Volume VII - Modernist Magazines Project

By Ella D'Arcy 297of Le Mesurier's wife. He could have throttled him for theunctuous correctness of his appearance, for his conventional,meaningless good looks, for those empty, showy eyes of his,which the fools who believed in him called " flashing" and" intellectual ;" he could have throttled him for the air of selfsatisfaction,6f complacency, breathed by his whole person ; hecould have throttled him for the amiable lie he had just told ofLily's anxiety for news of himself, her husband. All Lily wasanxious to hear, of course, was that Shergold had obtained LeMesurier's consent to the business proposition over which theyhad been corresponding for so long, and which to-day was theoccasion of Shergold's visit.But he concealed his rage, and only showed his surprise athearing that Lily was again in Jersey. For one of the manysubjects of disagreement between her and himself, one of theirmany causes of quarrel, had been her persistent detestation ofJersey.Shergold explained : " Yes. I hadn't time to mention it in mylast letter ; but Lily left London on Monday, and has gone tosome very nice rooms I was able to secure for her at Beaumont.In fact, my old rooms—you will remember them—when I was atthe College.""She might at least have gone home," said Le Mesurier,with bitterness, "since I'm not there to contaminate the place.Rozaine, as she knows, is always at her service.""Ah, yes—of course—thank you—you are very kind. But theair at Rozaine is hardly sufficiently bracing. You see, it's onaccount of the boy. He has been overworking at his studies,and needs sea-bathing, tonic, ozone."The impertinence of Shergold's thanks might have stungLe Mesurier to an angry retort, but that the mention of his littleThe Yellow Book—Vol. VII. R son,