The desire became too strong to be resisted. The advantage of having
something to do with her hands while she spoke was too great a one not
to be taken advantage of. So Madame Frabelle said:
'Edith dear.'
'Yes?'
'I've been wanting to say something to you.'
Edith leant forward, putting her elbows on her knees and her face on her
hands, and said:
'Oh, _do_ tell me, Eglantine. What is it?'
'It is simply this,' said the other lady, calmly continuing her
knitting.... 'Very often when one's living with a person, one doesn't
notice little things a comparative stranger would observe. Is that
not so?'
'What have you observed? What's it about?'
'It is about your husband,' said Madame Frabelle.
'What! Bruce?' asked Edith.
'Naturally,' replied Madame Frabelle dryly.
'What have you observed about Bruce?'
'I have observed,' replied Madame Frabelle, putting her hand in the sock
that she was knitting, and looking at it critically, her head on one
side, 'I have observed that Bruce is not at all well.'
'Oh, I'm sorry you think that. It's true he has seemed rather what he
calls off colour lately.'
'He suffers,' said Madame Frabelle, as if announcing a great discovery,'
he suffers from Nerves.
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