H. C. Bailey

“ If I can, Miss Paignton, I shall. I have no luck on the waters."
"I'll pole," said Cicely. Cicely was surprised at his gaiety.
So Mr. Blaker, recumbent on cushions, watched the lithe figure sway above him, saw the gleam of her white arm. Cicely poled with power. Her opinions of her fellow-guests were expressed to the gravel of the river-bed.
"Do I talk to the girl at the pole?"
"She'll answer," Cicely smiled down at him.
"It's a deal!" cried Mr. Blaker. "Wal, now, what have I done?"
"Done?" Cicely flushed. "To those horrible people? ”

“ The world of finance anticipated the extinction of the mushroom millionaire. Society (on hearing of it) stated that it had always told you so. On the lines of a belief in the swift extinction of Mr. Blaker, Finance and Society made their several arrangements.
So when Mr. Blaker came to stay at a house on the river, the other guests were shocked at his want of good feeling. Coming forth to the lawn, Mr. Blaker received but a smile and a nod from his host, Count Vasili, and hardly two words from any one person. Mr. Blaker sat himself down in a deck-chair all alone. ”

“ For behold, the person, the American person, who was at once a bore—and a boor—and impossible, had developed. One goes not to look at the moon with a distasteful male. Now, Mrs. Chetwind-Chetwynde was not prepared to welcome any male to the house in Mount Street. She loved her own very admirable rooms and her own very pleasant importance as Cicely's permanent bodyguard. ”

“ Blaker's broad smile. Lord Clandon adjusted his eyeglass.
"He's the new humorist," said Lord Clandon. Cicely was puzzled.
"An—an entertainer?"
"I don't think he's very entertainin'. But he entertains, don't you know. Millionaires do. They're all humorists now. They must have some coverin' besides cheques for decency. And it's easier bein' a humorist than a gentleman."
"Is he a millionaire?"
"In dollars. Awfully mean to be a millionaire in dollars. So deceitful. I fancy I've heard that a dollar is a beastly insignificant coin; people forget that in the joy of acceptin' a millionaire." ”

“ Chetwind-Chetwynde, with a laugh, and turned her back. Mr. Blaker stared at it as it departed. No one else came to honour him. He was left a grey, lonely patch on the lawn, derelict.
Lord Clandon ran a punt up to the steps and helped Cicely out. They stood together a moment looking at the kindly party. All the guests were chattering and laughing together—save one, the forlorn Mr. Blaker. A footman came forth with a salver and a telegram. It was brought to Mr. Blaker. ”

“ In an unobjectionable waistcoat, in other garments quite adequate, Mr. Blaker came to a bazaar whereat Cicely sold things. Now, if you happen to be an heiress to a hundred thousand pounds, and unwed, there are many men who will buy from your stall at a bazaar. Many men bought from Cicely. ”

“ He comes out of nowhere, certified as a millionaire; and at once we're all bein' distressed by another new humorist. The love of money is the root of all evil."
"I see," said Cicely sharply. "He is just like my father, then. He was recommended to people by his money, I understand, Lord Clandon." There was a pause.
"You're hittin' rather hard, Miss Paignton. I know I'm a fool. But you know I was merely rottin'. I'm sorry." Cicely said nothing for a minute, and Lord Clandon rose. "You see, I'd better have danced," he said. Cicely put her hand on his sleeve. ”

“ Blaker.
There arrived a young man with a face of grief. He remarked to Cicely in a plaintive tone that it had been his dance. Cicely passed to the ballroom for the ultimate twenty seconds of a waltz, passed under the eyes of Mrs. Chetwind-Chetwynde; and Mr. Blaker alone still looked up at the moon. You cannot conceive of Mrs. Chetwind-Chetwynde looking at the moon.
She knows (she knows, of course, everything) , she knows that there is a moon, just as she knows that there are parsnips. Moons and parsnips exist for people who do not know any better. Mrs. ”

“ And I would hate to be. And indeed it's not a compliment to say I am." They had come to the darker end of the conservatory and stood together looking out on the night.
"Say, there's many ways to be restful," said Mr. ”