Excerpt: ...Kinnaird, who was standing not far from her, take out his watch. "It's a little too bad of Weston. I shouldn't have waited for anybody else," he said. "As it is, I suppose we'll have to give him a minute or two longer." The remark was evidently overheard, as perhaps Kinnaird intended. One of the others laughed. "Ralph Weston was never punctual in his life," he said. "Considering everything," observed one of the women standing near Ida, "it is rather curious that Weston should have promised to come at all. It ...
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Excerpt: ...Kinnaird, who was standing not far from her, take out his watch. "It's a little too bad of Weston. I shouldn't have waited for anybody else," he said. "As it is, I suppose we'll have to give him a minute or two longer." The remark was evidently overheard, as perhaps Kinnaird intended. One of the others laughed. "Ralph Weston was never punctual in his life," he said. "Considering everything," observed one of the women standing near Ida, "it is rather curious that Weston should have promised to come at all. It must be a trifle embarrassing to dine at one's own place as another man's guest." "Oh," said the man beside her, "Weston would go anywhere for a good dinner and a good glass of wine." Ida, as it happened, had not heard what guests Mrs. Kinnaird had expected, and she started at the name. It was a moment or two later when she turned to her companion. "This house belongs to the man they seem to be waiting for?" she asked. Ainslie nodded. "Yes," he said, "I suppose it does." "Then why doesn't he live in it?" "It takes a good deal to keep up a place of this kind, and, until Major Kinnaird came, it's some time since anybody seriously attempted it." "Ah!" said Ida. "Mr. Weston's means are insufficient?" "It's a tolerably open secret. There are a good many people similarly situated. A small and badly-kept estate is not a lucrative possession." "Then why don't they keep it up efficiently?" "Now," said Ainslie, "you're getting at the root of the matter. In my opinion it's largely a question of character. In fact, after the glimpses I've had of the wheat-growers in Dakota, Minnesota, and western Canada, it seems to me that if our people were content to live and work at...
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Seller's Description:
Very Good minus. Without dust jacket. A scarce American edition of this prolific English author. Octavo 7 1/2" tall, 367 pages, decorated blue cloth. A very good minus, generally sturdy and clean, hardcover first American edition, with moderate shelf wear and rubbing to the fore-cornersh, paper lightly yellowed with light foxing to the fore-edge and endpapers. Without dust jacket.
