Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Short stories, English
To put it briefly and metaphorically, she whistled her dog back to her
heels. I am not skilled in understanding or describing the artifices
of ladies; but even I saw the transformation in Pamela. She put forth
her strength and put on her prettiest gowns; she refused to take her
place in the sea-saw of society which Chillington had recently
established for his pleasure. If he spent an hour with Miss Liston,
Pamela would have nothing of him for a day; she met his attentions with
scorn unless they were undivided. Chillington seemed at first puzzled;
I believe that he never regarded his talks with Miss Liston in other
than a business point of view, but directly he understood that Pamela
claimed him, and that she was prepared, in case he did not obey her
call, to establish a grievance against him, he lost no time in
manifesting his obedience. A whole day passed in which, to my certain
knowledge, he was not alone a moment with Miss Liston, and did not,
save at the family meals, exchange a word with her. As he walked off
with Pamela, Miss Liston's eyes followed him in wistful longing; she
stole away upstairs and did not come down till five o'clock. Then,
finding me strolling about with a cigarette, she joined me.
"Well, how goes the book?" I asked.
"I haven't done much to it just lately," she answered, in a low voice.
"I--it's--I don't quite know what to do with it."
"I thought you'd settled?"
"So I had, but--oh, don't let's talk about it, Mr. Wynne!"
But a moment later she went on talking about it.
"I don't know why I should make it end happily," she said. "I'm sure
life isn't always happy, is it?"
"Certainly not," I answered. "You mean your man might stick to the
shallow girl after all?"
"Yes," I just heard her whisper.
"And be miserable afterward?" I pursued.
"I don't know," said Miss Liston. "Perhaps he wouldn't."
"Then you must make him shallow himself."
"I can't do that," she said quickly. "Oh, how difficult it is!"
She may have meant merely the art of writing--when I cordially agree
with--but I think she meant also the way of the world--which does not
make me withdraw my assent. I left her walking up and down in front of
the drawing-room windows, a rather forlorn little figure, thrown into
distinctness by the cold rays of the setting sun.
All was not over yet. That evening Chillington broke away. Led by
vanity, or interest, or friendliness, I know not which--tired may be of
paying court (the attitude in which Pamela kept him), and thinking it
would be pleasant to play the other part for a while--after dinner he
went straight to Miss Liston, talked to her while we had coffee on the
terrace, and then walked about with her. Pamela sat by me; she was
very silent; she did not appear to be angry, but her handsome mouth
wore a resolute expression. Chillington and Miss Liston wandered on
into the shrubbery, and did not come into sight again for nearly half
an hour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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