Read Online Jalna: Books 1-4: The Building of Jalna / Morning at Jalna / Mary Wakefield / Young Renny by Mazo de la Roche - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mazo de la Roche
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someone had emptied a bottle in there. Mary was seated in front of the tiny dressing table gazing at herself in the glass with a fascinated look. She was unaware of the opening of the door but continued to give her large-eyed reflection stare for stare, while the ship heaved and a cupboard door flew open, then banged shut, with each roll. Adeline laughed.
“Well, what do you think of yourself?” she asked.
“Oh, Mrs. Whiteoak,” answered Mary. “I’m pretty — pretty! I have travelled right round the world and never found it out till now.”
“Well,” said Adeline, “it is a queer time to have discovered it. But if it’s a comfort to you, I’m glad you think so.”Still gazing at her reflection the girl answered: —
“Don’t you?”
Adeline laughed again. “I’m in no state to judge but I shall take a good look at you later on. Can I do anything for your mother?”
“She feels a little better, she says. She just wants to be quiet.”
“Have you had any sleep?”
“A little. I’m not tired.”
“You’re a better traveller than I am. Have they brought you breakfast.”
“Oh, yes. The stewardess is very kind. So is your brother. He’s so brave too.”
“Well, I’m glad of that. I’m going now to see how the boys are getting on.”
“May I come with you?”
“No. Stay with your mother.”
Adeline found Sholto recovering from his seasickness. He was sipping coffee and eating a hard biscuit but he was very pale. Conway was changing into dry clothes. Adeline noticed the milky whiteness of his skin and how his chest and neck were fuller than one would judge from his face.
“Oh, Adeline,” exclaimed Sholto, “I wish I’d never come on this voyage! We shall quite likely go down. Oh, I do wish I were back in Ireland with Mamma and Papa and Timothy and all!”
“Nonsense,” said Adeline, sitting down on the side of the berth. “In a few days you’ll be laughing at this. Here, eat your biscuit.”
She took it from his hand and broke off a morsel of it and put it in his mouth. He relaxed and she fed him the rest of the biscuit in this way as though her were a baby.
She turned to Conway. “Go and find Philip and tell him I want him. Just say I must see him and that it is important.”
“What do you want him for?”
She flashed a look of command at him. “Do as I say, Con.”
“Very well. But he probably won’t come.” He tied his cravat with as much care as though he were about to make a call.
“Oh, what a little fop you are!” she cried. “To think of youfiddling with your tie and soon we may all be at the bottom!”
Sholto hurled himself back on the pillow.
“You said everything was all right. You said we’d be laughing about this!” he sobbed.
“Now you’ve done it!” exclaimed Conway. He opened the door and went into the passage but it was a struggle to close the door after him against the rolling of the ship. Adeline had to go and put her weight against it.
She returned to Sholto. “You know I was only joking, “ she comforted him. “If I thought we were going to the bottom should I be looking so pleasant?”
“You’re not looking pleasant! You’re looking queer and wild.”
She laid her head beside his on the pillow.
“I am looking queer,” she said, “because I suspect Con of making up to that little Cameron girl. That’s why I sent him away — so I could ask you. Sholto, tell me, has he been telling her she’s pretty? Has he been making up to her?”
Sholto’s green eyes were bright. “Indeed he has! We are never alone but he is up to his tricks. ‘Oh, but you’re the pretty thing’ he says. ‘Oh, the lovely little neck on you!’ he says. ‘Oh, the long fair eyelashes! Come close and touch my cheek with them!’”
“And did she?”
“She did. And he laid his hand on her breast.”
“And did she mind?”
“Not she. She arched her neck like a filly you are stroking. And she made her eyes large at him like a filly. But she’s
“Well, what do you think of yourself?” she asked.
“Oh, Mrs. Whiteoak,” answered Mary. “I’m pretty — pretty! I have travelled right round the world and never found it out till now.”
“Well,” said Adeline, “it is a queer time to have discovered it. But if it’s a comfort to you, I’m glad you think so.”Still gazing at her reflection the girl answered: —
“Don’t you?”
Adeline laughed again. “I’m in no state to judge but I shall take a good look at you later on. Can I do anything for your mother?”
“She feels a little better, she says. She just wants to be quiet.”
“Have you had any sleep?”
“A little. I’m not tired.”
“You’re a better traveller than I am. Have they brought you breakfast.”
“Oh, yes. The stewardess is very kind. So is your brother. He’s so brave too.”
“Well, I’m glad of that. I’m going now to see how the boys are getting on.”
“May I come with you?”
“No. Stay with your mother.”
Adeline found Sholto recovering from his seasickness. He was sipping coffee and eating a hard biscuit but he was very pale. Conway was changing into dry clothes. Adeline noticed the milky whiteness of his skin and how his chest and neck were fuller than one would judge from his face.
“Oh, Adeline,” exclaimed Sholto, “I wish I’d never come on this voyage! We shall quite likely go down. Oh, I do wish I were back in Ireland with Mamma and Papa and Timothy and all!”
“Nonsense,” said Adeline, sitting down on the side of the berth. “In a few days you’ll be laughing at this. Here, eat your biscuit.”
She took it from his hand and broke off a morsel of it and put it in his mouth. He relaxed and she fed him the rest of the biscuit in this way as though her were a baby.
She turned to Conway. “Go and find Philip and tell him I want him. Just say I must see him and that it is important.”
“What do you want him for?”
She flashed a look of command at him. “Do as I say, Con.”
“Very well. But he probably won’t come.” He tied his cravat with as much care as though he were about to make a call.
“Oh, what a little fop you are!” she cried. “To think of youfiddling with your tie and soon we may all be at the bottom!”
Sholto hurled himself back on the pillow.
“You said everything was all right. You said we’d be laughing about this!” he sobbed.
“Now you’ve done it!” exclaimed Conway. He opened the door and went into the passage but it was a struggle to close the door after him against the rolling of the ship. Adeline had to go and put her weight against it.
She returned to Sholto. “You know I was only joking, “ she comforted him. “If I thought we were going to the bottom should I be looking so pleasant?”
“You’re not looking pleasant! You’re looking queer and wild.”
She laid her head beside his on the pillow.
“I am looking queer,” she said, “because I suspect Con of making up to that little Cameron girl. That’s why I sent him away — so I could ask you. Sholto, tell me, has he been telling her she’s pretty? Has he been making up to her?”
Sholto’s green eyes were bright. “Indeed he has! We are never alone but he is up to his tricks. ‘Oh, but you’re the pretty thing’ he says. ‘Oh, the lovely little neck on you!’ he says. ‘Oh, the long fair eyelashes! Come close and touch my cheek with them!’”
“And did she?”
“She did. And he laid his hand on her breast.”
“And did she mind?”
“Not she. She arched her neck like a filly you are stroking. And she made her eyes large at him like a filly. But she’s
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