For example, he
seldom spoke of the dead, but kept anniversaries with singular pomp.
She suspected him of nameless atrocities with regard to his daughter, as
indeed she had always suspected him of bullying his wife. Naturally she
fell to comparing her own fortunes with the fortunes of her friend, for
Willoughby's wife had been perhaps the one woman Helen called friend,
and this comparison often made the staple of their talk. Ridley was a
scholar, and Willoughby was a man of business. Ridley was bringing out
the third volume of Pindar when Willoughby was launching his first ship.
They built a new factory the very year the commentary on Aristotle--was
it?--appeared at the University Press. "And Rachel," she looked at
her, meaning, no doubt, to decide the argument, which was otherwise too
evenly balanced, by declaring that Rachel was not comparable to her
own children. "She really might be six years old," was all she said,
however, this judgment referring to the smooth unmarked outline of the
girl's face, and not condemning her otherwise, for if Rachel were ever
to think, feel, laugh, or express herself, instead of dropping milk
from a height as though to see what kind of drops it made, she might be
interesting though never exactly pretty. She was like her mother, as the
image in a pool on a still summer's day is like the vivid flushed face
that hangs over it.
Pages:
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35