"mnkmb10" - читать интересную книгу автора (Trollope Anthony)

surprised to find that they were not accurately followed. The man,
however, was much too courteous to say in any language that he did not
understand every word that was said to him. Miss Greene was standing
apart, doing nothing. As she was only eighteen years of age, it was
of course her business to do nothing; and a very pretty little girl
she was, by no means ignorant of her own beauty, and possessed of
quite sufficient wit to enable her to make the most of it.

Mr. Greene was very leisurely in his proceedings, and the four waiters
were almost reduced to despair.

"I want two bed-rooms, a dressing-room, and some dinner," he said at
last, speaking very slowly, and in his own vernacular. I could not in
the least assist him by translating it into Italian, for I did not
speak a word of the language myself; but I suggested that the man
would understand French. The waiter, however, had understood English.
Waiters do understand all languages with a facility that is
marvellous; and this one now suggested that Mrs. Greene should follow
him up-stairs. Mrs. Greene, however, would not move till she had seen
that her boxes were all right; and as Mrs. Greene was also a pretty
woman, I found myself bound to apply myself to her assistance.

"Oh, thank you," said she. "The people are so stupid that one can
really do nothing with them. And as for Mr. Greene, he is of no use
at all. You see that box, the smaller one. I have four hundred
pounds' worth of jewellery in that, and therefore I am obliged to look
after it."

"Indeed," said I, rather startled at this amount of confidence on
rather a short acquaintance. "In that case I do not wonder at your
being careful. But is it not rather rash, perhaps--"

"I know what you are going to say. Well, perhaps it is rash. But
when you are going to foreign courts, what are you to do? If you have
got those sort of things you must wear them."

As I was not myself possessed of anything of that sort, and had no
intention of going to any foreign court, I could not argue the matter
with her. But I assisted her in getting together an enormous pile of
luggage, among which there were seven large boxes covered with canvas,
such as ladies not uncommonly carry with them when travelling. That
one which she represented as being smaller than the others, and as
holding jewellery, might be about a yard long by a foot and a half
deep. Being ignorant in those matters, I should have thought it
sufficient to carry all a lady's wardrobe for twelve months. When the
boxes were collected together, she sat down upon the jewel-case and
looked up into my face. She was a pretty woman, perhaps thirty years
of age, with long light yellow hair, which she allowed to escape from
her bonnet, knowing, perhaps, that it was not unbecoming to her when
thus dishevelled. Her skin was very delicate, and her complexion