He had good
teeth, clear gray eyes, and coarse black hair which he wore a
trifle long; his forehead was too massive for good looks.
"No," he admitted, "I do not think that benevolence is one of my
characteristics."
Her dark eyes were turned full upon him; her red lips, redder
than ever they seemed against the pallor of her cheeks and her
deep brown hair, curled slightly. There was something almost
insolent in her tone.
"You understand, I hope," she continued, "that you have nothing
whatever to look for from me in return for this sum which you
propose to expend for my entertainment?"
"I understand that," he replied.
"Not even gratitude," she persisted. "I really do not feel
grateful to you. You are probably doing this to gratify some
selfish interest or curiosity. I warn you that I am quite
incapable of any of the proper sentiments of life."
"Your gratitude would be of no value to me whatever," he assured
her.
She was still not wholly satisfied. His complete stolidity
frustrated every effort she made to penetrate beneath the
surface.
"If I believed," she went on, "that you were one of those men--
the world is full of them, you know--who will help a woman with a
reasonable appearance so long as it does not seriously interfere
with their own comfort--"
"Your sex has nothing whatever to do with it," he interrupted.
"As to your appearance, I have not even considered it. I could
not tell you whether you are beautiful or ugly--I am no judge of
these matters.
Pages:
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31