, such as these people
with their hot blood knew nothing of. It _was_ passion, a weak fever of
the flesh. I drew the sheet over me, and lay down again.

The morning was stiflingly hot. I remember the crowd of porters, drays,
etc., jostling on the wharf: the narrow street: Monsieur passing me, as
we turned into it, and muttering, "By six this afternoon I must know
your decision": Robert's grave, inquiring face, when he first met his
father, and saw his changed look. The rooms he had taken for us were but
partially furnished, carpetless, the sun staring in through dirty
windows, blue and yellow paper on the walls. He went out with Dr.
Manning for a walk; the boys scattered off noisily to the sea-side. I
went to work making a sort of lounge for Teddy to sleep on, out of some
blocks of wood and staves of an old barrel, and so passed the time until
noon. Then I sat down to mend the weekly heap of boys' socks,
half-washed and leather-stained. Out of the window where I sat I looked
down into the muddy back-yard of the boarding-house, where an Irishwoman
was washing and gossiping with the cook cleaning fish over the ash-heap.
_This_ was what Life held for me now, was it? When the door was opened,
a strong whiff of dinner filled the room. Two o'clock came.

"I will not go down to dinner," I said to Jacqueline, when the cracked
bell rang. "I will go out and find Doctor Manning on the cliffs. I may
have something to say to him."

But when she was gone, I darned on at the unclean socks. Somehow the
future faced me in my work and surroundings. But I did not think of it
as a whole. The actual dignity and beauty of life, God's truth itself,
may have grown dim to me, behind a faint body and tired fingers; but let
the hard-worked woman who is without that sin throw the first stone at
me. I got up at last, folded the stockings, and put them away; then
pinned on my bonnet and shawl. Teddy was sitting on the stairs, half
asleep. I stopped to kiss him.

"You'll be back soon, mother?"--hugging me close about the neck.

"Good bye, Bud! Bring your father his pipe to-night, as he likes you to
do,--and every night."

I strained him close to my breast again; he had a warm, honest little
heart of his own; he would be such a man as his father. I gasped, set
him down: I dared not kiss him after I thought of that: and went out of
the hall, stumbling over the boarders' hats and greasy oil-cloth.
Without, the air had that yellow stirless calm pec