December Love

Robert Hichens

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Title: December Love

Author: Robert Hichens

By Robert Hichens

DECEMBER LOVE

By Robert Hichens

PART ONE

CHAPTER I

Alick Craven, who was something in the Foreign Office, had been living

in London, except for an interval of military service during the

war, for several years, and had plenty of interesting friends and

acquaintances, when one autumn day, in a club, Frances Braybrooke, who

knew everybody, sat down beside him and began, as his way was, talking

of people. Braybrooke talked well and was an exceedingly agreeable man,

but he seldom discussed ideas. His main interest lay in the doings of

the human race, the "human animal," to use a favorite phrase of his, in

what the human race was "up to." People were his delight. He could not

or not. Indeed, Craven was indebted to his kind old friend for various

introductions which had led to pleasant times, and for these he was

quite grateful. Braybrooke was much older than most people, though he

seldom looked it, and decades older than Craven, and he had a genial way

of taking those younger than himself in charge, always with a view to

their social advancement. He was a very ancient hand at the social

game; he loved to play it; and he wanted as many as possible to join

in, provided, of course, that they were "suitable" for such a purpose.

Perhaps he slightly resembled "the world's governess," as a witty woman

had once called him. But he was really a capital fellow and a mine of

carefully trimmed grey and brown beard.

"How very strange!" he said at last.

"Why is it strange?"

"All these years in London and not know Adela Sellingworth!"

"I know about her, of course. I know she was a famous beauty when King

Edward was Prince of Wales, and was tremendously prominent in society

after he came to the throne. But I have never seen her about since I

have been settled in London. To tell the honest truth, I thought Lady

Sellingworth was what is called a back number."

"Adela Sellingworth a back number!"

"She is about sixty. But that is nothing nowadays."

"No doubt she had a terrific career."

"Terrific! What do you mean exactly by terrific?"

"Why, that she was what used to be called a professional beauty, a

social ruler, immensely distinguished and smart and all t