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Part II: The Explanations of Innocent Smith | Gilbert K. Chesterton | |
Chapter II. The Two Curates; or, the Burglary Charge |
Page 13 of 17 |
"He set out two wineglasses from the cupboard, filled them both, and lifted one of them with a salutation towards his lips. "`Don't do it!' I cried. `It might be the last bottle of some rotten vintage or other. The master of this house may be quite proud of it. Don't you see there's something sacred in the silliness of such things?' "`It's not the last bottle,' answered my criminal calmly; `there's plenty more in the cellar.' "`You know the house, then?' I said. "`Too well,' he answered, with a sadness so strange as to have something eerie about it. `I am always trying to forget what I know-- and to find what I don't know.' He drained his glass. `Besides,' he added, `it will do him good.' "`What will do him good?' "`The wine I'm drinking,' said the strange person. "`Does he drink too much, then?' I inquired. "`No,' he answered, `not unless I do.' "`Do you mean,' I demanded, `that the owner of this house approves of all you do?' "`God forbid,' he answered; `but he has to do the same.' "The dead face of the fog looking in at all three windows unreasonable increased a sense of riddle, and even terror, about this tall, narrow house we had entered out of the sky. I had once more the notion about the gigantic genii-- I fancied that enormous Egyptian faces, of the dead reds and yellows of Egypt, were staring in at each window of our little lamp-lit room as at a lighted stage of marionettes. My companion went on playing with the pistol in front of him, and talking with the same rather creepy confidentialness. |
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Manalive Gilbert K. Chesterton |
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