Oh, he rather fancies breaking in a new person. The
dark, stormy mornings made the warmthand quiet toward which she hurried seem all the
richer. When she heard him tell her that she had given himsomething! He had clung to
a secret belief thathe would pick it up again, somewhere.
He sat down and looked at Lucy,looked her over
deliberately, and she looked at him. Herplaying for him was nothing but
make-believe; and his friendlinesswas make-believe, perhaps.
She knew, as well as if a name had been mentioned,
that the womanwho had written for money was Mrs.
Downstairs he hailed thefirst cab he saw and gave
the driver Lucys number. I think he must have been breakingup even
then.
It was storming outside, and there was asnowdrift
on her floor beneath the open window.
Itwas as if they were on the lonely spur of a
mountain, enveloped bymist.
It was just that freshness which charmed me,
Ithought. Things took on their right relation, the trivialand disturbing shut out.
Yetshe knew, too, that it would last a lifetime.
On thecontrary, there was a spirit which disdained
advantage.
His watchsaid five oclock; he must have been on his
feet for nearly anhour. Oh, my dear, I can readyour face like a book! When she went
there, she found Clement Sebastianseated by Auerbachs desk, talking to
him.
He rose quickly and softly and loweredthe
window-shades a little. For thefirst time it occurred to Lucy that even this smiling
little manmight have his regrets. He took her coat, waited for her to go into the
musicroom, and limped in after her. Neither of us had looked forward to this
American seasonwith much pleasure. Sebastian was notwith him because she dreaded the
Chicago winter climate.
He laughedas she came in, and dropped both hands
lightly on her shoulders. She turned to him quickly and caught his sleeve. Like
spring, it was, to one coming in out ofthe wintry streets. We were the closest of
friends, long ago.
The basses, too; most of them Germans and Swedes.
He was standing before the fire,putting on his white gloves, when a latch-key
scratched at thedoor.
Five years ago hecame to visit me in France. Hetook
the hand on his sleeve and held it between both his own. That afternoon Lucy had to
give two lessons at Auerbachs studio.
What did he know about her life, after
all?
As she hurried along the street, she thought of one
mistake afteranother.
Perhaps you can comein at five oclock and have tea
with me?
The lid once off, he began remembering everything,
and everythingseemed to have gone wrong.
Then, after eleven-thirty, the city began pokingin
its fingers.
The lad was sensitive, and so adoring of her that
her severityamounted to cruelty. The air of the room had freshened, and something
within himhad freshened.
She wiped off a table with her apron, andspread a
clean napkin over it.