I have been, not exactly cringing,
not exactly lying, but still dissembling. You have been hiding
yourself, to please me, but still you have been hiding. All this is very
dignified. Why shouldn't we try begging now? A noble art? Yes. Lena,
we must go out together. I couldn't think of leaving you alone, and
I must--yes, I must speak to Wang. We shall go and seek that man, who
knows what he wants and how to secure what he wants. We will go at
once!"
"Wait till I put my hair up," she agreed instantly, and vanished behind
the curtain.
When the curtain had fallen behind her, she turned her head back with
an expression of infinite and tender concern for him--for him whom she
could never hope to understand, and whom she was afraid she could never
satisfy, as if her passion were of a hopelessly lower quality, unable
to appease some exalted and delicate desire of his superior soul. In a
couple of minutes she reappeared. They left the house by the door of
the compound, and passed within three feet of the thunderstruck Pedro,
without even looking in his direction. He rose from stooping over a fire
of sticks, and, balancing himself clumsily, uncovered his enormous fangs
in gaping astonishment. Then suddenly he set off rolling on his bandy
legs to impart to his masters the astonishing discovery of a woman.
CHAPTER SIX
As luck would have it, Ricardo was lounging alone on the veranda of the
former counting-house.
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