Yer know since I've made my peace with
you.... _Ain't_ it a rum go, by the bye? Ten or twenty years ago
it'd 'a bin 'my peace with God.' I dunno nothin' about God--can't
see 'im at the end of a telescope, anyways. But I _can_ see you,
Vivie, and there's no one livin' I respect more" (speaks with real
feeling).... "Well, as I was sayin', since I'd set myself right with
you and wound up the business of the hotels I ain't so easy cowed by
'is looks as I used to be. So every now and then it amuses me to run
over in my auto to Louvain and stroll about there and watch 'im as
'e comes out for 'is promenade, pretendin' to be readin' a breviary
or some holy book. I know it riles 'im....
"Well, but for high principles, 'e and I might 'a bin as 'appy as
'appy and 'ad a large family. And there was nothin' to stop 'im
a-marryin' me, if that was all he wanted to feel comfortable about
it. But jus' see. He's had a life that seems to me downright
sterile, and I--well, I ain't been _really_ happy till we made it up
three years ago" (leans over, and kisses Vivie a little
timorously).
"Now there's you, burning yourself out 'cos your high principles
won't let you go for once in a way on the spree with this
Rossiter--s'posin' 'e's game, of course.... You've too much pride to
throw yourself at his head. But if he loves you as bad as you loves
'im, why don't you ask him" (instinctively the old ministress of
love speaks here) "ask 'im to take you over to Paris for a trip?
I'll lay 'e 'as to go over now'n again to the Sorbonne or one of
them scientific institutes.
Pages:
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302