But as he made progress he grew anxious--lest with the defilement,
he should remove some of the colour as well: the painter alone,
he concluded at length could be trusted to restore the work he had
ruined.
He left the house, walked across the road to the riverbank, and
gave a short sharp whistle. In an instant Davy was in the dinghy,
pulling for the shore. Malcolm went on board the yacht, saw that
all was right, gave some orders, went ashore again, and mounted
Kelpie.
CHAPTER XXXIII: LIES
In pain, wrath, and mortification, Liftore rode home. What would
the men at his club say if they knew that he had been thrashed by
a scoundrel of a groom for kissing his mistress? The fact would
soon be out: he must do his best to have it taken for what it ought
to be--namely, fiction. It was the harder upon him that he knew
himself no coward. He must punish the rascal somehow--he owed it
to society to punish him; but at present he did not see how, and
the first thing was to have the first word with Florimel; he must
see her before she saw the ruffian. He rode as hard as he dared to
Curzon Street, sent his groom to the stables, telling him he should
want the horses again before lunch, had a hot bath, of which he
stood in dire need, and some brandy with his breakfast, and then,
all unfit for exercise as he was, walked to Portland Place.
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