It seems tobe as near plain bewilderment as anything I ever saw.
But then she
remembered that their actual meeting had beenaccidental.
I generally manage to
make something more or less definite.
Still motionlessly gazing across the
darkening Park, Lester thoughtagain of Richard.
Thesehabits had existed before
he had known Lester, but they could notescape her. At first he seems tobe just
a preacher driving his point home-convicting them of sin orsomething. I feel as
if there was something in him I hadnt grasped. It was notRichard; it was
another young woman.
The two dead girls went togetherslowly out of the
Park.
And very agreeable criticism, Jonathan said. Richard began to speak, and
checked himself. Yet its asort of massive dullness-much like your mass and
light; only theopposite. The first shadow of another night was in the sky. She
had then, or very soon after,become what she now was. They could, eachof them,
whatever was to happen, meet it with something human close by. She wascrying in
the street and she had neither handkerchief nor powder.
Richard answered: Ive
never known youtake much notice of anything I said.
The thin nothingness could
perhapshear and know.
She could perhaps, if it was he who hadbeen dead, have
gone to him; now she could not. Jonathan nodded at an easel on which was a
canvas covered by a cloth. Wouldthe whole City gradually fade and leave her to
emptiness? Her apprehension quickened as she did so. But, as I told you, Ive
not beenparticularly interested. The odd thing is thatyou dont at any time lose
weight.
Chapter Two THE BEETLESIt was a month or so since Lester Furnival had
been buried.
Nor was I, said Jonathan, till I met Lady Wallingford. She was a
quite ordinary,and rather lucky, girl, and she was dead. She had for six months
kepthouse for Richard and herself and meant it.
She could not even yet manage
to enunciate toher companion the word death. She began, with an equal idiocy,
to say:But werent we- when Evelyn gripped her arm.
His own gaze was troubledand
almost inimical; there was something in him which scared her more. The Foreign
Office in which through the war he had been serving, pressedon him prolonged
leave.
Love, said Jonathan, more gloomily than ever as he looked at
hiswatch.
It said, through its sobs, the sobscatching and interrupting it:
Lester!
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