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The Reverberator; Madame De Mauves ; a Passionate Pilgrim, and Other Tales
The Reverberator Madame De Mauves a Passionate Pilgrim and Other Tales Author:Henry James General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1908 Original Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where... more » you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: " I mean that he takes as keen an interest in your annals and possessions as yourself." "Oh exactly so! He tells me he's a bad invalid," he added in a moment. "I should never have supposed it." "Within the past few hours he's a changed man. Your beautiful house, your extreme kindness, have refreshed him immensely." Mr. Searle uttered the vague ejaculation with which self-conscious Britons so often betray the concussion of any especial courtesy of speech. But he followed this by a sudden odd glare and the sharp declaration: " I 'm an honest man!" I was quite prepared to assent; but he went on with a fury of frankness, as if it were the first time in his life he had opened himself to any one, as if the process were highly disagreeable and he were hurrying through it as a task. "An honest man, mind you! I know nothing about Mr. Clement Searle! I never expected to see him. He has been to me a -- a -- !" And here he paused to select a word which should vividly enough express what, for good or for ill, his kinsman represented. "He has been to me an Amazement! I've no doubt he's a most amiable man. You'll not deny, however, that he's a very extraordinary sort of person. I'm sorry he's ill. I'm sorry he's poor. He's my fiftieth cousin. Well and good. I'm an honest man. He shall not have it to say that he was n't received at my house." "He too, thank heaven, is an honest man!" I smiled. "Why the devil then," cried Mr. Searle, turning almost fiercely on me, "has he put forward this underhand claim to my property ?" The question, quite ringing out, Sashed backward...« less