-
Главная
-
- Книги
-
- Авторы
-
- Артур Конан Дойл
-
- Затерянный мир
-
- Стр. 1/139
lost World
Mr.
Hungerton
,
her
father
,
really
was
the
most
tactless
person
upon
earth
,
--
a
fluffy
,
feathery
,
untidy
cockatoo
of
a
man
,
perfectly
good-natured
,
but
absolutely
centered
upon
his
own
silly
self
.
If
anything
could
have
driven
me
from
Gladys
,
it
would
have
been
the
thought
of
such
a
father-inlaw
.
I
am
convinced
that
he
really
believed
in
his
heart
that
I
came
round
to
the
Chestnuts
three
days
a
week
for
the
pleasure
of
his
company
,
and
very
especially
to
hear
his
views
upon
bimetallism
,
a
subject
upon
which
he
was
by
way
of
being
an
authority
.
For
an
hour
or
more
that
evening
I
listened
to
his
monotonous
chirrup
about
bad
money
driving
out
good
,
the
token
value
of
silver
,
the
depreciation
of
the
rupee
,
and
the
true
standards
of
exchange
.
"
Suppose
,
"
he
cried
with
feeble
violence
,
"
that
all
the
debts
in
the
world
were
called
up
simultaneously
,
and
immediate
payment
insisted
upon
,
--
what
under
our
present
conditions
would
happen
then
?
"
I
gave
the
self-evident
answer
that
I
should
be
a
ruined
man
,
upon
which
he
jumped
from
his
chair
,
reproved
me
for
my
habitual
levity
,
which
made
it
impossible
for
him
to
discuss
any
reasonable
subject
in
my
presence
,
and
bounced
off
out
of
the
room
to
dress
for
a
Masonic
meeting
.
At
last
I
was
alone
with
Gladys
,
and
the
moment
of
Fate
had
come
!
All
that
evening
I
had
felt
like
the
soldier
who
awaits
the
signal
which
will
send
him
on
a
forlorn
hope
;
hope
of
victory
and
fear
of
repulse
alternating
in
his
mind
.
She
sat
with
that
proud
,
delicate
profile
of
hers
outlined
against
the
red
curtain
.
How
beautiful
she
was
!
And
yet
how
aloof
!
We
had
been
friends
,
quite
good
friends
;
but
never
could
I
get
beyond
the
same
comradeship
which
I
might
have
established
with
one
of
my
fellow-reporters
upon
the
Gazette
,
--
perfectly
frank
,
perfectly
kindly
,
and
perfectly
unsexual
.
My
instincts
are
all
against
a
woman
being
too
frank
and
at
her
ease
with
me
.
It
is
no
compliment
to
a
man
.
Where
the
real
sex
feeling
begins
,
timidity
and
distrust
are
its
companions
,
heritage
from
old
wicked
days
when
love
and
violence
went
often
hand
in
hand
.
The
bent
head
,
the
averted
eye
,
the
faltering
voice
,
the
wincing
figure
--
these
,
and
not
the
unshrinking
gaze
and
frank
reply
,
are
the
true
signals
of
passion
.
Even
in
my
short
life
I
had
learned
as
much
as
that
--
or
had
inherited
it
in
that
race
memory
which
we
call
instinct
.
Gladys
was
full
of
every
womanly
quality
.
Some
judged
her
to
be
cold
and
hard
;
but
such
a
thought
was
treason
.
That
delicately
bronzed
skin
,
almost
oriental
in
its
coloring
,
that
raven
hair
,
the
large
liquid
eyes
,
the
full
but
exquisite
lips
,
--
all
the
stigmata
of
passion
were
there
.
But
I
was
sadly
conscious
that
up
to
now
I
had
never
found
the
secret
of
drawing
it
forth
.
However
,
come
what
might
,
I
should
have
done
with
suspense
and
bring
matters
to
a
head
to-night
.
She
could
but
refuse
me
,
and
better
be
a
repulsed
lover
than
an
accepted
brother
.
So
far
my
thoughts
had
carried
me
,
and
I
was
about
to
break
the
long
and
uneasy
silence
,
when
two
critical
,
dark
eyes
looked
round
at
me
,
and
the
proud
head
was
shaken
in
smiling
reproof
.
"
I
have
a
presentiment
that
you
are
going
to
propose
,
Ned
.
I
do
wish
you
would
n't
;
for
things
are
so
much
nicer
as
they
are
.
"
I
drew
my
chair
a
little
nearer
.
"
Now
,
how
did
you
know
that
I
was
going
to
propose
?
"
I
asked
in
genuine
wonder
.
