A dog barked in
the distance, and then a fresh cold breeze came sweeping through the
trees and stirring the still perfumes of the flowers. The figure
threw its hands out towards the house with a gesture of despair,
then gliding down the path it went out of the gate and stole quietly
down the lonely street.
CHAPTER III
M. VANDELOUP HEARS SOMETHING TO HIS ADVANTAGE
As he drove rapidly into town Gaston's thoughts were anything but
pleasant. Not that he was thinking about Kitty, for he regarded the
scene he had with her as merely an outburst of hysterical passion,
and did not dream she would take any serious step. He forgot all
about her when he left the house, and, lying back in the cab smoking
one of his everlasting cigarettes, pondered about his position. The
fact was he was very hard up for money, and did not know where to
turn for more. His luck at cards was so great that even the
Bachelors, used as they were to losing large sums, began to murmur
among themselves that M. Vandeloup was too clever, and as that young
gentleman by no means desired to lose his popularity he stopped
playing cards altogether, and so effectually silenced everyone. So
this mode of making money was gone, and until Madame Midas arrived
in town Vandeloup did not see how he was going to keep on living in
his former style. But as he never denied himself anything while he
had the money, he ordered the cabman to drive to Paton's, the
florist in Swanston Street, and there purchased a dainty bunch of
flowers for his button hole.
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