Waymark had promised to come as soon as he had
any news. The time would go very slowly till she saw him.
Waymark had met Harriet very seldom of late. Julian spent regularly
one evening a week with him, but it was only occasionally that
Waymark paid a visit in turn. He knew that he was anything but
welcome to Mrs. Casti, who of course had neither interest nor
understanding for the conversation between himself and Julian.
Formerly he had now and then tried his best to find some common
subject for talk with her, but the effort had been vain; she was
hopelessly stupid, and more often than not in a surly mood, which
made her mere presence difficult to be endured. Of late, whenever he
came, she made her illness an excuse for remaining in her bed-room.
And hence arose another trouble. The two rooms were only divided by
folding doors, and when Harriet got impatient with what she
conceived to be the visitor's undue stay, she would rap on the
doors, to summon Julian to her. This rapping would take place
sometimes six or seven times in half an hour, till Waymark hastened
away in annoyance. And indeed there was little possibility of
conversing in Julian's own room. Julian sat for ever in a state of
nervous apprehension, dreading the summons which was sure to come
before long.
Pages:
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329