CATHERINE HERSELF _By_ JAMES HILTON T. FISHER UNWIN LTD LONDON: ADELPHI TERRACE _First published in 1920_ (_All rights reserved_) CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. PRELUDE 11 II. JEUNESSE 26 III. THE FIRST TRANT EPISODE 41 IV. NOCTURNE 51 V. DISILLUSIONMENTS 64 VI. CRESCENDO 77 VII. TRAGEDY 91 VIII. POST-MORTEM 101 IX. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH 113 X. ACCELERANDO 125 XI. THE SECOND TRANT EPISODE 141 XII. DISCONTENT 159 XIII. LONELINESS 174 XIV. HOPE ENTERS 179 XV. SUCCESS 192 XVI. ALLEGRO CON FUOCO 202 XVII. THE CRISIS 236 XVIII. DÉBÂCLE 244 XIX. AFTERWARDS 253 XX. STILL FALLING 270 XXI. FALLEN 276 XXII. MR. HOBBS 284 XXIII. ONCE AGAIN 295 XXIV. THE LAST PHASE 302 CATHERINE HERSELF CHAPTER I PRELUDE § 1 CATHERINE thought: Day is white, Night is black, but sometimes it is half-white and half-black.... There were five knobs on the brass rail of the bed: one of them would come off.... The baker came to the door every night and said: “And how is Cathie?” ... It was cold, and blue flames flickered on top of the coals in the fire-grate. They said: “Lappappappap....” The Man tore off his collar from the stud--“plock”--then he screwed off his boots--“Hr-rooch--flop ... Hr-rooch--flop.” ... The mother said: “Cathie’s asleep: don’t make such a noise.” ... Then her mother carried her past the brown banisters up to bed.... It was nearly black. The pumping-engine at the water-works went: “Chug-chug ... chug-chug ... chug-chug-chug....” There were five knobs on the brass rail of the bed.... § 2 The Man was Father. Every morning mother called upstairs: “John: come on! Past eight”... and father said: “Just about to.” The sun fell in a slant over the table and climbed up the wall. Father ate porridge and milk: he went “Ooflip-oorooflip.” The sunlight slid off the table on to the floor. There was nothing to do except listen to the clock. It went “tick-tock—tick-tock”--then it went “ticky-ticky.” ... The milkman said: “Mornin’, m’m. Lavly mornin’. Thenk you, m’m. Mornin’, m’m.” ... The sunlight ran away....