Her father had made a good income; but it had never
been goodenough.
Hewas, at the Flour Building, to give his name as
Mr Walters who hadprivate business with Mr Clark. Dont think for a moment she did
notsee through her.
Dinner was at half-past seven; it was five when he
sat down.
One scene becamestartlingly clear: between him and
Sibyl.
When I came in, I was told Dr Frywas still
here.
Why, he had asked himself, could he not run the
mill without profitto himself?
When ithas done that, it ceases to move, balanced
in a state ofperfection.
She was a phenomenon, physicallyand
morally.
When, from Clark House, he hadgone to the mill, he
had stopped at the office and proceeded afoot.
Sam had listenedpatiently; but he had promptly
forgotten all about it.
As for the house, Sam said while they were waiting,
you can haveit, of course. But, up to his fathers death, he had never hesitated
aboutentering the mill. I hope to have you with us fora good many more years. Ive
beentrying to get something clear in my mind. Dinner was at half-past seven; it was
five when he sat down. It was too much of a shock; he sat down; and the tears were
runningdown his hollow cheeks.
Thats all right, Rogers, Sam said; and after a
moment he added,Im glad my father remembered you.
He wasmoved to his depths; his very body felt as if
it were not his own. I told you I was off on the biggest job yet. Downstairs,lights
were being turned off, all except those which remainedburning all night. What, in
this cataclysmic upheaval,did his own moral integrity matter?
On the other hand, he had made up his mind with
regard to twothings. She feltneglected, you know; and she was at a dangerous age,
thirty or alittle over.
Im used to being kissed by the men I
meet.
It took a conscious effortto force himself to lie
down and relax. Only now did he understand; the mans mentality hadbecome his own.
Like a score of silver bellsher laughter rang out. This wasMax Eckel, chief chemist
whose long white smock floated out behindhim as he moved.
He feared to reveal his weaknessto others. Maud had
summoned me to go totown with her, in the dogcart. Forgetting himself, he hadgone so
far as to ask, Ye think thatll stand in law? Guarding against an actual lapse into
the past, he tried to thinkof it in the abstract. Miss Charlebois remained silent
for a minute or two.
That apparent mistrust of his fathers had done
something to him.