she expected so much of life that I
got the notion that perhaps I wasn't just the right sort of fellow to
realize her ideals.
Pages:
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266