"
"It may amaze you to learn that I meant to achieve that much, at any
rate," was Elsie's quiet retort as she turned to select a volume from
the queer miscellany in the bookcase.
"Oh, don't be cruel. Leave me my Frenchman! Say you won't wheedle
Edouard by quoting the classics of his native tongue! Poor me! Here
have I been warming a serpent in my bosom."
With a _moue_ of make-believe anguish Isobel leaned back in her chair.
She was insolently conscious of her superior attractions. Was she not
the richest heiress in Valparaiso? Had not her father chartered this
ship? And was not Elsie even now flying from an unwelcome suitor? She
knew full well that her friend would resent the slightest semblance of
love-making on the part of any man on board. Already her astonishment
at Elsie's unlooked-for vivacity was yielding to the humor of meeting
such a rival. The Count might serve as a foil, but the real quarry now
was the captain. That very night there would be a moon. And the sea
was calm as a sheltered lake. Isobel's lips parted in a delighted
smile as she tried to imagine Courtenay deserting her to discuss those
celebrities whom Elsie had made the most of.
Pages:
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28