Prev | Current Page 399 | Next

Walpole, Hugh, Sir, 1884-1941

"The Captives"


She was confident because she did not think; she simply did not
think at all. She loved Martin and Martin loved her; cased in that
golden armour, she confronted her aunts and the house and the world
behind the house with a sublime and happy confidence. She loved her
aunts now, she loved Martha and the parrot and the cat, and she
could not believe that they did not all love her. Because Martin
loved her the rest of the world must also do so, and if they did not
she would compel them.
For three whole weeks the spell lasted, for three marvellous golden
weeks. When she looked back afterwards she wondered that she had not
seen many things, warnings, portents, whatever you please to call
them. But for three weeks she saw nothing but Martin, and for three
weeks he saw nothing but Maggie.
She began her career of defiance at once by informing Aunt Anne that
she was now going out every morning to do her shopping. Considering
the confinement to the house that her life had always been, this was
such a declaration of independence as those walls had never
encountered before. But Aunt Anne never turned one of her shining
neatly ordered hairs.


Pages:
387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411