This FreedomHutchinson, A. S. M. (Arthur Stuart-Menteth)
General
This Freedom
Hutchinson, A. S. M. (Arthur Stuart-Menteth)
Marriage -- Fiction; Women -- Social and moral questions -- Fiction
Rosalie felt most awfully sorry for Anna. Often after that she used to
stare at Anna’s nose and the more so because there was nothing visible
the matter with it. Anna’s nose was a singularly long and straight nose;
now if it had been Flora’s nose that was out of joint!--for Flora’s nose
turned up in a very odd way. Rosalie slept in Anna’s room and that same
night, Anna’s disjointed nose and every other part of her face and head
being covered with the clothes when Rosalie went up to bed, Rosalie,
unable to sleep for curiosity and sympathy, got out of bed and lit the
candle and went across to look at Anna’s nose, and very gently felt it
with her finger. Absolutely nothing amiss to be seen or felt! But the
lashes of Anna’s eyes were wet and there were stains of tears upon the
upper side of the mysterious nose. It was true, then, for obviously it
hurt. And yet no sign!
Rosalie got back into bed feeling of her own nose rather anxiously.
Rosalie used formerly to sleep in Hilda’s room and Flora with Anna, but
she was changed one day by her sisters (without being consulted or
given any reason) and the new arrangement was continued. Anna was very
devotional. She used to say enormously long prayers night and morning.
She prayed in the middle of the night also, Rosalie used to think at
first, awakened and hearing her voice, but later found out that Anna
was talking in her sleep, a thing that was mysterious to Rosalie and
frightening. The room of Flora and Hilda, adjoined Anna’s and often at
night, when Rosalie was awakened by Anna undressing and lay watching her
at her immense prayers, the chattering voices of Flora and Hilda could
be heard through the wall and shrieks of high laughter. At that, Anna’s
shoulders used to shudder beneath her nightgown and she used to twist
herself lower on her knees. For some reason this also used rather to
frighten Rosalie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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