FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
o her. And his wife must have felt it too, when she sat always by herself. Phyllis feels it when she sees that, for the moment, you have more attraction for her husband than she has. And Adair feels it as well, when he risks his good name for a little desperate comfort and is willing to clothe you, for whom he professes to care, with all the appearance of dishonor. You're no exception; it's the feeling that you are exceptional that makes you unscrupulous in your self-pity. Get that into your head, that you're not exceptional. Half the world's with you in the same box; but it smiles and doesn't own it. Have you got that?" She nodded and tried to withdraw her hands; but he held them fast. "And now as regards this desire to be wanted; that's perfectly right and natural. There's nobody who doesn't share it. And I understand what you say about mere friendship. It's unsatisfying and impermanent. It's like a meal snatched at a restaurant; none of the dishes or napkins or tables or chairs belong to you. They've been used by other people before you and they'll be used by other people the moment your bill is settled. What you want and what every one wants, is something more than friendship--a human relation with one person who is so much yours that your intimacies are a secret from all the world." "Some one with whom I can be little," she whispered, "and foolish and off my guard." He smiled. "That's it exactly. But you won't get that sort of relationship with a man who belongs already to another woman." "One gets the pretense." He shook his head. "Not even the pretense. There was a phrase you used about Adair; you said he'd lost his direction. That's true; he has for the moment. Presently he'll refind it and the road leads back to Phyllis. You said something else: you called him a second best. That's all he is, however you take him, whether as a husband, a father or a lover. He lacks earnestness; he has always lacked it. I've been his friend for years; his flabbiness sticks out all over him. But you're not a second best, Mrs. Lockwood. You're a top-notcher--too fine for anything but the best. You really are. You ought to set a higher value on yourself." She had regained her composure. He showed a willingness to release her hands, but she let them rest where they were like tired birds, while she regarded him with wistful kindness. "Too fine for anything but the best! It's a long while since I heard any one say th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

moment

 
exceptional
 

pretense

 
people
 
husband
 

friendship

 

Phyllis

 

Presently

 
direction
 
refind

called
 

relationship

 

belongs

 

smiled

 

phrase

 

sticks

 

release

 

willingness

 
showed
 
regained

composure

 

regarded

 

wistful

 

kindness

 

lacked

 

friend

 
flabbiness
 
earnestness
 

father

 
higher

notcher

 
Lockwood
 

smiles

 
nodded
 
desire
 

wanted

 
withdraw
 

comfort

 

clothe

 
desperate

professes

 

exception

 

feeling

 

unscrupulous

 

appearance

 

dishonor

 
perfectly
 

relation

 

person

 

settled