But Mrs. Arbuthnot, as usual, held on to Mrs. Wilkins; and
presently, having cooled down in the train, Mrs. Wilkins announced that
at San Salvatore Mrs. Fisher would find her level. "I see her finding
her level there," she said, her eyes very bright.
Whereupon Mrs. Arbuthnot, sitting with her quiet hands folded,
turned over in her mind how best she could help Mrs. Wilkins not to see
quite so much; or at least, if she must see, to see in silence.
Chapter 4
It had been arranged that Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins,
traveling together, should arrive at San Salvatore on the evening of
March 31st--the owner, who told them how to get there, appreciated
their disinclination to begin their time in it on April 1st--and Lady
Caroline and Mrs. Fisher, as yet unacquainted and therefore under no
obligations to bore each other on the journey, for only towards the end
would they find out by a process of sifting who they were, were to
arrive on the morning of April 2nd. In this way everything would be
got nicely ready for the two who seemed, in spite of the equality of
the sharing, yet to have something about them of guests.
There were disagreeable incidents towards the end of March, when
Mrs. Wilkins, her heart in her mouth and her face a mixture of guilt,
terror and determination, told her husband that she had been invited to
Italy, and he declined to believe it.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59