A Service of Love 5

"Iwish you could see the wainscoting in that drawing-room, Joe! And thoseAstrakhan rug portieres. And Clementina has such a funny little cough. I hopeshe is stronger than she looks. Oh, I really am getting attached to her, she isso gentle and high bred. Gen. Pinkney's brother was once Minister toBolivia."

Andthen Joe, with the air of a Monte Cristo, drew forth a ten, a five, a two and aone--all legal tender notes--and laid them beside Delia's earnings.

"Sold that watercolour of the obelisk to a man fromPeoria," he announced overwhelmingly.

"Don't joke with me," said Delia, "not from Peoria!"

"All the way. I wish you could see him, Dele. Fat man with awoollen muffler and a quill toothpick. He saw the sketch in Tinkle's window andthought it was a windmill at first, he was game, though, and bought it anyhow.He ordered another--an oil sketch of the Lackawanna freight depot--to take backwith him. Music lessons! Oh, I guess Art is still in it."

"I'm so glad you've kept on," said Delia, heartily."You're bound to win, dear. Thirty-three dollars! We never had so much tospend before. We'll have oysters to-night."

"And filet mignon with champignons," said Joe."Were is the olive fork?"

On the next Saturday evening Joe reached home first. He spread his$18 on the parlour table and washed what seemed to be a great deal of darkpaint from his hands.

　　"我希望你能看到客厅里的护壁板，乔！还有那些阿斯特拉罕的呢门帘。克蕾门蒂娜老是有点咳嗽。我希望她的身体比她的外表强健些。喔，我实在越来越喜欢她了，她多么温柔，多么有教养。品克奈将军的弟弟一度做过驻波利维亚的公使。"

　　接着，乔带着基度山伯爵的神气⑨，掏出一张十元、一张五元、一张两元和一张一元的钞票——全是合法的纸币——把它们放在德丽雅挣来的钱旁边。

　　"那幅方尖碑的水彩画卖给了一个从庇奥利亚⑩来的人，"他郑重其事地宣布说。

　　"别跟我开玩笑啦，"德丽雅——"不会是从庇奥利亚来的吧！"

　　"确实是那儿来的。我希望你能见到他，德丽。一个胖子，围着羊毛围巾，啣着一根翮管牙签。他在丁克尔的橱窗里看到了那幅画，起先还以为是座风车呢。他倒很气派，不管三七二十一的，把它买下了。他另外预定了一幅——勒加黄那货运车站的油画——准备带回家去。我的画，加上你的音乐课！呵，我想艺术还是有前途的。"

　　"你坚持下去，真使我高兴，"德丽雅热切地说。"你一定会成功的，亲爱的。三十三块钱！我们从来没有这么多可以花的钱。今晚我们买牡蛎吃。"

　　"加上炸嫩牛排和香菌，"乔说，"肉叉在哪儿？"

　　下一个星期六的晚上，乔先回家。他把他的十八块钱摊在客厅的桌子上，然后把手上许多似乎是黑色颜料的东西洗掉。

　　⑨基度山伯爵：法国大仲马小说中的人物。年轻时为情敌陷害，被判无期徒刑，在孤岛囚禁多年：脱逃后，在基度山岛上掘获宝藏自称基度山伯爵，逐一报复仇人。