The tunnel : $b Pilgrimage, Volume 4 — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The tunnel : $b Pilgrimage, Volume 4
John Stuart Mill · en
The train stopped. Better not to go down again. There was something all
wrong in it. Wrong about everything. The Pinners and the big man were
right ... but there was something dreadful in them, the something that
is in all simple right sort of people, who just go on, never thinking
about anything. Were they good and right? It did not enter their heads
to think that they were wrong in associating with him.... Here in London
it seemed wrong ... she hurried wearily with aching head up the long
platform. The Wimpole Street people would certainly think it wrong; if
they knew about the marriage. They knew he was a coming great man; the
great new "critic"; a new kind of critic ... they knew everybody was
beginning to talk about him. But if they knew they would not approve.
They would never understand his way of seeing things. Impossible to
convey anything to them of what the visit had been.
11
The hall clock said half-past nine. The hall and the large rooms had
shrunk. Everything looked shabby and homely. The house was perfectly
quiet. Passing quietly and quickly into her room she found the table
empty. The door into the den was shut and no sound came from behind it.
No one but James had seen her. The holiday was still there. Perhaps
there would be time to take hold in the new way before anyone discovered
her and made demands. Perhaps they were all three wanting her at this
moment. But the house was so still, there was nothing urgent. Perhaps
she would never feel nervous at Wimpole Street again. It was really all
so easy. There was nothing she could not manage if only she could get a
fair start and get everything in order and up to date. Her mind tried to
encircle the book-keeping. There must be a plan for it all; so much work
on the accounts to keep the whole ledger-full sent out to date, so much
on the address books, and so much on the monthly cash books--a little of
all these things every day in addition to the day's work, whatever
happened; that would do it. Then there would be no muddle and nothing to
worry about and perhaps time to write. They must be told that she would
use any spare time there was on other things.... They would be quite
ready for that provided the books were always up to date and the
surgeries always in order. That is what a Wilson would have done from
the first.
12
"Mr. Grove to see you, miss."
"Mr. _Grove_?"
"Yes miss; a dark gentleman."