In the old days he had taken his own masterfully, with no
doubts. Now he waited. He did not starve. She cajoled him and coaxed his
appetite and patted the pillows, and made pretty, laughing eyes at him and
fate quite in her habitual manner. Her touch and tone of affection had
never been so free. But in that very fact he found another sting.
"The better I do on the road, the more they keep me out," she was saying.
"We can't go on this way. I've been thinking lately--Could you bear to go
North, Guy, and to live in a city, among strangers? Perhaps at headquarters
there might be an opening for me that would let me settle down."
"What! Cincinnati! Is there any such chance?"
"You'd _like_ it? Why on earth--Are you so bored here?"
"Oh, Bibi, have you never thought of it? In a city there'd be some chance
of something I could do!"
"You? Oh, Guy!" After she had accepted the care of him, and that so
pleasantly, he wasn't satisfied! "Is there anything you lack here?" She was
hurt.
It was replaying the old parts reversed. Once _he_ had grieved that he
could not give her enough to content her.
"A--h--" He turned his head away and flung an arm up over his eyes.
Pages:
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58