按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
turdy； square…shouldered； battered young man； who wore on his homely face a grin of recognition and regard。 Jimmy was not particularly good at remembering faces； but this person's was of a kind which the poorest memory might have recalled。 It was； as the advertisements say； distinctively individual。 The broken nose； the exiguous forehead； and the enlarged ears all clamoured for recognition。 The last time Jimmy had seen Jerry Mitchell had been two years before at the National Sporting Club in London； and； placing him at once； he braced himself； as a short while ago he had braced himself to confound immaculate Reggie。
〃Hello！〃 said the battered one。
〃Hello indeed！〃 said Jimmy courteously。 〃In what way can I brighten your life？〃
The grin faded from the other's face。 He looked puzzled。
〃You're Jimmy Crocker； ain't you？〃
〃No。 My name chances to be Algernon Bayliss。〃
Jerry Mitchell reddened。
〃'Scuse me。 My mistake。〃
He was moving off； but Jimmy stopped him。 Parting from Ann had left a large gap in his life； and he craved human society。
〃I know you now；〃 he said。 〃You're Jerry Mitchell。 I saw you fight Kid Burke four years ago in London。〃
The grin returned to the pugilist's face； wider than ever。 He beamed with gratification。
〃Gee！ Think of that！ I've quit since then。 I'm working for an old guy named Pett。 Funny thing； he's Jimmy Crocker's uncle that I mistook you for。 Say； you're a dead ringer for that guy！ I could have sworn it was him when you bumped into me。 Say； are you doing anything？〃
〃Nothing in particular。〃
〃e and have a yarn。 There's a place I know just round by here。〃
〃Delighted。〃
They made their way to the place。
〃What's yours？〃 said Jerry Mitchell。 〃I'm on the wagon myself；〃 he said apologetically。
〃So am I；〃 said Jimmy。 〃It's the only way。 No sense in always drinking and making a disgraceful exhibition of yourself in public！〃
Jerry Mitchell received this homily in silence。 It disposed definitely of the lurking doubt in his mind as to the possibility of this man really being Jimmy Crocker。 Though outwardly convinced by the other's denial； he had not been able to rid himself till now of a nebulous suspicion。 But this convinced him。 Jimmy Crocker would never have said a thing like that nor would have refused the offer of alcohol。 He fell into pleasant conversation with him。 His mind eased。
CHAPTER IX
MRS。 PETT IS SHOCKED
AT five o'clock in the afternoon some ten days after her return to America； Mrs。 Pett was at home to her friends in the house on Riverside Drive。 The proceedings were on a scale that amounted to a reception； for they were not only a sort of official notification to New York that one of its most prominent hostesses was once more in its midst； but were also designed to entertain and impress Mr。 Hammond Chester； Ann's father； who had been spending a couple of days in the metropolis preparatory to departing for South America on one of his frequent trips。 He was very fond of Ann in his curious； detached way； though he never ceased in his private heart to consider it injudicious of her not to have been born a boy； and he always took in New York for a day or two on his way from one wild and lonely spot to another； if he could manage it。
The large drawing…room overlooking the Hudson was filled almost to capacity with that strange mixture of humanity which Mrs。 Pett chiefly affected。 She prided herself on the Bohemian element in her parties； and had bee during the past two years a human drag…net； scooping Genius from its hiding…place and bringing it into the open。 At different spots in the room stood the six resident geniuses to whose presence in the home Mr。 Pett had such strong objections； and in addition to these she had collected so many more of a like breed from the environs of Washington Square that the air was clamorous with the hoarse cries of futurist painters； esoteric Buddhists； vers libre poets； interior decorators； and stage reformers； sifted in among the more conventional members of society who had e to listen to them。 Men with new religions drank tea with women with new hats。 Apostles of Free Love expounded their doctrines to persons who had been practising them for years without realising it。 All over the room throats were being strained and minds broadened。
Mr。 Chester； standing near the door with Ann； eyed the assemblage with the genial contempt of a large dog for a voluble pack of small ones。 He was a massive； weather…beaten man； who looked very like Ann in some ways and would have looked more like her but for the misfortune of having had some of his face clawed away by an irritable jaguar with whom he had had a difference some years back in the jungles of Peru。
〃Do you like this sort of thing？〃 he asked。
〃I don't mind it；〃 said Ann。
〃Well； I shall be very sorry to leave you； Ann； but I'm glad I'm pulling out of here this evening。 Who are all these people？〃
Ann surveyed the gathering。
〃That's Ernest Wisden； the playwright； over there； talking to Lora Delane Porter； the feminist writer。 That's Clara What's…her…name； the sculptor； with the bobbed hair。 Next to her〃
Mr。 Chester cut short the catalogue with a stifled yawn。
〃Where's old Pete？ Doesn't he e to these jamborees？〃
Ann laughed。
〃Poor uncle Peter！ If he gets back from the office before these people leave； he will sneak up to his room and stay there till it's safe to e out。 The last time I made him e to one of these parties he was pounced on by a woman who talked to him for an hour about the morality of Finance and seemed to think that millionaires were the scum of the earth。〃
〃He never would stand up for himself。〃 Mr。 Chester's gaze hovered about the room； and paused。 〃Who's that fellow？ I believe I've seen him before somewhere。〃
A constant eddying swirl was animating the multitude。 Whenever the mass tended to congeal； something always seemed to stir it up again。 This was due to the restless activity of Mrs。 Pett； who held it to be the duty of a good hostess to keep her guests moving。 From the moment when the room began to fill till the moment when it began to empty she did not cease to plough her way to and fro； in a manner equally reminiscent of a hawk swooping on chickens and an earnest collegian bucking the line。 Her guests were as a result perpetually forming new ententes and binations； finding themselves bumped about like those little moving figures which one sees in shop…windows on Broadway； which revolve on a metal disc until； urged by impact with another little figure； they scatter to regroup themselves elsewhere。 It was a fascinating feature of Mrs。 Pett's at…homes and one which assisted that mental broadening process already alluded to that one never knew； when listening to a discussion on the sincerity of Oscar Wilde； whether it would not suddenly change in the middle of a sentence to an argument on the inner meaning of the Russian Ballet。
Plunging now into a group dominated for the moment by an angular woman who was saying loud and penetrating things about the suffrage； Mrs。 Pett had seized and removed a tall； blonde young man with a mild； vacuous face。 For the past few minutes this young man had been sitting bolt upright