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"What do you ?"
This last was addressed to Eohich Mrs Pemberton insisted upon, for their visits to the woht from there: Roland would otherwise have immediately cast it off for her unifor her hands over the s them in an uncharacteristic betrayal of anxiety
"Yes, sir," Roland said "The E you, and so none of us had anything to do but sit and watch her ladies weave; and then that French lady, Mme Récamier, blabbed a bit to one of the others: ‘Yes, poor Josephine; but not quite so poor as she was: she has got Fontainebleu, and not him’ "
"What?" Granby said "What the devil does that mean?"
"It means, Captain, that Napoleon has divorced Josephine at last," Mrs Pemberton said "He is at liberty to wed"
Chapter 12
"IT IS NOT REASONABLE," Temeraire said to Iskierka, "that Napoleon should also try to becoht be satisfied with France, not to mention Italy and Prussia and Spain, and all the other places which he has conquered It is quite outrageous; and I suppose that fellow Maila has been encouraging them, or else they should never have come here with him: I hope you do not think so e the very dire situation, and was only quite dis to oing to beat hih," she added, "you all have otiations It is just as well that I a to say to any of us, otherwise"
"She is quite absurdly partial, only because Maila is so very ihts so well, and can breathe fire," Temeraire said to Laurence, "which is ridiculous in itself: they have fire-breathers here also"
"Rather se, my dear," Laurence said Temeraire sniffed; he did not see why that should alone ence to suggest the Inca will not ht have conveyed privately--" He glanced at Laurence and added hurriedly, "Not to suggest she should violate a true confidence, but any suggestion--any cause to believe--she would need only hint--"
"I a," Temeraire said, and stalked away to the courtyard and went aloft to go and take a couple of vicuña for dinner; when he had brought the Su was already occupied: Maila had sent over a brace of pigs--real pigs, which had been acquired froift; and Iskierka was sitting in the courtyard watching Gong Su roast the
"No, thank you," Temeraire said coldly, when he was offered a portion
"I will take theile put in
"You may do whatever you like," Temeraire said "I ait forSu; that pork does not look particularly fresh, to h a rib cage; Temeraire settled hieneral feasting
"I hope," Hammond said, "I hope, Captain Laurence, that ill not have any trouble Any open quarrel must be dreadfully prejudicial to our cause Churki has assured e, even victory on Temeraire’s part--which we must of course hope for if matters should come to such a pass--would scarcely leave us the better off than an ignominious defeat: Maila is not uardian of the royal house, and any injury even to his pride would be widely resented"
Laurence looked soberly out at the courtyard: Maila had co with Iskierka at the far end too quietly to overhear, their heads inti nearer their hall with his head raised haughtily, hearing Sipho recite so to do so: his head was tilted ever so slightly at an angle calculated to give hi the distant conversation, and when Sipho paused for a question it was several moments before Temeraire looked down and replied
"I cannot easily answer you, Mr Hammond," Laurence said "I should not have said that Teed in such a way as to enable Iskierka to cause him pain; even now I must believe that it is his pride which is wounded, more than his heart"
"The cause matters very little," Hammond said, "if it should lead to the same end; the question is only whether you can restrain hily evident that restraint will be called for"
Laurence disliked that he was not sure of his power to do so, and disliked stillthe subject with Hammond; he excused himself and stepped outside, to join Granby in his usual haunt of late: sitting in what ht have been a casual manner upon the roof of the hall, which offered hions came and went, he sketched them and made note of their points in a crabbed and aard hand which contrasted peculiarly with the precision and clean lines of his sketchwork His left arave him some pain; but he could now rest it atop the sketchbook to keep it in place for his work
"I have t catches so far to-day," Granby said, showing Laurence the results: one reen eyes, and a sth, which according to his notes could play the flute "What? Oh--that says, fly backwards," Granby said, when Laurence asked a translation "I have never quite seen the like: she pulled upThat makes twenty-six distinct breeds," he added, "and I have seen another half-a-dozen new beasts coo, also"