'There you are quite wrong,' I answered. 'He feels as
kindly to you as--as I do.' He looked as if he by no means believed
this; but, indeed, he looks as if he believed nothing at all. He is
quite upset and demoralized. He stayed half an hour and paid me his
visit--trying hard to 'please' me again! Poor man, he is in a charming
state to please the fair sex! But if he does n't please me, he interests
me more and more; I make bold to say that to you. You would have said
it would be very awkward; but, strangely enough, I found it very easy. I
suppose it is because I am so interested. Very likely it was awkward for
him, poor fellow, for I can certify that he was not a whit happier at
the end of his half-hour, in spite of the privilege he had enjoyed. He
said nothing more about you, and we talked of Paris and New York,
of Baden and Rome. Imagine the situation! I shall make no resistance
whatever to it; I shall simply let him perceive that conversing with me
on these topics does not make him feel a bit more comfortable, and that
he must look elsewhere for a remedy. I said not a word about Blanche."
She spoke of Blanche, however, the next time. "He came again this
afternoon," she said in her second letter, "and he wore exactly the same
face as yesterday--namely, a very unhappy one.
Pages:
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324