He interrupted.Quivering and tuneful it soared, now almost invisible against the blue, but easily seen again when a white cloud rolled up behind it, and the shadow preceding it turned the fresh emerald of the down grass to a dark purplish green. At that the delicate trembling hints of spring suddenly crystallised in Keelings heart into strong definite emotion. It was young, it sang to its mate as it climbed into the sky....
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ONE:She had the satisfactionand that made her step the more briskly and gave the sunshine this mysterious power of exhilarationof knowing that she was serving and supplying. She loved the knowledge that never had Keelings typewriting been done for him so flawlessly, that never had the details of his business, such as came{195} within her ken, been so unerringly recorded. He might ask for the reference to the minutest point in a month-old letter, and she could always reinforce his deficient memory of it, and turn up the letter itself for confirmation of her knowledge. When days of overwhelming work had occurred, and he had suggested getting in a second typewriter to assist her, she had always, with a mixture of pride in her own efficiency, and of jealousy of a helping hand, proved herself capable of tackling any task that might be set her. Probably she could not have done it for any one else, but she could do it for him. It was easier, so she told herself, to do his work herself, than to instruct anybody else what to do. She allowed herself just that shade of self-deception, knowing all the time that there were plenty of routine letters that any one else could have done as well as she. But she did not want anybody else to do them.
Yes, sir; as far as I understand what has happened I do approve. I think it was the only honest course left her. "'I'll make old vases for you if you want themwill make them just as I made these.'"If I go to sleep," I said,--"you know how I dream. I shall have one of those dreams of mine to carry around in my memory for a year, like a bullet in my back." So there the dear fellow had sat all night to give me my hourly powders of reassurance that I could be a quartermaster's clerk without shame.Frank admitted the force of the argument, and added that he didn't care what name it went by, so long as it carried them safely over.And they tell me youre going to be Mayor of Bracebridge next year, said Mrs Goodford, delighted to have drawn him into conversation with{27} her. If only she could engage him in it she trusted herself to make him lose his temper before many minutes were over.
路见不平Eason吼
