la.Hisspeechterrifiedher.Shefeltthosesubtlerestrictionswhichcomeuponusinfatigue.Hadshesleptwellshewouldhavegreetedhimassoonasshesawhim.Nowitwasimpossible.Hehadgotintoanotherworld.
Shewatchedhissmoke-ring.Theairhadcarrieditslowlyawayfromhim,andbroughtitoutintactuponthelanding.
“Twohundredandfive—eighty-two.InanycaseIshallputthemonBari,notonFlorence.IcannottellyouwhyIhaveafeelingthisweekforBari.”Againshetriedtospeak.Buttheringmesmerizedher.Ithadbecomevastandelliptical,andfloatedinatthereception-roomdoor.
“Ah!youdon’tcareifyougettheprofits.Youwon’tevensay‘Thankyou,Gino.’Sayit,orI’lldrophot,red-hotashesonyou.‘Thankyou,Gino—‘”
Theringhadextendeditspalebluecoilstowardsher.Shelostself-control.Itenvelopedher.Asifitwasabreathfromthepit,shescreamed.
Therehewas,wantingtoknowwhathadfrightenedher,howshehadgothere,whyshehadneverspoken.Hemadehersitdown.Hebroughtherwine,whichsherefused.Shehadnotonewordtosaytohim.
“Whatisit?”herepeated.“Whathasfrightenedyou?”
He,too,wasfrightened,andperspirationcamestartingthroughthetan.Foritisaseriousthingtohavebeenwatched.Weallradiatesomethingcuriouslyintimatewhenwebelieveourselvestobealone.
“Business—”shesaidatlast.
“Businesswithme?”
“Mostimportantbusiness.”Shewaslying,whiteandlimp,inthedustychair.
“Beforebusinessyoumustgetwellthisisthebestwine.”
Sherefuseditfeebly.Hepouredoutaglass.Shedrankit.Asshedidsoshebecameself-conscious.Howeverimportantthebusiness,itwasnotproperofhertohavecalledonhim,ortoaccepthishospitality.
“Perhapsyouareengaged,”shesaid.“AndasIamnotverywell—”
“Youarenotwellenoughtogoback.AndIamnotengaged.”
Shelookednervouslyattheotherroom.
“Ah,nowIunderstand,”heexclaimed.“NowIseewhatfrightenedyou.Butwhydidyouneverspeak?”Andtakingherintotheroomwherehelived,hepointedto—thebaby.
Shehadthoughtsomuchaboutthisbaby,ofitswelfare,itssoul,itsmorals,itsprobabledefects.But,likemostunmarriedpeople,shehadonlythoughtofitasaword—justasthehealthymanonlythinksoftheworddeath,notofdeathitself.Therealthing,lyingasleeponadirtyrug,disconcertedher.Itdidnotstandforaprincipleanylonger.Itwassomuchfleshandblood,somanyinchesandouncesoflife—