There was a
pause and then came a ferocious crash. The universe was falling
to pieces. Then somebody seemed to be tearing an inner heaven of
metal as one tears a sheet of linen. This released a torrent that
descended with the roar of Niagara, as though the metal vault that
had just been rent asunder had been its prison. Miss Tevkin ran
back to cover. The torrent slackened, settling down to a steady
rain, spirited, zealous, amicable again
In a turmoil of agitation I crossed over to her. Instead, however, of
beginning at the beginning of my well-prepared little speech, I
blurted out something else
"You can't run away from me now," I said, with timid flippancy
"Please, leave me alone," she besought, turning away
I was literally stunned. Instead of trying to say what I had in my
mind and to force her to listen, I slunk away, in the rain, like a
beaten dog
The shock seemed to have a sobering effect on me. I suddenly
realized the imbecility of the part I had been playing, even the
humor of it. The first thing I did upon reaching the hotel was to
ask the clerk about the next train--not to Tannersville, but direct to
New York.
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