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Gissing, George, 1857-1903

"The Unclassed"

"Does Grim
remember who this is? We still keep together," she added, looking at
Waymark. "All day long, whilst I'm away, he keeps house; I'm often
afraid he suffers dreadfully from loneliness, but, you see, I'm
obliged to lock him in. And he knows exactly the time when I come
home. I always find him sitting on that chair by the door, waiting,
waiting, oh so patiently! And I often bring him back something nice,
don't I, Grimmy? You should see how delighted he is as soon as I
enter the door."
Ida was changed, and in many ways. She seemed to have grown younger;
in her voice and manner there was a girlishness which was quite new
to Waymark. Her motions were lighter and nimbler; there was no
longer that slow grace of step and carriage which had expressed
absolute leisure, and with it had gone, perhaps, something of
dignity, which used to sit so well upon her. She laughed from time
to time in a free, careless way; formerly she seldom did more than
smile. In the old days, there was nothing about her suggestive of
what are called the domestic virtues; now she seemed perfectly at
home amid these simple surroundings, and, almost as soon as her
visitor had sat down, she busied herself in laying the table in a
quick, ready way, which came of the habit of waiting upon herself.


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