"Pat Murphy - Menagerie" - читать интересную книгу автора (Murphy Pat)

On the path to the house, Lady Dustan patted her face with a kerchief, feeling
warm and agitated. "I would never have thought an elephant could look small,"
she murmured softly to Selina, her voice trembling with agitation. "But she
looked small beside him."

"That is so," said Selina, "but she had her own way. He could not mount her
until she stood still for it, and she did that only when she was ready. I have
observed that whatever the species, the female has a choice. Sometimes, she
accepts a suitor. Sometimes, she does not." Selina's voice was dreamy, as if she
were talking more to herself than to Lady Dustan.

Lady Dustan stared at the young woman, startled by the matter-of fact way in
which she talked of the bull elephant mounting the female.

Selina smiled sweetly. "Pray, Lady Dustan, you will forgive me. I have been
learning at Sir Radford's side for too long. I am a student of animal nature."

Lady Dustan was glad to see the manor house in the distance. "It will be lovely
to get away from the dust and the heat," she observed, not caring to talk
further of elephants and their choices.

At dinner that evening, George sat just across from Lydia and Mary. Throughout
the meal, he was aware that Lady Dustan was trying to draw him into
conversation. He answered her queries politely, but his attention was focused on
the other end of the table, where William Gordon was chatting with Sir Radford
about future additions to the menagerie and how he might assist Sir Radford in
obtaining some rare specimens. Though William directed his comments to Sir
Radford, it was clear to George that he intended them for Selina's ears. Every
promise he made to Sir Radford spoke well of his own courage, his
resourcefulness, his adventurous ways -- all designed to win the heart of a
young lady.

After dinner, Lady Dustan insisted that Mary entertain them with a song at the
pianoforte while George and Lydia played whist with her and Sir Radford,
allowing George no way to gracefully excuse himself. The game lasted until just
before sunset, when George made his escape. With uncharacteristic forcefulness,
he insisted that Mary take his place at the table, a request to which she
obligingly acquiesced.

While the game continued, George left the house to stroll in the garden. The
only purpose he admitted to himself was the need for fresh air, after the
closeness of the parlor. He had had several glasses of wine with dinner and was
feeling a trifle light-headed. He was not searching for Selina, though she had
left the manor house just after dinner, saying that she wanted to do some
sketching. He was certainly not searching for William, whose absence from the
parlor he had noted not long before he set out.

The sun was setting and the full moon was rising, casting silver light over the
menagerie. In the moonlight, the peacocks that strutted across the lawn were no