Ìṩ ·Ç·²²ÊƱÊÖ»úapp ÏÂÔØ 【天天红包,注册立即送88 -·Ç·²²ÊƱÊÖ»úapp×îÐÂƽ̨, ¹º Âò ²Ê Ʊ µÄ ÊÖ »úapp,Ôõ Ñù Óà ÊÖ »ú ²é ²Ê Ʊ ÊÇ ·ñ ÖÐ ½±,Ç× Ç× Íø-×î ´ó ÊÖ »ú ²Ê Ʊ ×Ê Ñ¶ Íø,ºÃ ²Ê Ʊ ÂÛ Ì³ ÊÖ »ú °æ,²Ê Ʊ ÊÖ »ú ÄÜ ¶Ò ½± Âð,3dÊÔ »ú ºÅ ×ß ÊÆ Í¼ ÊÖ »ú ²Ê Ʊ Íø,Íò Àû ²Ê Ʊ Ï ÔØ ÊÖ »ú °æ,132²Ê Ʊ ÊÖ »úappÏ ÔØ,ÏÖ ÔÚ ¿É ÒÔ ÔÚ ÊÖ »ú Èí ¼þ ÉÏ Âò ²Ê Ʊ Âð,ÊÖ »ú Âò ²Ê Ʊ ÖÐ ½± ÂÊ ¸ß

Keeling picked up the Singleton Morte d’Arthur and carefully blew a grain of cigarette ash from the opened page.�Now there was another subject on which Keeping had made up his mind to speak to Lord Inverbroom, and this intelligence encouraged him to do so. By purchasing the freehold of the County Club, he had acquired the right of membership, but with that streak of pride which was characteristic of him, he did not want to get elected to the Club as a right. He had, since he had made the purchase, thought this over, and wished to stand for election, could he secure a proposer and seconder, like any other candidate. That being so, he did not intend to tell Lord Inverbroom that he would, ex officio, become a member of the Club at the next quarter-day, when he entered into possession of his property, but had determined{170} to ask him if he, as president, would propose him in the ordinary course. The next election, he had already ascertained, took place early in April, when his blushing honours as benefactor to the hospital and baronet would be fresh upon him. There could be no more suitable opportunity for his request than the present.

�‘It probably means twenty,’ assented Lord Inverbroom. ‘We should pay, I suppose, four or five per cent. on the loan.’She took the parlour-maid as her maid, though her husband altogether refused to pass off the boy covered with buttons as his valet, and enjoyed a moment’s supreme triumph when she was able to reply to Lady Inverbroom, who hoped, when she showed her her room that she would ask the house-maid for anything she required, that she had brought her own maid. Then Lady Inverbroom (to hide her natural confusion) had poked the fire for her and pointed out the position of the bathroom, which communicated with her bedroom. Certainly that was most convenient, and dinner would be at half-past eight.

��For some hour and a half this dictation went on, with interruption when heads of departments brought in reports, or when Keeling had to send for information as to some point in his correspondence. He noticed that on these occasions she sat with her pencil in her hand, so as to be ready to proceed as soon as he began again. Once she{78} corrected him about a date that had occurred previously in a letter, and was right.

‘You said, “With Alice here too,.”’ he said. ‘Oblige me by telling me what you mean.’‘Give, give!’ he said. ‘Give and ask nothing. What you get doesn’t matter. Does it?’�

�‘I fancy Lord Inverbroom does,’ he replied, secretly praising himself for his remarkable ingenuity.

‘Cope, Mamma,’ she said.This was too much for John.�

‘And the bedside where you had been before?’ asked Alice.‘I dare say I have heard you express them,’ she said, ‘but I have also heard you express intimacy and affection towards me. You always{211} encouraged me, you held my hand, you whispered to me, and once, after my confession, you——’�

‘The Singleton Press edition, sir?’ asked Propert.�‘Your father doesn’t like working hours interfered with, my dear,’ said Mrs Keeling. ‘But we’ll do what we can. Anyhow, Mr Silverdale will have to change before he goes to church.’

�‘I didn’t object to them myself,’ said he. As she turned, their eyes met again, and Norah knew she had done right. But that knowledge gave her no atom of satisfaction.�