er knowing that the wife of the former was a Frenchwoman, and, conscious of each other's knowledge, felt doubly awkward.while Molly was as much confused as though she herself were secretly married.However, Cynthia carolled the saucy ditty out, and her mother smiled at it, in total ignorance of any application it might have.Osborne had instinctively gone to stand behind Cynthia, as she sate at the piano, so as to be ready to turn over the leaves of her music if she required it.He kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on her fingers;his countenance clouded with gravity at all the merry quips which she so playfully sang.Roger looked grave as well, but was much more at his case than his brother; indeed, he was half-amused by the awkwardness of the situation.He caught Molly's troubled eyes and heightened colour, and he saw that she was feeling this contretemps more seriously than she needed to do.He moved to a seat by her, and half whispered, 'Too late a warning, is it not?' Molly looked up at him as he leant towards her, and replied in the same tone, - 'Oh, I am so sorry!' 'You need not be.He won't mind it long; and a man must take the consequences when he puts himself in a false position.' Molly could not tell what to reply to this, so she hung her head and kept silence.Yet she could see that Roger did not change his attitude or remove his hand from the back of his chair, and, impelled by curiosity to find out the cause of his stillness, she looked up at him at length, and saw his gaze fixed on the two who were near the piano.Osborne was saying something eagerly to Cynthia, whose grave eyes were upturned to him with soft intentness of expression, and her pretty mouth half-open, with a sort of impatience for him to cease speaking, that she might reply.'They are talking about France,' said Roger, in answer to Molly's unspoken question.'Osborne knows it well, and Miss Kirkpatrick has been at school there, you know.It sounds very interesting; shall we go nearer and hear what they are saying?' It was all very well to ask this civilly, but Molly thought it would have been better to wait for her answer.Instead of waiting, however, Roger went to the piano, and, leaning on it, appeared to join in the light merry talk, while he feasted his eyes as much as he dared by looking at Cynthia.
第126章 MRS GIBSONS LITTLE DINNER (2)（2 / 3）