Rubbish! They prefer that of their
own sex. But please didn't refer to the same painful period of my
life."
The priest insisted:
"Is it true that you gave the plumpest of them to the Sultan of
Colambang in exchange for the recipe of some wonderful sauce? Is it
true that you used to be known as the Lightning Lover? Is it true that
you used to say, in your London days, that no season was complete
without a ruined home?"
"She exaggerates a good deal, that lady."
"Is it true that you once got so drunk that you mistook one of those
red-coated Chelsea pensioners for a pillar-box and tried to post a
letter in his stomach?"
"I'm very short-sighted, Don Francesco. Besides, all that was in a
previous incarnation. Do come and listen to the music! May I offer you
my arm, Duchess? I have a surprise for you."
"You have a surprise for us every year, you bad man," she said. "Now do
try and see if you can't get married. It makes one feel so good."
Keith had a peculiar habit of vanishing for a day or two to the
mainland, and returning with some rare orchid from the hills, a piece
of Greek statuary, a new gardener, or something.
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