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Oh, she said languidly, because she can never be such a fool. His brownish fair
hair was long, and lay on his headlike a thick cap, combed sideways.
Then very
suddenly she said:Dont try any of your tomfoolery on me. Id no more trust him
than Id trust a catnot to steal. And he thought to himself it would be a good
thing tohave this place for his own. He went softlydownstairs and out to the
kitchen. I tell you, its a pleasure tohave somebody in the house beside
ourselves, said warmheartedBanford. But her whole figure was absorbed in its
bearing, as if sheherself was miles away. Banford, biting her fingers
irritably, was glancing athim under her hair.
The bulletsflight home is a sheer
projection of your own fate into the fate ofthe deer. And in her
dream-despairall she could find that would do was a fox-skin.
Oh, dont you
bother; Im going to tell him that, and other thingsas well, before he goes.
Couldnt she stay on here if she were married?
Banford dranka glass of milk and
ate a little bread. I shall never know a moments peace againwhile I live, nor a
moments happiness. And when youre no more use to him, then I pityyou. And it is
a battle never finishedtill your bullet goes home. Well, said Henry, we had to
stop that hole in the barn to keepsthe rats out. March looked round with big,
startled black eyes, and went pale asif with terror.
Banford looked round in
amazement, sitting up straight.
What, the eight-ten or the eleven-twenty?
Oh
dear, my nerves are all gone for tonight, wailed Banford.
Suddenly he lifted
his cloudedblue eyes, and unthinking looked straight into Marchs eyes. She knew
that itwasnt right, that this was not what she should have.
Im afraid I HAVE
wasted my money this time. Banford tookher candle and went upstairs. In the
distance he heard a fox yelping: and the dogs from the farmsbarking in
answer.
Banford let her fingers stray across her brow and along her hair,like
one bemused. He scarcely admitted his intention even to himself. I mean about
you and Nellie, if you are going on with thisbusiness.
She looked up from the
logs she was piling.
And thats what he wants: to come and bemaster here. He put
his red hand under the glow of the lamp and suddenly madethe light very
dim.
But he could hear nothing, it was too faroff.
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