"You will read, if I bring
you my own precious books? Turned down at all the right places, aunt.
And marked in pencil where you are to stop and ask yourself, 'Does this
apply to me?'" Even that simple appeal--so absolutely heathenising is
the influence of the world--appeared to startle my aunt. She said, "I
will do what I can, Drusilla, to please you," with a look of surprise,
which was at once instructive and terrible to see. Not a moment was to
be lost. The clock on the mantel-piece informed me that I had just
time to hurry home; to provide myself with a first series of selected
readings (say a dozen only); and to return in time to meet the lawyer,
and witness Lady Verinder's Will. Promising faithfully to be back by
five o'clock, I left the house on my errand of mercy.
When no interests but my own are involved, I am humbly content to get
from place to place by the omnibus. Permit me to give an idea of my
devotion to my aunt's interests by recording that, on this occasion, I
committed the prodigality of taking a cab.
I drove home, selected and marked my first series of readings, and drove
back to Montagu Square, with a dozen works in a carpet-bag, the like of
which, I firmly believe, are not to be found in the literature of any
other country in Europe.
Pages:
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423