Of course, now, she
would have to spend Christmas alone. She was far too busy to think of
Birmingham. She could have managed Brighton. Argument founded on the
length of journey to Birmingham as compared with the journey to Brighton
she refused to be drawn into. Her feelings had been too deeply wounded
to permit of descent into detail.
But the sinner, confessing his fault, is entitled to forgiveness, and,
having put him back into his proper place, she let him kiss her hand. She
even went further and let him ask her out to dinner. As the result of
her failure to reform Mrs. Phillips she was feeling dissatisfied with
herself. It was an unpleasant sensation and somewhat new to her
experience. An evening spent in Arthur's company might do her good. The
experiment proved successful. He really was quite a dear boy. Eyeing
him thoughtfully through the smoke of her cigarette, it occurred to her
how like he was to Guido's painting of St. Sebastian; those soft, dreamy
eyes and that beautiful, almost feminine, face! There always had been a
suspicion of the saint about him even as a boy: nothing one could lay
hold of: just that odd suggestion of a shadow intervening between him and
the world.
Pages:
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214