Скорбь сатаны

Chapter 23

           Ihadtobegreeted,complimented,flattered,andcongratulatedonmyapproachingmarriagebyscoresofhypocriteswhonearlyshookmyhandoffintheirenthusiasmformywealth.HadIbecomesuddenlypoor,Ithoughtgrimly,notoneofthemwouldhavelentmeasovereign!Theguestskeptonarrivinginshoals,andwhentherewereaboutthreeorfourhundredassembled,aburstofexquisitemusicsounded,andaprocessionofpagesinscarletandgold,marchingtwobytwoappeared,carryingtraysfulloftherarestflowerstiedupinbouquets,whichtheyofferedtoalltheladiespresent.Exclamationsofdelightaroseoneveryside—exclamationswhichwereforthemostparthigh-pitchedandnoisy—forthe‘swaggerset’havelongceasedtocultivatesoftnessofvoiceorrefinementofaccent—andonceortwicethedetestableslangword,‘ripping’escapedfromthelipsofafewdashingdames,reputedtobe‘leaders’ofstyle.Reposeofmanner,dignityandeleganceofdeportment,however,arenolongertobediscoveredamongthepresent‘racing’duchessesandgamblingcountessesofthebluestbluebloodofEngland,soonedoesnotexpectthesegracesofdistinctionfromthem.Theloudertheycantalk,andthemoreslangtheycanadoptfromthelanguageoftheirgroomsandstable-boys,themorearetheyjudgedtobe‘intheswim’and‘uptodate.’Ispeak,ofcourse,ofthemodernscionsofaristocracy.

Настройки
Фон страницы
Размер шрифта
Межстрочный интервал
Фразовые глаголы
Показать / Скрыть меню
Шрифт
Roboto Lora
Уведомления
Страница 355 из 677