He looked back and saw Clare smiling gaily, happily, at some friend. He saw
her as she had faced him, furiously, an hour earlier ... oh God! If she
should never care for him again!
He recognised many friends. There were the two young Galleons, Millicent
and Percival, looking as important and mysterious as possible, taxing their
brains for something clever to say....
"Ah, that's Life!" Peter heard Percival say to some one. Young fools, he
thought to himself, let them have my trouble and then they may talk. But
they were nice to him when he came up to them. The author of "Reuben
Hallard," even though he did look like a sailor on leave, was worth
respecting--moreover, father liked him and believed in him--nevertheless he
was just a tiny bit "last year's sensation." "Have you read," said Percival
eagerly, "'The Violet's Redemption'? It really is the most tremendous
thing--all about a violet. There's the fellow who wrote it over
there--young chap standing with his back to the wall...."
There was also with them young Tony Gale who was a friend of Alice Galleon.
He was nice-looking, eager and enthusiastic. Rather too enthusiastic,
Peter, who did not like him, considered. Full of the joy of life;
everything was "topping" and "ripping." "I can't understand," he would say,
"why people find life dull. I never find it dull.
Pages:
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453