Hugo - A Fantasia on Modern Themes by Arnold Bennett
page 29 of 254 (11%)
page 29 of 254 (11%)
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of the three thousand odd. The closure was attributed to a whim of
Hugo's for celebrating some obscure anniversary in his life. Many hundreds of persons were inconvenienced, and the internal economy of scores of polite homes seriously deranged. The evening papers found a paragraph. And Hugo lost perhaps a hundred and fifty pounds net. But Hugo was happy, and he was expectant. At ten o'clock that night a youngish man, extremely like Simon Shawn, was brought by Simon into Hugo's presence under the dome. This was Simon's brother, Albert Shawn, a member of Hugo's private detective force. 'Sit down,' said Hugo. 'Well?' 'I reckon you've heard, sir,' Albert Shawn began impassively, 'the yarn that's going all round the stores.' 'I have not.' 'Everyone's whispering,' said Albert Shawn, gazing carefully at his boots, 'that Mr. Hugo has taken a kind of a fancy to Miss Payne.' Hugo restrained himself. 'Heavens!' he exclaimed, with a clever affectation of lightness, 'what next? I've only spoken to the chit once.' 'Don't I know it, sir!' 'Enough of that! What have you to report?' |
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