Mrs. Tams nodded.
Rachel went to her bedroom, turned up the gas, straightened her hair,
and put on her black hat, and her blue jacket trimmed with a nameless
fur, and picked up some gloves and her purse. Before descending she
gazed at herself for many seconds in the small, slanting glass. Coming
downstairs, she took the marketing reticule from its hook in the
kitchen passage. Then she went back to the parlour and stood in the
doorway, speechless, putting on her gloves rapidly.
"Ready?"
She nodded.
"Shall I?" Louis questioned, indicating the gas.
She nodded again, and, stretching to his full height, he managed
to turn the gas down without employing a footstool as Rachel was
compelled to do.
"Wait a moment," she whispered in the hall, when he had opened the
front door. These were the first words she had been able to utter. She
went to the kitchen for a latch-key. Inserting this latch-key in the
keyhole on the outside, and letting Louis pass in front of her, she
closed the front door with very careful precautions against noise, and
withdrew the key.
"I'll take charge of that if you like," said Louis, noticing that she
was hesitating where to bestow it.
She gave it up to him with a violent thrill.
Pages:
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202