He developed, after a time, a
certain suspicion of Clayton, not of his conduct but of his
character. These big men were often hard. It was that quality
which made them successful. They married tender, gentle girls, and
then repressed and trampled on them.
Natalie became, in his mind, a crushed and broken thing, infinitely
lonely and pathetic. And, without in the least understanding,
Natalie instinctively knew it was when she was wistful and dependent
that he found her most attractive, and became wistful and dependent
to a point that imposed even on herself.
"I've been very selfish with you, Rodney, dear," she said, lifting
sad eyes to his. "I am going to be better. You must come often
this summer, and I'll have some nice girls for you to play with."
"Thank you," he said, stiffly.
"We'll have to be as gay as we can," she sighed. "I'm just a little
dreary these days, you know."
It was rather absurd that they were in a shop, and that the clerk
should return just then with curtain cords, and that the discussion
of certain shades of yellow made an anti-climax to it all.
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