Love stories; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Princeton University -- Fiction; Social classes -- Fiction
Dalrymple's necessities turned out to be greater than George had
imagined. They measured pretty accurately the extent of his
reformation. George got several notes to run a year in return for
approximately twenty thousand dollars.
"Remember," he said at the close of the transaction, "you pay those back
when and how I say."
"I wouldn't have come to you if I could have helped it," Dalrymple
whined. "But don't forget, Morton, somebody will pull me out at a pinch.
I'm going to work to pay you if I live. I'm through with nonsense. Give
me a chance."
George nodded him out, and sent for his lawyer. In case of his death
Dalrymple's notes would go back to the man. Everything else he had
divided between his mother and the Baillys. He wrote his mother a long
letter, telling her just what to do. Quite honestly he regretted his
inability to get West to say good-bye. The thought of bringing her to
New York or Upton had not occurred to him.
For during these days of farewells everyone flocked to Upton, sitting
about the hostess houses all day and evening for an occasional chat with
their hurried men. Then they let such moments slip by because of a
feeling of strangeness, of dumb despair.
The Alstons and the Baillys were there, and so, of course, was Sylvia,
with her mother, more minutely guarded than she had ever been. His few
glimpses of her at luncheon or supper at Officers' House increased the
evil humour into which Dalrymple had thrown him. Consequently he looked
at her, impressing upon his morose mind each detail of her beauty that
he knew very well he might never study again. The old depression of
complete failure held him. She was going to let him go without a word.
Even this exceptional crisis was without effect upon her intolerant
memory. He would leave her behind to complete a destiny which he,
perhaps, after all, had affected only a very little.
With the whispered word that there would be no more meetings at
Officers' House, that before dawn the regiment would have slipped from
Upton, George turned to his packing with the emotions of a violently
constricted animal. He wouldn't even see her again. When Lambert came to
confer with him about some final dispositions he watched him like such
an animal, but Lambert let him see that he, too, was at a loss. He had
sent word by an orderly that he couldn't get to Officers' House that
evening.
"I couldn't make it any plainer. If they've any sense they'll know and
hunt me up."
They were wise, and a little of George's strain relaxed, for they found
Lambert in his quarters, and they made it clear that they had come to
say good-bye to George, too. After many halting efforts they gave up
trying to express themselves.
"The Spartans were better at this sort of thing," Bailly said at the
last as he clasped George's hand.
"Every Hun I kill or capture, sir, I'll think of as your Hun."
Without words, without tears, Mrs. Bailly kissed his lips. George tried
to laugh.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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