Crusoe in New York, and other talesHale, Edward Everett
General
Crusoe in New York, and other tales
Hale, Edward Everett
New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Short stories, American; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
And Sunday was another lovely day. They drove to church, and the drive
was charming. They drove to Essex Woods, and that was charming. And
Edward got out some of his old college diaries and read to her; and she
fell to telling him about Ingham University. Oh dear! I do not know
what they did not talk about. And it was midnight before they went to
bed again.
Edward went right to sleep. Psyche had noticed that before. He would
say, "God bless us, darling!" and he would be asleep in two seconds.
But Psyche could not sleep. She had lost all her chances to ask him
about the calls. She could not bear to wake him up and ask him. Nay,
had she not promised him that she would not ask him? Not this very
thing, perhaps, but what was just the same thing.
Why should she ask him? Why should she not find out without asking him?
Priscilla seemed to know, but Priscilla had never asked him. How did
Priscilla know? How did Priscilla know?--how? how? how? The poor child
said this over to herself in words,--"How? how? how?"--and she fell
asleep.
But she did not sleep well. All of a sudden, in a horrid dream, in
which they were dragging Edward off to prison, she woke up. Oh, how
glad she was to be awake! What in the world were they taking him to
prison for? What had he done? Priscilla knew. Did Priscilla know? Why
should not Psyche know?
Poor little Psyche! It was very still, and Edward was dead asleep. And
one word from him would make her perfectly happy. And yet she did not
dare ask him to speak that one word.
Why should she not be perfectly happy? Why should she disturb him at
all? Why should she not keep her promise, and be perfectly happy too?
Dear little Psyche! Poor little Psyche! She got out of bed, and she
stepped gently across the room to Edward's dressing-room, and she
pushed the door to. It was the first time in her life that Psyche had
ever tried to part herself from her husband. And she knew it was. And a
cold shudder ran through her as she thought of this. But she was not
born to be frightened by cold shudders. There was too much Lady Macbeth
in her for that. She struck a match, lighted a candle, and sat for a
minute thinking. Then she bravely took her husband's coat and drew from
the breast-pocket that Russia leather letter-book which she gave him at
Christmas. How little she thought then that she should be handling it
stealthily at the dead of night!
She opened the book, which was full of letters. She seized the first:--
"MR. EDWARD ROSS, No. 999 State Street, Boston."
Then that was his office. She could drive down State Street some day
and just look at the number. She set the candle on her knee to free her
hand while she opened the letter.
"DEAR ROSS,--Could you spare me Orton for half an hour?
"E. J. F."
Miserable girl! She had violated all confidence--to learn nothing!
But Lady Macbeth went on.
"_Mr. Edward Ross, 999 State Street:_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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