was leaning, long and loose-jointed against the window-frame, his daytime black in contrast with his wife ’ s magnificence, his face shadowed, impassive under the fair hair that always looked wind-blown. Disconcertingly, he stopped talking at sight of Kate and the two of them awaited her in chilling silence.
Nothing for it but to plunge right in: “ I ’ m extremely sorry, Mr. Penrose, about today. It won ’ t happen again. ” No excuses. He must know how exhausting their journey had been. She was not going to refer to it. But the silence dragged out, as if each of them was waiting for the other to speak. At last Kate went on. “ I brought down my marriage lines, Mrs. Penrose. ” And then, when Jonathan merely shook his head impatiently, and Arabella turned away to study her own profile in the glass as if the whole subject was profoundly indifferent to her: “ Sarah went to bed like an angel. I truly think her day in the open has done her good. She ’ s got a little color— ”
“ And so you think she ’ s cured! ” The two Arabellas shrugged marble shoulders. “ You come into our house, turn everything topsy-turvy, break all our rules for the child, give way to her in everything, and then talk about a cure! And to crown it all, you fall asleep out in the woods leaving her exposed to God knows what danger. It ’ s no good, I tell you, Jonathan. I won ’ t have a quiet moment. ”
“ You ’ re so anxious about the child? ” Jonathan ’ s tone surprised Kate.
“ Of course I ’ m anxious about her! Do you think I don ’ t suffer when I see her as she is? Don ’ t mind when she runs away from me? D ’ you think I ’ ve no feeling, Jonathan? Besides, it ’ s not safe for her here, running wild the way she does. ”
“ It ’ s just about as safe here as anywhere, ” he said reasonably. “ I ’ ve taken care she can ’ t get off the place. And with Mrs. Croston to watch out for her. If you think you ’ re up to it? ” No mistaking the doubt in his voice as he spoke to Kate directly for the first time. “ Maybe I shouldn ’ t have let you persuade me you could do it ... Well, that ’ s my fault. You see now, it ’ s not just a job, it ’ s a whole life. No reason why we should expect you to take it on. ” And then, as she made to protest. “ No—wait a minute. I brought you here, and I ’ m responsible for you. No way of getting you back to England right now, I ’ m afraid, but this war won ’ t last forever—not beyond this fall, or I miss my guess. It should be easy enough to find you work in Boston till then. ”
“ But I don ’ t want to work in Boston! I don ’ t want to go back to England, come to that. Please, Mr. Penrose, give me another chance. I want to try. I want the kind of life I could have with Sarah, She ’ s what I need ... I told you ... someone to love ... ” She stopped, embarrassed at her own vehemence.
“ Love! ” Arabella broke in. “ Because her mother doesn ’ t? If you only knew the nights I ’ ve lain awake, listening to her scream, knowing it would do more harm than good to go to her— ”
“ But, Bella, ” put in Jonathan, “ be reasonable. Someone ’ s got to look after Sarah. ” And then, wearily, “ Lord knows, we ’ ve been through this often enough before. You ’ ve got to face facts, Bella. You can ’ t; Mrs. Croston thinks she can. Well then, I say, let ’ s give her a trial. If you ’ re really sure you ’ re up to it, Mrs. Croston? ” Again that note of doubt.
“ Of course I am. Mr. Penrose, I don ’ t know how to thank you. All I can say is, I promise I ’ ll do my best. ”
“ Promises! ” said Arabella. “ From a complete stranger, picked up God knows where in the train of the British Army. No, Jonathan, I won ’ t hush! What do you know about women? No mother; no sisters: it ’ s no wonder if you are a fool for a tale of woe and a pitiful face. I won ’ t say a pretty o n e. And it ’ s my child you
Nothing for it but to plunge right in: “ I ’ m extremely sorry, Mr. Penrose, about today. It won ’ t happen again. ” No excuses. He must know how exhausting their journey had been. She was not going to refer to it. But the silence dragged out, as if each of them was waiting for the other to speak. At last Kate went on. “ I brought down my marriage lines, Mrs. Penrose. ” And then, when Jonathan merely shook his head impatiently, and Arabella turned away to study her own profile in the glass as if the whole subject was profoundly indifferent to her: “ Sarah went to bed like an angel. I truly think her day in the open has done her good. She ’ s got a little color— ”
“ And so you think she ’ s cured! ” The two Arabellas shrugged marble shoulders. “ You come into our house, turn everything topsy-turvy, break all our rules for the child, give way to her in everything, and then talk about a cure! And to crown it all, you fall asleep out in the woods leaving her exposed to God knows what danger. It ’ s no good, I tell you, Jonathan. I won ’ t have a quiet moment. ”
“ You ’ re so anxious about the child? ” Jonathan ’ s tone surprised Kate.
“ Of course I ’ m anxious about her! Do you think I don ’ t suffer when I see her as she is? Don ’ t mind when she runs away from me? D ’ you think I ’ ve no feeling, Jonathan? Besides, it ’ s not safe for her here, running wild the way she does. ”
“ It ’ s just about as safe here as anywhere, ” he said reasonably. “ I ’ ve taken care she can ’ t get off the place. And with Mrs. Croston to watch out for her. If you think you ’ re up to it? ” No mistaking the doubt in his voice as he spoke to Kate directly for the first time. “ Maybe I shouldn ’ t have let you persuade me you could do it ... Well, that ’ s my fault. You see now, it ’ s not just a job, it ’ s a whole life. No reason why we should expect you to take it on. ” And then, as she made to protest. “ No—wait a minute. I brought you here, and I ’ m responsible for you. No way of getting you back to England right now, I ’ m afraid, but this war won ’ t last forever—not beyond this fall, or I miss my guess. It should be easy enough to find you work in Boston till then. ”
“ But I don ’ t want to work in Boston! I don ’ t want to go back to England, come to that. Please, Mr. Penrose, give me another chance. I want to try. I want the kind of life I could have with Sarah, She ’ s what I need ... I told you ... someone to love ... ” She stopped, embarrassed at her own vehemence.
“ Love! ” Arabella broke in. “ Because her mother doesn ’ t? If you only knew the nights I ’ ve lain awake, listening to her scream, knowing it would do more harm than good to go to her— ”
“ But, Bella, ” put in Jonathan, “ be reasonable. Someone ’ s got to look after Sarah. ” And then, wearily, “ Lord knows, we ’ ve been through this often enough before. You ’ ve got to face facts, Bella. You can ’ t; Mrs. Croston thinks she can. Well then, I say, let ’ s give her a trial. If you ’ re really sure you ’ re up to it, Mrs. Croston? ” Again that note of doubt.
“ Of course I am. Mr. Penrose, I don ’ t know how to thank you. All I can say is, I promise I ’ ll do my best. ”
“ Promises! ” said Arabella. “ From a complete stranger, picked up God knows where in the train of the British Army. No, Jonathan, I won ’ t hush! What do you know about women? No mother; no sisters: it ’ s no wonder if you are a fool for a tale of woe and a pitiful face. I won ’ t say a pretty o n e. And it ’ s my child you
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