Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Young men -- Fiction
"_For terms write to or call at Apartment Five——_"
She turned her flushed face toward him.
"_Your_ address in full follows," she said. "Can you ever bring yourself
to forgive us?"
His astonished gaze met hers. "That doesn’t worry me," he said.
"It is generous and—splendid of you to say so," she faltered. "You
understand now, don’t you? We _had_ to spend all our money on clothes;
and we thought ourselves so fortunate in this beautiful apartment
because it was certain to impress people, and nobody could possibly
suspect us of poverty with that great picture by Goya over the mantel
and priceless tapestries and rugs and porcelains in every direction—and
our cat to make it look as though we really belonged here." Her voice
trembled a moment on the verge of breaking and her eyes grew brilliant
as freshly washed stars, but she lifted her resolute little head and
caught the tremulous lower lip in her teeth. Then, the crisis over, she
dropped the illustrated paper, came slowly back to her chair and sank
down, extending her arms along the velvet upholstery in silence.
Between them, on the floor, a sapphire rug stretched its ancient Persian
folds. He looked at it gravely, thinking that its hue matched her eyes.
Then he considered more important matters, plunging blindly into
profound abstraction; and found nothing in the depths except that he had
no money to go anywhere, but that he must go nevertheless.
He looked up after a moment.
"Would you and your sister think it inhospitable of me if I ask when
you—I mean—if I——"
"I know what you mean, Mr. Edgerton. Silvette and I are going at once.
"You can’t. Do you think I’d permit it? Please remember, too, that
you’ve advertised from here, and you’ve simply got to remain here. All
I meant to ask was whether you think it might be for a week or two yet,
but, of course, you can’t tell—and forgive me for asking—but I was
merely trying to adjust several matters in my mind to conditions——"
"Mr. Edgerton, we cannot remain. There is not in my mind the slightest
doubt concerning your financial condition. If you _could_ let us stay
until we secured employment, I’d ask it of you—because you are James
Edgerton; but you can’t"—she rose with decision—"and I’m going up to the
roof to tell Silvette."
"If you stir I’ll take those suit cases and depart for good."
"You are very generous—the Edgertons always were, I have heard, but we
cannot accept——"
He interrupted, smiling: "I think the Tennants never needed instruction
concerning the finer points of obligation." ... He stood a moment
thoughtfully, turning over and over the two dollars in his pocket; then
with a laugh he walked across the studio and picked up his suit cases.
"Don’t do that!" she said in a grave voice.
"There is nothing else to do, Miss Tennant."
"There’s another bedroom."
They stood, not regarding one another, considering there in the
sunshine.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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