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The Unbearable Bassington-Part12_H.H.Munro(Saki)(1870-1916)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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her fiance, an earnest-looking young man who was superintendent of

a People's something-or-other on the south side of the river, and



whose clothes Comus had described as having been made in Southwark

rather than in anger.



Most of the pleasures in life must be paid for, and the chair-

ticket vendor in due time made his appearance in quest of pennies.



Comus paid him from out of a variedassortment of coins and then

balanced the remainder in the palm of his hand. Elaine felt a



sudden foreknowledge of something disagreeable about to happen and

a red spot deepened in her cheeks.



"Four shillings and fivepence and a half-penny," said Comus,

reflectively. "It's a ridiculous sum to last me for the next three



days, and I owe a card debt of over two pounds."

"Yes?" commented Elaine dryly and with an apparent lack of interest



in his exchequer statement. Surely, she was thinking hurriedly to

herself, he could not be foolish enough to broach the matter of



another loan.

"The card debt is rather a nuisance," pursued Comus, with



fatalistic persistency.

"You won seven pounds last week, didn't you?" asked Elaine; "don't



you put by any of your winnings to balance losses?"

"The four shillings and the fivepence and the halfpenny represent



the rearguard of the seven pounds," said Comus; "the rest have

fallen by the way. If I can pay the two pounds to-day I daresay I



shall win something more to go on with; I'm holding rather good

cards just now. But if I can't pay it of course I shan't show up



at the club. So you see the fix I am in."

Elaine took no notice of this indirectapplication. The Appeal



Court was assembling in haste to consider new evidence, and this

time there was the rapidity of sudden determination about its



movement.

The conversation strayed away from the fateful topic for a few



moments and then Comus brought it deliberately back to the danger

zone.



"It would be awfully nice if you would let me have a fiver for a

few days, Elaine," he said quickly; "if you don't I really don't



know what I shall do."

"If you are really bothered about your card debt I will send you



the two pounds by messenger boy early this afternoon." She spoke

quietly and with great decision. "And I shall not be at the



Connor's dance to-night," she continued; "it's too hot for dancing.

I'm going home now; please don't bother to accompany me, I



particularly wish to go alone."

Comus saw that he had overstepped the mark of her good nature.



Wisely he made no immediate attempt to force himself back into her

good graces. He would wait till her indignation had cooled.



His tactics would have been excellent if he had not forgotten that

unbeaten army on his flank.



Elaine de Frey had known very clearly what qualities she had wanted

in Comus, and she had known, against all efforts at self-deception,



that he fell far short of those qualities. She had been willing to

lower her standard of moral requirements in proportion as she was



fond of the boy, but there was a point beyond which she would not

go. He had hurt her pride besides alarming her sense of caution.



Suzette, on whom she felt a thoroughly justified tendency to look

down, had at any rate an attentive and considerate lover. Elaine



walked towards the Park gates feeling that in one essential Suzette

possessed something that had been denied to her, and at the gates



she met Joyeuse and his spruce young rider preparing to turn

homeward.



"Get rid of Joyeuse and come and take me out to lunch somewhere,"

demanded Elaine.



"How jolly," said Youghal. "Let's go to the Corridor Restaurant.




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