"
Guest nodded.
"I hope so," he remarked shortly. "At any rate, it is one of the risks
which we must take."
We said no more about the subject then, and I very soon perceived that
the intimacy between Adele and myself was likely to be of the greatest
use to us. For the next two days neither of us referred to those things
which lay in the background. We walked and sat together, played
shuffleboard, and in every way made the most of all those delightful
opportunities of _tete-a-tetes_ which a sea voyage affords. Mrs. Van
Reinberg, for some reason or other, watched our intimacy with increasing
satisfaction. Mr. de Valentin, on the other hand, though he concealed his
feelings admirably, seemed to find it equally distasteful. Gradually the
situation became clear to me. Mrs. Van Reinberg desired to reserve the
whole interest of Mr. de Valentin for herself and her daughters; he, on
the other hand, had shown signs of a partiality for Adele. The fates were
certainly working for me.
On the third night out we were all together on deck after dinner.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213