Peter Parker

“ Mrs. Eugenia Parker, President of the Federated Women’s Clubs, bitterly shares Black Orlo’s opinion that her son does not amount to much, in which Peter himself cordially concurs. GLEN DARROW’S bitter wish could hardly have been granted with propriety at that very instant, for the reason that young Mr. Peter Parker of Pasadena was in bed. ”

“ Peter Parker wrote to his mother that night of his charming first impressions; the Careys and their friends like people out of a delightful book; the Carey girl would melt in your mouth, and there was a young widow who filled the eye most pleasantly. How would she like to have him marry a handsome young widow and settle down to be a country gentleman on a plantation? He rather felt himself slipping. The mill wasn’t bad at all ”

“ But the superintendent, who had reported promptly, before Peter Parker had made his call, was inclined to take the matter more lightly. Young Mr. Parker, he stated with a curling lip, was not the sort to take an intelligent interest in details; he had come, he said, to please his mother, and he would, Luke felt sure, go—very swiftly—to please himself. “All he wants to do, sir, is fool round and talk to the young ones. He won’t bother us at all. Said himself he was a plumb fool about machinery; didn’t even want me to show him over the mill and explain things. ”

“ That gorgeous young mountaineer, worshiping his employer’s daughter, hopelessly, of course, and our blessed little Nancy—she’s always been sort of different, don’t you know, from the run of modern girls, dreamy, idealistic—losing her heart— No, he won’t stay on at the mill. Peter Parker, the junior partner, has a lot of innovations he wants to make, and Cousin ’Gene’s going to put the turtle-doves on ‘Evergreen,’ that big old plantation he took over ten years ago—remember? He’s always wanted to develop it, and it just works out beautifully. ”

“ Peter Parker of Pasadena is less of a fool than has been popularly supposed, and the golden legend is discovered to be tarnished brass. THE junior partner of the Altonia caused his nurse and his mother a good deal of anxiety that late afternoon and evening, and when he announced his intention of going to the mill at two in the morning they spoke darkly of using force. ”

“ The following year he joined the Trident, flagship of Sir Peter Denis, in the Mediterranean, and in 1775 went out to North America in the Bristol, carrying the broad pennant of Sir Peter Parker (1721–1811) [q. v.] ”

“ Peter touched his hat politely and said:
"Let every one praise Lord Jesus."
The man passed him without responding. Then he looked back and asked Peter why he looked so discouraged.
"I have reason to look discouraged," Peter said. "Everywhere I ask for work they tell me to go to the Devil. If I knew the way to hell I think I'd take their advice and go."
The stranger smiled.
"But if you saw the Devil, don't you think you'd be afraid of him?"
Peter shook his head.
"He can't be any worse than my stepmother, or the farmer, or the bailiff." ”

“ San Stefano.—Sir Peter Parker was the son of Admiral Christopher Parker, grandson of Admiral Sir Peter Parker (the life-long friend and chief mourner of Nelson) , and great-grandson of Admiral Sir William Parker. On his mother's side he was grandson of Admiral Byron, and first cousin of Lord Byron, the poet. He was killed in action near Baltimore in 1814, and buried in St. ”

“ It was the clear impression of the palm of a man's hand heavily pressed into the earth of a herbaceous border, the fingers pointing towards the house. On the path the gravel had been scraped up in two long furrows. There was blood on the grass border between the path and the bed, and the edge of the grass was broken and trampled.
"I don't like that," said Lord Peter.
"Ugly, isn't it?" agreed Parker.
"Poor devil!" said Peter. "He made a determined effort to hang on here. That explains the blood by the conservatory door. But what kind of a devil drags a corpse that isn't quite dead?" ”

“ I thought he seemed happier for the work, and I liked the Scotland Yard man he had picked up during the run of the case. Charles Parker is a quiet, sensible, well-bred fellow, and has been a good friend and brother-in-law to Peter. He has the valuable quality of being fond of people without wanting to turn them inside out.
The only trouble about Peter’s new hobby was that it had to be more than a hobby, if it was to be any hobby for a gentleman. You cannot get murderers hanged for your private entertainment. ”

“ Peter shook hands on the bargain and the Devil, taking him about the waist, whisked him up into the air, and, pst! before Peter knew what was happening, they were in hell.
The Devil gave Peter a leather apron and led him into a room where there were three big cauldrons.
"Now it's your duty," the Devil said, "to keep the fires under these cauldrons always burning. Keep four logs under the first cauldron, eight logs under the second, and twelve under the third. Be careful never to let the fires go out. And another thing, Peter: you're never to peep inside the cauldrons. ”

“ So, after last night's little dust-up, I wired the old boy we were tooling down to Yelsall to have a heart-to-heart talk with him about his picture-book and his nephew."
"Are you taking the book down with you?" asked Parker. "I can give you a police escort for it if you like."
"That's not a bad idea," said Wimsey. "We don't know where the insinuating Mr. Pope may be hanging out, and I wouldn't put it past him to make another attempt."
"Better be on the safe side," said Parker. "I can't come myself, but I'll send down a couple of men with you."
"Good egg," said Lord Peter. ”

“ He's been doing too much—running about to Salisbury and places and up till all hours of the night—you really shouldn't encourage him, Mr. Parker, it's very naughty of you—waking poor Bunter up in the middle of the night with scares about Germans, as if that wasn't all over years ago, and he hasn't had an attack for ages, but there! Nerves are such funny things, and Peter always did have nightmares when he was quite a little boy—though very often of course it was only a little pill he wanted ”

“ Parker sat upright, his attention focused on his hands, which he held tightly clasped together on the table. Normally a warm and friendly person, Parker had worked as Peter's right-hand man during the early years of Wallaby when they had found themselves a major force in the Fortune 500. ”

“ Lord Peter was hampered in his career as a private detective by a public-school education. Despite Parker's admonitions, he was not always able to discount it. His mind had been warped in its young growth by "Raffles" and "Sherlock Holmes," or the sentiments for which they stand. He belonged to a family which had never shot a fox. ”

“ The next day while Peter was piling fresh logs under the cauldrons, the Devil came to him and said:
"Today, Peter, you are free. You have served me faithfully and well and I am going to reward you handsomely. Money would be too heavy for you to carry, so I am going to give you this bag which [258] is a magic bag. Whenever you open it and say: 'Bag, I need some ducats,' the bag will always have just as many as you need. Good luck go with you, Peter. However, I don't believe you'll have a very good time at first for people will think you're a devil. ”

“ He put his arms about the Devil's neck and off they flew once again. This time they went to a big city where Peter bought beautiful clothes and jewels and coaches and horses. He engaged servants in fine livery and, when he was ready to go to his bride, he had a following that was worthy of any prince.
At the castle the Princess Linka paced her chamber pale and trembling. The two older sisters were with her, laughing heartlessly and making evil jokes, and running every moment to the window to see if the groom were coming. ”

“ That’s all,” said Parker abruptly, with a wave of the hand.
“It isn’t all, it isn’t all. Daddy, go on, that’s not half a story,” pleaded Lord Peter.
“But it is all. When his man came to call him he wasn’t there. The bed had been slept in. His pyjamas and all his clothes were there, the only odd thing being that they were thrown rather untidily on the ottoman at the foot of the bed, instead of being neatly folded on a chair, as is Sir Reuben’s custom—looking as though he had been rather agitated or unwell. No clean clothes were missing, no suit, no boots—nothing. ”

“ I thought I had better go down.”
“Then, may I walk with you as far as the hotel?”
“Surely. I will just speak to Miss Ada—” She came back in an instant, and they set off down the hill together, and the doctor’s daughter was silent. [218] What a night! Peter Parker under her roof, in her dear house; Luke Manders finding him there, and the terrible scene which had ensued, Glory’s death; the bewildering, breath-taking discovery that one might intensely dislike being touched by one person, and then, in the case of another person, not dislike it in the least, but on the contrary——
Mrs. ”

“ Hate Peter? Peter [105] Parker? Woman, it can’t be done! Besides—did you ever meet him?”
“No, but I don’t need to meet him to know all about him! I know he’s idle-born, overfed, underworked”—her father’s, vehement adjectives, these—“grinding down the mill workers—the children so he can live and travel and—loaf—in lazy luxury!” The color had drained out of her golden olive face and it looked like ivory in its frame of coppery hair. Her eyes blazed, the pupils dilated blackly. “He’s a waster, a parasite!” ”

“ Now a practical question arose in a novel case which was a test of their inspiration: Should they admit the Gentiles to Christianity? The book of Acts relates, that Peter required a special and miraculous vision to enlighten him on this head. He seems surprised to find that “God is no respecter of persons,” but will allow all religious men of any nation to become Christians. [6] Had he been miraculously inspired before, to what purpose the vision?
If the apostles were infallibly inspired, they could not disagree on any point. ”

“ From the first moment the boy snuggled to Peter, settling himself contentedly in Peter's arms as affectionate children do. He had a comical little up-tilt to his nose, and eyes of a deeper blue than Peter's, and his face was white but covered with freckles.
“That's my good foot,” said the boy, as Peter pulled off one stocking.
“Well, it looks like a mighty good one to me, too,” said Peter. “So far as I can see, it is just as good as anybody'd want.”
“Yes. It's my hop-on-foot,” explained the boy. “The other foot is the lame one. ”

“ Of course I may be quite mistaken."
"Did you receive any information from Paris?"
"I wish you wouldn't use that phrase," said Lord Peter peevishly. "It's so of the Yard—yardy. One of these days it'll give you away."
"Sorry," said Parker. "Second nature, I suppose."
"Those are the things to beware of," returned his lordship, with an earnestness that seemed a little out of place. "One can keep guard on everything but just those second-nature tricks." He moved across to the window, which overlooked the tradesmen's entrance. "Hullo!" he said, "here's our bird." ”

“ Parker, demanding that something should be done; while the butler, who never to the day of his death got over the disgrace, ran out of the pantry with a corkscrew in one hand and a priceless bottle of crusted port in the other, which he shook with all the vehemence of a town-crier ringing a bell. The only dignified entry was made by the dowager duchess, who came down like a ship in sail, dragging Célestine with her, and admonishing her not to be so silly.
"Be quiet, girl," said the dowager. "Anyone would think you were going to be murdered." ”

“ Potter's cove the less likely it seemed to Peter that Mrs. Potter would be much awed by the clothes. By the time he was within half a mile of the cove he was not only sure that Mrs. Potter was not the woman to be awed by anything, but he began to wish he had not bought the clothes. He could imagine her tone as she put her hands on her hips and looked him over and said, “Well, of all the shiftlessness I ever heard tell of! Goin' and dressin' yourself up like a dude, and you not a roof in the world to hide your head under!” ”

“ It ain't the sort of thing one would drop without making a fuss about—I've lost him altogether."
"It's all right—I've got him. He's tripped over a root."
"Serve him glad," said Lord Peter viciously, straightening his back. "I say, I don't think the human frame is very thoughtfully constructed for this sleuth-hound business. If one could go on all-fours, or had eyes in one's knees, it would be a lot more practical."
"There are many difficulties inherent in a teleological view of creation," said Parker placidly. "Ah! here we are at the park palings." ”

“ Parker made a grimace.
"Well," he said, "I don't suppose you'd ever do it, so I'd better. You'll never become a professional till you learn to do a little work, Wimsey. How about lunch?"
"I'm invited out," said Lord Peter, magnificently. "I'll run round and change at the club. ”

“ Peter put his gunny-sack on the floor.
“I don't know what you 're talking about, George,” he said. “What is it you think you know?”
“I think I know all about it,” said Rapp laughingly. “Come into the office. What a man in the livery stable don't hear ain't worth finding out. I know your wife come back to you at the shanty-boat, Peter, when she was sick and played out and hadn't nowhere else to go, and I know you took her in and got a doctor for her, and I know she brought along her boy, which you say ain't your son. ”