FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159  
160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   >>   >|  
t so hot in here? I didn't know." Dan bent down, put his lips to her fingers and left the room. The afternoon was long, the longest I've ever spent. Sometimes she seemed to sleep, sometimes whispered to herself about her mother, her grandfather, the garden, or her cats--all sorts of inconsequent, trivial, even ludicrous memories seemed to throng her mind--never once, I think, did she speak of Zachary, but, now and then, she asked the time.... Each hour she grew visibly weaker. John Ford sat by her without moving, his heavy breathing was often the only sound; sometimes she rubbed her fingers on his hand, without speaking. It was a summary of their lives together. Once he prayed aloud for her in a hoarse voice; then her pitiful, impatient eyes signed to me. "Quick," she whispered, "I want him; it's all so--cold." I went out and ran down the path towards the cove. Leaning on a gate stood Zachary, an hour before his time; dressed in the same old blue clothes and leather-peaked cap as on the day when I saw him first. He knew nothing of what had happened. But at a quarter of the truth, I'm sure he divined the whole, though he would not admit it to himself. He kept saying, "It can't be. She'll be well in a few days--a sprain! D' you think the sea-voyage.... Is she strong enough to be moved now at once?" It was painful to see his face, so twisted by the struggle between his instinct and his vitality. The sweat poured down his forehead. He turned round as we walked up the path, and pointed out to sea. There was his steamer. "I could get her on board in no time. Impossible! What is it, then? Spine? Good God! The doctors.... Sometimes they'll do wonders!" It was pitiful to see his efforts to blind himself to the reality. "It can't be, she's too young. We're walking very slow." I told him she was dying. For a second I thought he was going to run away. Then he jerked up his head, and rushed on towards the house. At the foot of the staircase he gripped me by the shoulder. "It's not true!" he said; "she'll get better now I'm here. I'll stay. Let everything go. I'll stay." "Now's the time," I said, "to show you loved her. Pull yourself together, man!" He shook all over. "Yes!" was all he answered. We went into her room. It seemed impossible she was going to die; the colour was bright in her cheeks, her lips trembling and pouted as if she had just been kissed, her eyes gleaming, her hair so dark and crisp, her face
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159  
160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Zachary
 

fingers

 

pitiful

 

Sometimes

 

whispered

 
doctors
 
Impossible
 

forehead

 
twisted
 

painful


struggle

 

instinct

 
voyage
 

strong

 
vitality
 

pointed

 
steamer
 
walked
 

poured

 

wonders


turned

 

thought

 

answered

 

impossible

 

colour

 

gleaming

 

kissed

 

cheeks

 

bright

 

trembling


pouted

 
sprain
 

walking

 

reality

 

gripped

 
staircase
 

shoulder

 
jerked
 

rushed

 
efforts

visibly
 

memories

 
throng
 
weaker
 

rubbed

 

speaking

 
breathing
 

moving

 
ludicrous
 

afternoon