FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   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   >>   >|  
ery much grieved. I should have liked him to have been distinguished--or at any rate to remain in the social sphere where we could have had common interests, acquaintances, thoughts. Don't think that I am estranged from him. But the precise truth is that I do not know him. I was most painfully affected when he was here by the difficulty of finding a single topic we could discuss together." While Mrs. Fyne was talking of her brother I let my thoughts wander out of the room to little Fyne who by leaving me alone with his wife had, so to speak, entrusted his domestic peace to my honour. "Well, then, Mrs. Fyne, does it not strike you that it would be reasonable under the circumstances to let your brother take care of himself?" "And suppose I have grounds to think that he can't take care of himself in a given instance." She hesitated in a funny, bashful manner which roused my interest. Then: "Sailors I believe are very susceptible," she added with forced assurance. I burst into a laugh which only increased the coldness of her observing stare. "They are. Immensely! Hopelessly! My dear Mrs. Fyne, you had better give it up! It only makes your husband miserable." "And I am quite miserable too. It is really our first difference . . . " "Regarding Miss de Barral?" I asked. "Regarding everything. It's really intolerable that this girl should be the occasion. I think he really ought to give way." She turned her chair round a little and picking up the book I had been reading in the morning began to turn the leaves absently. Her eyes being off me, I felt I could allow myself to leave the room. Its atmosphere had become hopeless for little Fyne's domestic peace. You may smile. But to the solemn all things are solemn. I had enough sagacity to understand that. I slipped out into the porch. The dog was slumbering at Fyne's feet. The muscular little man leaning on his elbow and gazing over the fields presented a forlorn figure. He turned his head quickly, but seeing I was alone, relapsed into his moody contemplation of the green landscape. I said loudly and distinctly: "I've come out to smoke a cigarette," and sat down near him on the little bench. Then lowering my voice: "Tolerance is an extremely difficult virtue," I said. "More difficult for some than heroism. More difficult than compassion." I avoided looking at him. I knew well enough that he would not like this opening. General i
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
difficult
 

solemn

 

domestic

 
turned
 

miserable

 

Regarding

 

thoughts

 

brother

 

things

 

hopeless


opening

 
distinguished
 

sagacity

 
slumbering
 
muscular
 

understand

 

slipped

 

atmosphere

 

reading

 

morning


picking

 

leaves

 

absently

 

General

 

leaning

 
lowering
 

cigarette

 

distinctly

 

Tolerance

 

heroism


virtue

 

grieved

 
extremely
 

avoided

 

loudly

 

fields

 

presented

 

forlorn

 

figure

 

gazing


contemplation
 
landscape
 

relapsed

 

quickly

 

compassion

 
occasion
 

precise

 
suppose
 
circumstances
 

painfully