Читать книгу Three Bright Girls. A Story of Chance and Mischance онлайн

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"Well, now, what were you going to tell me about your first dinner-party?" she asks. "What dreadful thing was it that happened?"

"Well, I must tell you that I had to take a severe-looking old dowager in to dinner that evening. She was very rich, I suppose, for I remember that the flashing of her diamonds made me quite nervous, especially as she had a sharp way of suddenly turning round to speak to one with a kind of jerk, which made me jump, and more than, once I nearly dropped my spoon or fork, or whatever it chanced to be. I must also mention that this good lady was also very fat and very ugly. Well, matters went on pretty well altogether until dessert. I had just had my glass filled with port, when suddenly a voice on my right said, 'Mr. Danvers, may I trouble you to crack these filberts for me?' I turned so suddenly, that before I saw what I was doing my elbow had overturned the glass of port, and away it went in one remorseless stream down the old lady's gown. I was so horrified at the awful catastrophe that I sat helpless, as if stunned, and the old lady was just about to pour forth a torrent of wrathful reproaches on to my defenceless head, her eyes meanwhile flashing as much as her diamonds, when a man sitting on the other side of her (a fellow of about my own age now) suddenly jumped up, seized a decanter of sherry, and saying hastily, 'Allow me, madam,' he quietly and deliberately poured a good half of its contents upon the gown where the darker wine had left a deep red stain."