All that day he worked, and once again as evening fell he sat on the
sofa, staring blankly at what he had done. Once again the shadow
shifted on the painted face, and fell where the light from the window
would naturally cast it, and once again cold fear clutched at his
heart. At that moment he heard steps along the passage, steps which he
knew, and Margery entered.
"Frank," she said, opening the door, "are you there?"
A long figure sprang off the sofa and ran across the room to her, half
smothering her in caresses.
"Oh, Margery, I'm so glad you've come," he said--"so glad. You don't
know what it has been without you. Margery, promise you won't go away
again till it is finished. You won't go away again, will you?"
Margery shuddered and drew back a moment, she hardly knew why.
"Why, Frank, what's the matter?" she asked. "Have you seen a ghost--or
what?"
"The place is full of ghosts," said he. "But they won't trouble me any
more now you've come back. Let's go out, away from here."
"But I want to see the portrait first," said she.
"Ah, the portrait!"
Frank took two quick steps to where it was standing, and wheeled it
round with its face to the wall.
"Not to-night," he said. "Please don't look at it to-night. You can't
see it by this light."
"I know I can't," said she, "but I only wanted to peep at it to see if
it had got on."
"It has got on," said Frank, "it has got on wonderfully. But don't look
at it to-night. It is terrible after sunset."
Margery raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, don't be so silly," she said. "However, I don't mind waiting till
to-morrow. Is it good?"
"Come out of this place, and I'll tell you about it."
Outside the west was still luminous with the sunken sun, and as they
stepped out on to the terrace Margery turned to look at Frank. His
face seemed terribly tired and anxious, and there were deep shades
beneath his eyes. But again, as a few moments before in the shadow, she
involuntarily shrank from him. There was something in his face more
than what mere weariness and anxiety would produce--something she had
seen in the face he had sketched two days ago, and the something she
knew she had shrunk from before, though she had not seen it. But in
a moment she pulled herself together; if she were going to go in for
fantastic fears too, the allowance of sanity between them would not be
enough for daily consumption. Frank, however, noticed it at once.
"Ah, you too," he said, bitterly--"even you desert me."
Margery took hold of his arm.
"Don't talk sheer, silly nonsense," she said. "I don't know what you
mean. I know what's the matter with you. You've been working all day
and not going out."
"Yes, I know I have. I couldn't help it. But never mind that now. I
have got you back. Margery, you don't give me up really, do you?"
"Frank, what do you mean?" she asked.
"I--I mean--I mean nothing. I don't know what I am saying. I've been
working too hard, and I have got dazed and stupid."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account