The Black Drop (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: m Geandsie was sitting at his big table facing the door, and within the tract of soft illumination from the drop- light were large sheets of paper over which his pencil hovered. A frown, not of perplexity but of extreme interest, brought his fine brows together. He was debating whether he could allow himself to yield to his foolish passion for early apples, of which Grasslands had already such abundance that, although the neighbors were called in to pick and gather, the fragrance of fallen fruit, the cricket's quota, filled the air. Or should he smother his temptation to make the present venture one of personal delight and set out the winter dependables that denied the eye something of immediate fruition? But hearing steps he put down his pencil and laid the papers away. The smile born out of the sagacity of age ? a smile of a satiric quality yet courteously patient ? came over his face. He suspected the family of leaving their exigent pursuits to come up and keep him company, whereas he might be the better entertained without them. But Emily's face at once gave his conjectures another directing push, and his smile faded. The least anxiety on Emily's brow was enough to recall him to the temporal affairs he had, for the most part, stepped out of with a dignified finality and in ample time to avoid the tread of a younger generation on his heels. "Writing, father?" asked Norris unnecessarily, andJohn went at once to the fireplace and laid the sticks together. " What is it? " asked grandsir, as they ceased their slight activities of pulling chairs into range of his table and disposing themselves. " Oh, I see! Charles was here." " He asked if he might come up," Norris began, and his father raised his eyebrows slightly. " No, of course not," he said to Emily, as if he kne...