instinctively ducked, foot pressing the pedal down , as if that would help watch where youre going , prince shouted at benedickpitched them around a cluster of trees, branches clawing the car's side the wheels took the bumps and ruts hard further pummeling their precious load they crested a hill and hurled toward nothing but rocky coastline and what appeared to be a small cliff prince released a string of poetic curses through benedick paid attention only to the damned brakes part of it he braked hard just before they hit the edge but they tripped forward anyway oh no claude muttered instead of tumbling into the ocean they rolled down a relatively unimposing slope prince lurched over and grabbed the steering wheel throwing his whole weight into it he wrenched them under the lip of the ridge narrowly missing a craggy boulder the engine died for several seconds they sat in silence the only sound their quieting breaths the sun peeked over the ocean horizon mockingly picturesque benedick snicked a glance first at claude then at prince claudes cheeks were high with color but other than that, he was still among the living and functional prince cool as jazz touchedhis hair damn i liked that it was a very fine hat claude managed to say voice thin benedick laughed he couldnt help it prince he said one his mirth had faded rubbing the side of his nose most of the bottles had broken running their contents all over the floor of the model t be a sport wont you and reach under to see if isabella is broken or drowning in whiskey prince twisted and felt under the seat shes fine on the bright side said claude we wont be easy to find here wont be easy to haul the car up either said prince ben he waited until benedick looked across and met his eyes prince gaze was apologetic searching you're all right just jake blaine been worse all things considered in that case prince turned on one knee hunting around the ruin in the backseat a minute later benedick held the one inch remains of a broken bottle of whiskey claude a bottle of gin which leaked into his lap through a long crack up the side boys said prince holding up his replenished flask may we live to be shot at another day cheers said benedick they drank and claude made a low sound in his throat he coughed no wonder they were upset
lady disdain are you still fine, beatrice clark sat on her trunk her chin in hand the sun was hot already even in may but shhe refused to wait on the porch of the picturesque little lodge at the entrance gate she stayed on the very side of the road as far from the propertyas she was allowed to be st mary society for wayward girlsand fallen young women occupied a lonely edge of inwood hill park with a winding drive leading up to it and it was surrounded by a stucco stone wall difficult to scale but a few girls had managed it before the trees had been chopped down the ridge overlooked the hudson river and kept irreplaceable girls like beatrie out of sight of the respectable people of manhattan tiredness hovered within reach like a crouched fox